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Busy Lizzie Accent Mixed F1
Busy Lizzie Accent Mixed F1
72 plugs + 12 Free  £8.99

Fuchsia Lady Boothby
Fuchsia Lady Boothby
- world's only climbing Fuchsia - 3 plants £6.49

Fuchsia Hardy Collection A (Army Nurse, Delta's Sarah & Shrimp Cocktail)
Fuchsia Hardy Collection 12 plants 4, of each for £11.98

Petunia Tidal Wave
Petunia Tidal Wave climbing Petunia
42 plug plants £16.35

Lily Oriental Stargazer
Lily Oriental Stargazer
- ideal for containers - 6 bulbs £6.49

Geranium T&M's Jackpot F1
Geranium T&M's Jackpot F1
- 25 plugs £6.99

Begonia Cascading Apricot Shades F1
Begonia Cascading Apricot Shades F1
2½ to 4 inch, mostly double blooms, 5 plants £9.99, 35 plugs +19 FREE £12.99

Busy Lizzie 'Blue Sky'™ (PBR applied for)
Busy Lizzie 'Blue Sky'™

Brand new - Impatiens 'Blue Sky'™ is the world's first multi-flowering, blue Busy Lizzie.
3 plants - now half price £9.99

 

Decks and Patios

Patio Slabs

Buildings: Sheds | Garden Office | Arbours and Pegolas | Summerhouses | Playhouses | Workshops | Log Cabins Outdoor living: Patios and decks | Planning a patio | How to build (lay) a patio | Patio Slabs | Planning a deck | How to build a deck | Fences and Fencing | Structures, hints and tips

The addition of a hard outdoor surface, whether deck or patio,  increases living space  considerably, and will greatly increase the usefulness of your garden. If you have any interest at all in spending time outdoors it really is almost as essential to a garden as plants are. A transition area between house and garden can become a part of both and can greatly extend the season when you can enjoy your garden after the hard work of gardening is done.

    The alternatives are wooden decks or stone patios. Gravel doesn't really make a satisfactory surface to sit or play on, and while grass can be perfect for both, for much of the spring and autumn, it will probably be too wet and muddy to be pleasant to go on.

    Hard surfaces are the most expensive form of ground cover (more so than many fitted indoor floorings), so make sure you are using all of the area usefully. Pots can be placed in corners where you are unlikely to tread, but it seems a waste to me to put them on useful parts of the patio or deck, you may have paid £50+ for the area where your petunias are standing.

Position & Size

The first thought of a patio or deck is often of sitting out sunning yourself, gin & tonic in hand while contenting yourself that you are master of all you survey (well at least as far as the fence anyway). A little extra thought will give you an area that can used more frequently.

The obvious position for a deck or patio is usually immediately outside the patio doors or back door of the house. This is convenient for many reasons, particularly if you have small children so they feel close to the house when playing and can easily be kept an eye on. Don't underestimate the importance of this with small children - garden makeover programmes often have the play area at the bottom of the garden, well we all know that's where the ghosts and monsters in a child's imagination live. Have the play area near where the adults will be and it will get used much more unless you are prepared to sit out with the children not doing much.

If you intend to eat al fresco very often and have barbecues or parties outside, it’s easier to service these if the kitchen is nearby. Bear these in mind if you are thinking of an area away from the house.

    As an absolute minimum 3m square (10ft x 10ft) will allow you to get a small round table and 4 chairs with a bit of elbow room. 3m x 5m (10ft x 15ft) is more realistic for a family with one or two children or a couple who like to entertain. If you go larger than this, pay more attention to how the area fits in with the rest of the garden. Is it beginning to dominate? Is privacy becoming more of an issue?

Driveways, Paths and Patios: A Complete Guide to Design Management and Construction
Driveways, Paths and Patios
A Complete Guide to Design Management and Construction

Decking: A Practical Step-by-step Guide
Graham Quick, Neil Sutherland

The Garden D.I.Y. Expert (Expert Books)
The Garden D.I.Y. Expert

D.G. Hessayon
How to Build Walks, Walls and Patio Floors: Brick, Stone, Pavers, Concrete, Tile and More
How to Build Walks, Walls and Patio Floors
: Brick, Stone, Pavers, Concrete, Tile and More

Decks and Decking: 15 Step-by-step Projects

Sun, shade, shelter from wind & privacy

 These are the other major considerations. It’s better to have a sunny patio than one in the shade as you can always make shade but you can’t make sun! 

