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Wood Deck Construction vs Composite

People always ask whats better – proper wood or composite. Honest answer is it depends what you want.

Wood deck construction gives you that natural look and feel. Real timber warms up in the sun, ages with character, and you can sand it down if it gets scratched up. We mainly use pressure-treated softwood for budget builds or hardwood like Ipe and Cumaru for premium jobs. A well-maintained wood deck round Stroud'll last 15-20 years easy.

Composite costs more upfront – maybe 40% more than treated softwood – but you never paint it, never seal it, and it dont splinter or rot. Good for families with young kids or people who cant be bothered with maintainance. The newer composites look pretty close to real wood now too.

Patio Decks for Small Gardens

Not every garden in Stroud got room for a massive deck. We do loads of patio decks that are maybe 3m x 2m, just enough for a table and chairs or a couple of loungers.

These smaller patio decks are perfect for terraced houses in town or cottage gardens where you want a flat area without the expense of proper paving. We can usually fit them in weekend, and because their raised up they drain better than patios that sit at ground level.

Price-wise your looking at £1,200 to £2,200 for a basic patio deck including installation. Add railings or built-in benches and it goes up from there.

Deck Repair Before You Need Replacing

Most decks dont need fully replacing when they start looking tatty. We do deck repair work that saves people thousands compared to starting from scratch.

Common repairs we handle:

Replacing rotten boards (usually the ones closest to the house where water runs off the roof) Fixing wobbly railings before someone leans on them wrong Reinforcing sagging sections where the joists werent spaced right originally Treating algae and mould without damaging the wood Replacing rusted fixings with stainless steel ones that'll actually last

If your decks less than ten years old and the frame's still solid, repairs usually make more sense than replacement. We'll tell you straight if its too far gone though – no point throwing good money after bad.

Deck Replacement When Its Time

Sometimes a decks just done. The frames rotted through, the woods beyond saving, or its been bodged so many times theres nothing left to work with. Thats when you need deck replacement.

We strip everything back to ground level, check the foundations are still good, and build you a new deck from scratch. Often we'll adjust the size or design based on how you actually used the old one – maybe make it bigger, add stairs somewhere different, or change the board direction.

Full deck replacement in Stroud typically runs £2,500 to £8,000 depending on size and what materials you choose. Takes about the same time as new installation, maybe a day longer to rip the old one out.

Deck Railing Repair and Replacement

Deck railing repair is something we get called out for constantly. Railings take more abuse than the deck itself – people lean on them, kids climb them, and their more exposed to weather.

Wobbly railings are dangerous. We've seen ones come away completely when someone put their weight on them. If yours moves at all, get it sorted before someone gets hurt.

We can match existing railing styles if your just replacing a damaged section, or upgrade the whole lot to something sturdier. Glass panel railings are getting popular round here now – you keep your view of the garden and they need less maintaining than wood balusters.

Deck Cleaning That Dont Damage Wood

Every deck needs deck cleaning once a year minimum. All that algae and dirt dont just look minging – it makes the surface slippy and holds moisture against the wood which speeds up rot.

We use low-pressure washing and proper deck cleaning products that remove the grime without tearing up the wood fibres. High-pressure washers are the worst thing you can use on decking – they look like their doing a good job but they destroy the surface and you end up with splinters everywhere.

After cleaning we let it dry proper then apply new treatment or stain. Whole process takes a day for an average deck and costs around £250-400 depending on size and condition.

Deck Painting and Wood Staining

Deck painting aint something we usually recommend for horizontal surfaces – paint can get slippy when wet and it chips off where people walk. But for railings and vertical bits it works great.

Wood staining is better for the deck boards themselves. Stain soaks into the wood instead of sitting on top, so it lasts longer and dont peel off. You got two types: transparent stain that shows the wood grain through, or solid stain that's more like thin paint.

We use Ronseal and Cuprinol mainly – their products hold up well in our climate and you can get them locally if you need to touch up later.

Colors? Most people round Stroud go for natural browns and greys that blend with the garden. We done a few black stained decks recently that look proper smart in modern gardens.

Porch Construction and Front Deck Areas

A good porch adds value to your house and gives you somewhere to dump muddy boots. We do porch construction from simple covered entries to full wraparound porches with seating.

Front porches need to match your houses style or they look stuck on. For Cotswold stone cottages we usually do simple timber frames with pitched roofs. For newer houses you got more options – flat roofs with lighting, glass panels, contemporary designs.

Planning permission can be an issue with front porches depending on how close you are to the road, so we always check that before starting work.