Is decking slippery when wet?

Good composite is not, in most conditions. Modern capped boards have a textured or embossed surface that grips better than smooth timber when wet or frosty. It is cheap uncapped boards that become slippery and develop a green film in shade. On timber, grooved boards and an annual wash achieve much the same result. In either material we lay the boards to a fall so water runs off rather than sitting on the surface, which resolves most of the problem.

How much looking after does decking need?

Composite requires a wash twice a year with soapy water and a stiff brush, or a gentle jet wash, and little else: no annual sanding, no oil, no stain. Timber needs the same wash, plus a coat of oil or stain every year or two to hold its colour, and the occasional fixing re-seated. That difference in upkeep is the main thing people pay for when they choose composite.

How long does decking last?

Composite boards carry long manufacturer warranties, often in the 20 to 25 year range, and tend to outlast them in practice. Well-maintained timber will give you ten to fifteen years, less if it is never oiled. What truly determines lifespan in either material is the frame beneath, which is why we build ours in treated timber on properly formed footings with ventilation.

Finished timber deck off the back of a house, new lawn run up to it, evening

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Decking in Leeds, built from the frame up

Composite or timber, on a frame built to carry it. The real work is the joists, the ventilation and the fixings beneath. Written, itemised quotes from the team who will carry out the work.

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What we do

A deck is a structure, not a surface

Most of what you are paying for sits beneath the surface you walk on. The boards go on last, and by then the quality is decided.

We build decks across Leeds in composite and in timber, from a small landing off the back door to a raised deck with steps and balustrade. The same small team manages every project, with a written, itemised quote before we start and the garden left clean on completion.

Materials

The boards, and the timber nobody photographs

Every decking advertisement shows the boards. Half the materials on a decking project are the frame, the footings and the fixings, so we list them all here.

Capped composite boards: Wood fibre and plastic with a hard cap bonded to the outer face. The cap resists fading and scratching, and prevents the green film that cheaper uncapped boards develop in shade. The purchase cost is higher, then very little maintenance follows.
Treated timber boards: Tanalised softwood, grooved or smooth. Lower purchase cost, warmer underfoot, and natural in appearance, which often suits an older house. It requires oiling or staining to hold its colour, and it will need more attention over its life than composite does.
The ranges we fit: We fit proven ranges in either material, not the cheapest boards available, which fade and warp within a summer. Tell us the look you want, weathered grey, warm brown or something close to real oak, and we will match a board to it and provide a sample before you commit.
Treated timber frame: The element that determines how long the deck lasts, whichever boards go on top. Treated softwood on treated posts in concrete footings, sized and spaced for the boards it carries: closer centres under composite, the heavier of the two materials.
Hidden clips and fixings: Stainless steel or coated fixings, sized for the board they secure. Cheap fixings are a false economy on a deck intended to outlast them.

Boards are the straightforward part. Request a quote and see exactly what would go beneath yours.

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Why people choose it

Why people choose a deck

→A deck provides a level, usable surface on a sloping garden, without the retaining walls and excavation that stone would require.
→It is warmer and softer underfoot than stone, and quicker to construct once the frame is set out.
→Composite suits those who want minimal maintenance; timber offers the natural look and a lower up-front cost.

A candid note

Composite costs more up front than timber. Over ten years it usually proves cheaper and far less demanding, but the first invoice is the larger one, and it is better to hear that now than at the quote.

It is also only as good as the frame beneath it. A cheap composite deck on a light frame is a poorer purchase than a well-built timber one, which is the main reason we quote the frame before the boards.

Real projects

timber deck across the garden from the patio, lawn between

Our own photographs, from our own projects. If we show it, we built it.

The old surface comes up first

Composite decks

We build composite decks too. The first one we photograph will appear here.

5-year guarantee

Workmanship guaranteed in writing: frame, footings and build quality.

Fixed price, in writing

Measured on site and itemised line by line.

Get a written quote or view more of our work in the projects

How a decking project runs

The frame is the real work, though the boards take the credit: a deck is only as good as the frame you cannot see. Here is what goes in beneath the surface.

