Bromley Decking project with raised deck and Balcony Veranda around conservatory.

The drop from the new conservatory doorway to the garden below was around 1.8 metres. The raised deck, overcame this problem, and the decking area gives a new dimension to the whole garden and house.

A true outside room that can be safely used by all the family. The deck which is to be fully enclosed by balustrades, will also incorporate a gate to the decking staircase for child safety.

Raised decking projects such as this should be carried out by professionals with plenty of decking and construction experience.

Tanalised treated decking and joist timber is used throughout, giving a lifespan of at least 15 years with no decay or rot. It is important that all cuts and drill holes are treated with a good exterior decking or timber preserver. Larger cuts should be treated with a proper 'end seal'. The decking joists seen here are 6x2in - 150 x 50mm - and are the minimum requirement for a raised deck. Smaller joist timbers should not be used for raised decks. The spacing of the deck joists is 600mm, with a load bearing span over bearers of 1.5m maximum.

What was there and how we altered it! The deck was raised approx 1.8m from the old ground level, giving a huge increase in the amount of useable space. Without the deck, it would have been necessary to build a staircase down into the garden - instead of which, the decking bought the garden up to the level of the house.

Some progress images on the decking that can be clicked for enlargement.

The Wall plate - or ledger board - is fastened to the wall using M12mm wall bolts. In this case Sleeve Anchors were used. The distances between the fastenings is 1.2m. A good strong wall is ok for these distances, but a weaker or poorly constructed wall would mean 600mm spacings between deck decking joists.

Decking Staircase well underway >>>>

Balustrades underway before last section of deck completed - for which, some dry weather is needed!