Decking Installers in Thanet

Set out the terrace, steps and walking routes.

Mark out the furniture and circulation space before choosing the deck dimensions. Leave room behind chairs, a clear route from the house and access to gates or storage. Board direction, edges and step positions should follow how you will use the space.

We cover decking enquiries in Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Birchington, Westgate-on-Sea and Minster. Include your town and postcode and explain the route for bringing boards and frame materials into the garden. For your Thanet garden, draw the proposed deck beside the existing patio, doors and boundary. A 4m by 5m footprint can provide 20m², but mark furniture and chair clearance before deciding where the steps belong. Show any narrow route from the front of the property to the garden and where old boards or materials would be carried. Photograph the threshold, changes in level and existing paving so the deck meets retained features deliberately. Explain which areas are shaded or in direct sun, and whether privacy from adjoining gardens affects the finished height.

If the work includes a patio or new fencing, share the full brief so the adjoining levels and access can be coordinated.

See a completed decking project elsewhere in Kent.

Our Sittingbourne decking project shows a terrace and broad garden steps connecting the house with the lawn. The hero photograph comes from that completed Sittingbourne work, rather than a project in Thanet.

Use the project to discuss the layout and finish you like. Your own garden needs its own assessment of supports, levels, steps and access; the photograph does not establish a construction specification for another site.

The subframe is part of the installation.

The visible boards rely on a suitable supporting structure. Ground preparation, foundations or supports, frame materials and connections need to suit the dimensions, height and intended use. Drainage and ventilation beneath the boards should be considered within the installation plan.

The selected board system determines joist spacing, fixing details and movement allowances. Obtain the manufacturer’s current guidance for the actual boards and support materials; the same spacing and fixing pattern will not suit every system. Changing timber boards to composite does not establish that an existing frame is compatible. Assess the support structure and follow the chosen manufacturer’s installation guidance.

Agree fascia, board ends and junctions at doors or adjoining paving. Those details affect appearance and usability as well as the material quantity.

What should you put under decking?

Start with the existing ground and the support design, rather than specifying a membrane for every site. The space beneath the deck needs suitable preparation, drainage and ventilation. Foundations or supports must carry the frame and intended use, while the selected board system determines fixing and spacing requirements.

Where a membrane or stone layer is proposed, ask what it is intended to do and how it works with the drainage and supports. It does not replace the frame or foundations. Retained paving, soil and an old deck structure can require different preparation, so show the existing surface in your enquiry.

Include access to covers and services, the junction with the house, and how debris will be cleared beneath or between boards. These details should be agreed before the surface boards conceal the construction.

Connect a raised deck to the rest of the garden.

A raised deck can create a useful terrace over changing levels, but supports, access steps and guarding need to be designed together. Consider how people reach the garden and whether the underside needs access or finishing.

For examples of different finishes, our St Margaret’s Bay composite deck shows glass balustrade with steel posts. The Deal decking and railings project shows an alternative arrangement with inset steps. These photographs illustrate work elsewhere in Kent; your garden needs its own specification. Tell us whether you need a dining terrace, a route to the lawn or a deck replacing an awkward raised area so step positions and edges serve the intended use.

Replace old decking without hiding a failing frame.

Soft boards, loose fixings or movement underfoot may indicate damage below the surface. Establish which supports can remain before specifying new boards. Agree how deterioration discovered during removal will be handled.

The Ashford timber deck replacement project includes construction photographs as well as the finished terrace. They show why clearance and frame work should form part of a replacement quote.

What is the average cost of decking in the UK?

A national average is a rough starting point, not a specification for your garden. Our Thanet decking quotes start with measured area, named boards and site conditions. Softwood, hardwood and composite are broad categories, with substantial differences between individual products. Supporting construction, height and access can make two decks of the same area different projects. Old deck removal, steps, fascia and guarding all need to be included where required.

For example, a 4m by 5m rectangle is 20m². That footprint does not establish a supply-and-fit price: a low terrace over suitable ground and a raised deck with steps or guarding can require different construction. Compare quotations including:

• Dimensions, finished height and board layout.
• Removal, clearance and waste disposal.
• Ground preparation, supports and frame construction.
• The named boards and fixing system.
• Steps, edges, fascia and guarding where needed.
• Labour, VAT treatment, exclusions and provisional items.