Remember that sitting in direct sunshine in summer can be uncomfortably hot. Parasols can provide an elegant solution and have the advantage of being removable when the sun doesn’t shine. Another solution is something to give dappled shade, a pergola with trellis as a roof, or my preference - climbers supported with wires, give a nice effect. Ideally, to extend the season of use there should be some possibility of shade in mid-summer, but not in spring and autumn when the sun is warm without being overpowering, deciduous climbers can help here. 

Avoid most trees near your patio or deck, exceptions are those with a light open canopy such as birches (Betula spp.) and Robinia pseudoacacia “frisia”, though be wary of these being too close to the house. Most other trees would give too dense a shade. Almost any tree planted within 1-2m will in time begin to lift your patio with its roots, decks are not affected in the same way and can be constructed around the base of existing trees.

Shelter from wind is also very important when sitting your deck / patio, if everywhere seems to be windy, consider erecting a pergola screen for protection. 6ft x 6ft trellis panels held up by 3” square posts are effective and you can plant climbers at the base of the trellis to soften the effect. Trees, a hedge, or large shrubs on the windward side of the garden can also help considerably to curb the wind. An extra 2 ft of trellis on top of a boundary fence is also very effective (and doesn't usually need the planning permission that a taller fence might).

    Decks should really only be positioned where they are in the sun for most of the time. If too shaded, they remain wet and slippery (or at least more slippery than when dry) for longer, which will also reduce the life of the wood. Patios are better for shady places and whereas wet wood can look rather dreary, wet slabs / bricks aren’t so bad. Remember if you are reading books on decking most of them are written in and for countries that don't have our damp maritime climate.

   Dealing with manhole covers. Houses, particular new houses it seems for reasons that are not entirely clear, are frequently surrounded by one or more manhole covers that look unsightly and make it difficult when laying a patio around them.

One solution is to deck over them. It may seem rather drastic but it certainly works very well, there are some new houses that have four of five covers within a small area and there's really little that can be done to disguise them. The usual device of getting a pot and placing it on the cover tends to draw attention which defeats the object. Decks are raised about 6" or more above ground level and so make it easy to hide the covers which can be accessed fairly easily by lifting a couple of boards if necessary - when was the last time you needed to access a manhole cover?

Cost – varies greatly, make sure you know what slabs / bricks or wood you are getting before you commit.    

 DIY or not

Decks and patios can be installed by the competent (important word that) DIY'er. They are not for beginners, they are major projects and often hard heavy work. Make sure you know what you're taking on before you start, that you have the right tools, that you are carrying the work out to the correct standards and that you are using the right materials.

Gironde Circle Feature Kit  £289.98
Contains 36 pieces to make a circle 2800mm in diameter., Resembles time-worn French limestone flags, Creates a Mediterranean feel to the garden, Allows authentic random pattern appearance.
 
Gironde Corner Accessory Pack £79
Contains 12 pieces specifically designed to make 4 corners to convert your circle into a square.
Gironde Patio Feature Kit £219.98
35 slabs in a mix of sizes. Use to make a 2800 x 2300mm or a 4700 x 1400mm random pattern, or make your own shape and pattern., Resembles time-worn French limestone flags, Creates a Mediterranean feel to the garden, Allows authentic random pattern appearance.
 
Gironde Paving  £349
600 x 600mm - 22 pack
B&Q Old Town Paving Circle Weathered Limestone  £249.98
Contains 36 pieces to make a circle 2800mm in diameter, The random tooled markings on weathered limestone give a timeworn elegance to your garden, Accessories shown are not included.
 
Old Town Full Circle Pack Grey/Green  £249.98
Contains 36 pieces to make a circle 2800mm in diameter., Grey/Green, Surface effect is characteristic of old natural stone flags, Weathered edges, Colours carefully blended to give subtle tonal variation
 
Old Town Accessory Pack Grey/Green  £49.98
Contains 12 stones, enough to make 4 corners that will convert your circle into a square.
 
Old Town Paving Grey/Green (L)30 x (W)30cm  £199
35 slabs in mixed sizes, use to make a rectangular random pattern either 2800 x 2300mm or 4700 x 1400mm, or make your own shape and pattern.
Natural Sandstone Circle Grey £299.98
Contains 25 pieces to make a circle 2460mm in diameter, Silver Grey
 
Natural Sandstone Accessory Pack Grey  £99.98
Contains 12 pieces to make 4 corners to convert your circle to a square, Silver Grey
 
Natural Sandstone Patio Kit Grey (L)457 x (W)334cm £329.98
Contains 48 slabs in a mix of sizes, Silver Grey

Decks   Laying a patio  Power drills   Power saws   Patio Slabs

Latest patio related items at eBay

Decking Supplies

TIMBER DECKING SCREW 4mm * 65mm

Timber decking screws
e.g.: 4mm x 75mm
100 - £3.95
500 - £17.77
2500 - £66.35

High quality, uncut decking for designs of any shape or size. Complete with joists. preservative treated, reversible (smooth or grooved), 15 Year Manufacturer's Guarantee.
deckboard 27 x 144mm approx. Joist 44 x 144mm approx.