Joist centres: Composite is heavier than timber and requires more support beneath it, so a composite deck has joists at closer centres than a timber one, typically 300mm or less, and closer still on a diagonal or picture-framed lay. If joists are spaced too widely, in either material, the boards bounce and sag between them.
Posts and footings: The frame sits on treated posts set in concrete footings, or a ground-screw base, dug below the level of ground that moves in winter. It is never perched on slabs laid on the lawn, which is why many DIY decks become unstable within two years.
Ventilation: Air must be able to move beneath a deck, or it holds damp and the frame rots, whatever the boards above are made of. We leave a clear ventilation gap and keep the underside open rather than boxed in to the ground.
Fall and fixings: Boards are laid to a slight fall so water runs off, and kept clear of the damp-proof course on the house side. Hidden clips or colour-matched screws go into the correct joist, with boards gapped for expansion because composite moves with heat.
Levels and steps: The deck must tie into your back door threshold at one end and the garden at the other. Steps, a landing and fascia boards close off the frame edge, so the result is a finished deck rather than exposed timber.

That frame specification goes on your quote, not just this page. Send a photo of the garden and we will work out what yours requires.

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raised timber deck stepping down to an Indian stone patio

Deck and patio together

A deck does not have to be the whole garden

Some of our best projects pair a raised deck off the back door with a stone or porcelain patio stepping down below. Decking where you want warmth and dry boards underfoot, paving where the barbecue and the planters sit. We build both, so the transition and the levels are designed as one project rather than joined by two separate trades.

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What it costs

Priced by the square metre, once we have seen it

Decking is quoted per square metre, but the rate varies considerably depending on how far off the ground the deck sits and what goes around the edge. A ground-level deck on flat ground is one figure; a raised deck over a slope with steps and a balustrade is another. Once we have surveyed the garden, we will set out the full cost in writing, itemised line by line, before any work begins.

We will not publish a headline "from" price for a deck: the frame determines the cost, and we cannot size the frame until we have seen the ground.

What moves the price

→Frame height. A deck flush with the lawn needs light framing; a raised deck over a slope requires posts, footings and considerably more timber.
→Steps and landings. Every change of level adds more frame, more boards and more edge detail.
→Balustrade and handrail. Composite, glass or metal, and a Building Regulations requirement above a certain drop. It forms a significant part of a raised deck's price.
→Board range. There is a genuine cost gap between entry-level co-extruded boards and premium capped ranges.
→Shape. A picture-framed deck with mitred corners and a diagonal lay involves more labour and more waste than a simple rectangle.
→Groundworks. Clearing the existing surface, levelling, and dealing with whatever lies beneath the old deck or patio.

What's included

What is in a decking project, and what to expect

A decking quote and a patio quote for the same garden can look very different. Here is where ours starts and finishes, so you know exactly what you are comparing.

In the project

→Removal of the existing surface: old decking, slabs or worn lawn.
→Posts set in concrete footings, or a ground-screw base.
→A treated timber frame, built level and ventilated underneath.
→Boards laid to a fall, gapped for expansion and fixed with hidden clips or colour-matched screws.
→Steps, a landing and fascia boards, presenting a finished deck rather than an exposed frame.
→Detailing the deck into your back door threshold at one end and the garden at the other.

Worth knowing before you seek quotes

→A balustrade is a Building Regulations requirement above a certain drop, so on a raised deck it is part of the works rather than an optional extra.
→Boards are ordered to the range you choose, so there is a lead time between confirming the order and the start on site.
→On the house side, the deck must remain clear of your damp-proof course. That determines the finished height, not personal preference.

Common questions

Before you call

We build both, so we have no reason to steer you either way. Timber costs less up front, feels warmer underfoot and has a natural appearance that suits an older house. In return it requires oiling or staining every year or two, and in time it will splinter and rot. Composite costs more to buy and then needs very little attention: no oiling, no staining, no splinters, and it does not fade as an uncapped board does. Over ten years composite usually proves the cheaper of the two; over three years, timber does. Tell us how long you intend to stay in the house and how much upkeep suits you, and we will recommend the right board.

Other services

Our other services

One team, one standard of workmanship, across everything we build.

House extensions

Stone masonry

Porches

Driveways

Block paving

Patios & paving

Porcelain paving

Indian stone paving

We build in composite and in timber, so if the more economical option suits your garden, that is the one we will recommend.

Send us a few photographs of the garden

Show us the area you have in mind, its approximate size, and whether it is flat or on a slope. We will measure on site, advise on boards and levels, and return with a written, itemised, fixed-price quote.

Public liability £5m · written, itemised quotes · 5-year workmanship guarantee in writing.

Or call 07743 342155

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