How Much Does it Cost to Lay Decking?

Job	Description	Labour
1	To frame out for and deck out over a 3m by 2m existing concrete slab/patio area. 2 men 1 day… including all materials	£450
2	To add a 3m fence along the front edge, 2 men half a day…including materials	£200
3	To frame out for and deck out over a 6m by 4m existing concrete slab/patio area. 2 men 2 days …including all materials	£850
4	To add a 6m fence along the front edge, 2 men 1 day………including materials	£400
5	To level out, remove unwanted earth, lay a foundation, frame out for and deck out over a 3m by 2m grass/mud area: 2 men 2 days….. including all materials	£800
6	To level out, remove unwanted earth, lay a foundation, frame out for and deck out over a 6m by 4m grass/mud area: 2 men 2.5 days ….. including all materials	£1100

“Labour” at £175 a day (tradesman) £100 (labourer), includes incidental fixings etc. and tipping charges. “Materials” if mentioned, are larger things (a boiler) and stuff only you can choose (tiles etc). Also VAT must be added all round.

Information Sheet on Laying Decking

Outside (garden) jobs always beat interior work. Mess, scaffolding, precise measurements, accidental damage….all these have no relevance once you cross the lawn. Decking is the sort of job that gives us a well-earned breather from constantly having to watch our P’s & Q’s (or F’s in most builder’s cases.)

First we get the right foundation in, and that can be as rudimentary as laying a few solid concrete blocks out on compacted earth. Then we build the frame making sure its level of course. Then it’s on with the decking timbers with a nice edging and the jobs done unless there’s a fence of course.

Fixings are mostly delivered with a nail gun, timbers should all be well treated with preservative, decking boards must have the correct spacing gap between them. Fences should finish with a nice smooth handrail. None of it is rocket science and the surplus gets chucked in the skip.

If only life was as simple and straight-forward as laying decking!