1500w Circular SawErbauer CS1590L 7 ½" Circular Saw 230V

1500w motor. Blade size 190mm
£64.99
More like this

Geotextile 2m x 50m
£38.39
Heavy-duty (100g/m2) Fabric to separate sub-base from aggregates. Allows water to drain away but does not allow weed growth to penetrate as excludes 99.5% of light. Fully UV-stabilised (5 years in the UK) and rot proof.

Decking Oil Clear 2.5LtrSolignum Decking Oil Clear 2.5Ltr
Clear, rich, penetrating oil which enhances and feeds timber decking whilst repelling water. Feeds weathered timber. Helps prevent dry splitting. 2.5L for £18.01

Ryobi Drill Driver 14.4VRyobi CCD-1441 Drill Driver 14.4V
Variable Speed & Reverse
2 x 1.3Ah Ni-Cd Batteries
3 Hour Charger
Carry Case
£49.99   More like this

Easy Build Deck Kit Green Treated 2m x 2m - £258

If you're looking for a high quality deck but don't have the time or skills, then look no further than this ingenious interlocking deck kit, The timbers are machined so that they slot together and interlock, All fixings are included.

Delivery within 4 weeks (exc. Sat & Sun)

Treated Decking Joists Pack Of 20 Green Treated (L)3.6m x (W)144mm - £348

Quantity (units): 20, To build a deck from scratch you'll need a firm base, Our high quality Finnforest deckboards & joists will give you a quality deck that has been manufactured to last, 15 year manufacturer's guarantee against rot and insect attack.

Delivery within 4 weeks (exc. Sat & Sun)

Illustrated - Double Deck with Double Pergola KitDeck & Pergola Kit Green Treated 2.4m x 2.4m  £338
Deck & Single Pergola Kit Green Treated 2.40m x 4.80m x (H)2.58m  £588
Deck & Double Pergola Kit Green Treated 4.8m x 2.4m £648

If you're looking for a high quality deck but don't have the time or skills, then look no further than this ingenious interlocking deck kit, The timbers are machined so that they slot together and interlock, All fixings are included, Accessories shown are not included unless otherwise stated , Exclusions may apply to the Isle of Wight

Delivery within 4 weeks (exc. Sat & Sun)

Pre-treated Decking Kit Packs:
3.6m x 2.4m 
£388
4.8m x 2.4m  £478
3.6m x 3.6m  £548
4.8m x 3.6m  £638
4.8m x 4.8m  £778

Treated Reversible Deck Boards: Thickness - 28mm, Treated Decking Joists: Thickness - 44mm, Width - 144mm, To build a deck from scratch you'll need a firm base. High quality Finnforest deckboards & joists will give you a quality deck that has been manufactured to last, 15 year manufacturer's guarantee against rot and insect attack

Delivery within 4 weeks (exc. Sat & Sun)

Reversible Deckboard:
60 Green Treated 3.6m x (W)144mm 
£548
60 Green Treated 4.8m x (W)144mm  £698
120 Green Treated 3.6m x (W)144mm  £978
120 Green Treated 4.8m x (W)144mm  £1258

28 mm thick deckboards for you to cut to fit. To build a deck from scratch you'll need a firm base. High quality Finnforest deckboards & joists will give you a quality deck that has been manufactured to last, 15 year manufacture's guarantee against rot and insect attack, Accessories shown are not included unless otherwise stated

Delivery within 4 weeks (exc. Sat & Sun)

Not all kits come with handrailsThermowood Deck Kit:
3.6m x 2.1m 
£898
3.6m x 3.6m  £1158
4.2m x 2.1m  £998
4.2m x 3.6m  £1198
4.2m x 4.2m  £1398
Including Handrails Brown 3.6m x 2.1m  £1248
Including Handrails Brown 4.2m x 2.1m  £1348
Including Handrails Brown 3.6m x 3.6m  £1598
Including Handrails Brown 4.2m x 3.6m  £1648
Including Handrails Brown 4.2m x 4.2m  £1858

If you're after the best, our Thermowood decking is the closest you'll get to real Hardwood, The timbers get a lustrous finish and deep colour purely from heat treatment to protect against rot and insect attack, Each kit is pre-cut and machined to simply slot together

Delivery within 4 weeks (exc. Sat & Sun)

Prices for guidance only, correct at time of writing, subject to change


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Last  updated 15 February 2008     Copyright © Paul Ward 2000 - 2008