For your 20m² decking quote, confirm whether steps, fascia and guarding sit within the stated area or are priced separately. Include the access route, old deck removal and any supports proposed for reuse. Compare timber and composite at the same finished height and with the same edge details; a board-only rate leaves the supporting construction and fitting to be accounted for.

How much is 20 square meters of composite decking?

A 4m by 5m rectangle is 20m². If a contractor quotes a complete fitted rate of £150 per m² for your agreed specification, the area calculation is 20 × £150 = £3,000. This is an arithmetic example, not our tariff or a current market average. Confirm VAT treatment and add separately quoted work only where it is excluded from that rate.

Request a written total for the named board range, frame, ground preparation, fixings, edges and fitting. Steps, guarding, old-deck removal and difficult access may change the total. A board-only rate cannot be used as the installed price, and a raised 20m² terrace can need a different structure from a low deck of the same footprint.

How much would a 20x20 deck cost?

Confirm the units first. A 20ft by 20ft deck is about 6.10m by 6.10m, or 37.2m². A 20m by 20m deck is 400m². Neither is the same as a 20m² deck, so an enquiry that says only 20x20 needs clarification before quantities or prices are calculated.

Send the measured dimensions and units, finished height and a sketch showing steps and guarding. Multiply the area by a quoted complete installation rate only after the boards, frame, preparation, fitting and exclusions are clear. Board packs and garden deck kits advertised in shopping results are material purchases; check their contents rather than treating the kit price as a fitted terrace.

Is it cheaper to do decking or paving?

Compare complete proposals for the same usable space. Timber or composite boards, frame, supports, steps and fascia belong in the decking price; excavation, supporting layers, bedding, paving and joints belong in the patio price. Access, disposal and changes in level can alter both totals.

A raised terrace and a ground-level patio are different constructions even when their areas match. Ask whether either option needs additional retaining work, drainage, guarding or steps, and consider cleaning and future repairs alongside the initial cost. Our Thanet patio guide covers the paving alternative.

Compare timber and composite on the same installation scope.

Request the two board options at the same dimensions and finished height, with the same steps, edging and access requirements. Identify any frame changes required by the selected boards rather than assuming the existing support works for both.

A square-metre price needs to state whether it covers boards alone or a complete fitted deck. For a 20m² design, confirm what is included before multiplying a quoted rate by 20. Check separately priced stairs, guarding, fascia, waste disposal and VAT. Ask for the named board range and frame specification so cost and care can be compared together.

What is the 30cm rule for decking?

For houses in England, decking can fall within permitted development when it is no more than 30cm above ground, meets the relevant 50% coverage limit together with other development and is not forward of the principal elevation.

Height is only one condition. Listed buildings, designated land and restrictions on permitted development can affect permission. These allowances do not apply to flats, maisonettes and certain converted houses.

Read the Planning Portal decking guidance and confirm requirements with Thanet District Council before work, particularly where sloping ground or a raised design makes the proposal less straightforward.

Compare service life and care for the actual boards.

Softwood, hardwood and composite describe broad material groups. They do not establish a fixed lifespan for every deck. Species or product range, treatment, support design, exposure and care all affect performance.

Ask for the named board and frame specification, care instructions and any written warranty conditions. Compare the work needed to keep the appearance you want, including cleaning and any timber refinishing. A long warranty headline should not be treated as a maintenance-free service-life promise for the whole deck.

What are the downsides of composite decking?

Composite can reduce some timber refinishing work, but it still needs cleaning and suitable construction. Consider the purchase cost, heat in a sunny position, changes in colour, surface damage and the availability of matching replacement boards. An existing timber frame may need changes for the selected composite system. Surface heat, grip, staining, scratching and weathering vary between products, so assess the actual board range rather than assuming one specification covers every composite.

Compare samples in the intended position and ask about heat in direct sun. Look at the cleaning method and written warranty conditions, including what happens if a board needs replacing. Timber gives natural grain and can require treatment or refinishing, depending on the wood and appearance you want.

Clear leaves and debris, keep drainage gaps open and follow the selected manufacturer’s washing guidance. Pressure-washing limits and suitable cleaners vary. Damp shade and algae can affect grip; ask about wet-slip performance and keep the surface maintained.

Questions about decking in Thanet