Decking in Cheltenham
Timber and composite decking built on a sub-frame that drains and breathes, so the deck stays solid underfoot years after it is laid.
Decking in Cheltenham runs £70 to £130 per square metre supplied and fitted, excluding VAT. Treated softwood at ground level sits at the bottom of that, composite in the middle, hardwood at the top. Bigger decks cost less per square metre: published softwood rates fall from about £90 per m² under 15 square metres to £70 once the deck passes 30. A 25 square metre deck is usually one to two days on site once the ground is ready. Raised decks on posts, balustrade, ground clearance and carting spoil away are priced on top. These are guide ranges for budgeting, never a quote.
This is for you if
- The lawn stays soggy into May and you want somewhere dry to put a table and chairs.
- The garden drops away from the back door and you want one level platform out of it instead of a slope.
- The existing deck bounces underfoot in the middle and the board ends are cupping and lifting.
- The shaded end goes green every winter and someone has already gone over on it.
- You have a narrow walled garden behind a Cheltenham terrace and want a level seating area that runs wall to wall.
- You are done sanding and re-oiling every other spring and want composite priced against timber before you decide.
What the job includes
- Deck footprint dug out and levelled, membrane laid, and compacted stone or concrete pads set under every bearing point, so no part of the frame sits on soil.
- Sub-frame in Use Class 4 treated timber, the treatment level specified for ground contact, with joists at 400mm centres and tightened to around 300mm under composite boards or a diagonal layout.
- Every cut end and drilled hole sealed with end-grain preservative on site, because cutting treated timber opens up the part the factory treatment never reached.
- A fall of a few millimetres per metre built into the frame and a clear air gap kept underneath, so water runs off the boards and the underside dries out.
- Balustrade, handrail and steps framed into the deck structure and bolted through to the joists rather than screwed to the fascia board, on any deck high enough to fall off.
- Old deck lifted and taken away, with tip charges and any ground clearance priced as their own lines on the quote so you can see what the removal is costing you.
Planning and the rules that apply
The national permitted development rules we can quote in writing cover gates, fences, walls and other means of enclosure, and they do not cover decks, so on any raised deck we point people at Cheltenham Borough Council first, and at a Lawful Development Certificate where the answer is not clear. A boundary fence or screen around the deck is the part those rules do cover: Class A of the GPDO 2015 allows up to 2 metres above ground level in most positions, and 1 metre where it is next to a highway used by vehicular traffic, including the footway of such a highway. Those rights do not apply at all within the curtilage of a listed building, and they can be removed by an Article 4 direction or by a condition on the original estate permission, which is worth checking on the newer estates before anything goes up.
| Guide range | £70 - £130 per m² |
| Typical duration | 1-2 days |
Guide ranges for budgeting, excluding VAT. We confirm a fixed price in writing before any work starts, and the price we agree is the price you pay.
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Decking: what people ask
Do I need planning permission for decking in Cheltenham?
We will not tell you in writing that yours is fine, and here is why. The national permitted development rules we can quote line by line cover gates, fences, walls and other means of enclosure. They do not cover decks. So on anything raised above the surrounding ground we ask people to put the design to Cheltenham Borough Council before we start. Where the answer is unclear the formal route is a Lawful Development Certificate, a legally binding decision from the council. Two local points. Inside the curtilage of a listed building the permitted development right for fences and enclosures does not apply at any height, which is worth checking on the Regency and Victorian streets. On newer estates that right can be removed by a condition on the original estate permission or by an Article 4 direction, so dig out the estate paperwork.
Read the full answerIs composite decking worth the extra over timber?
On installed cost, composite lands between softwood and hardwood. Published UK rates run about £70 to £90 per square metre for treated softwood, £90 to £110 for composite and £110 to £130 for hardwood, supplied and fitted at ground level. The saving comes later. Composite gets washed instead of treated, and published figures put deck staining or oiling at £350 to £800 a time on a timber deck, with a clean at £150 to £350. Warranty lengths vary by manufacturer and describe what the maker will replace, which is a different question from how long a deck lasts. Whatever applies to the boards we fit goes in the written quote. One caution: the sub-frame under a composite deck is still timber, and composite boards on a poor frame fail as fast as timber boards do, so the frame is where the money should go first. Our guide ranges exclude VAT.
Read the full answerWhy does decking get slippery, and can you stop it?
The slip comes from algae and a film of organic muck sitting on the surface, so it shows up worst where a deck is shaded, stays damp and has nowhere for water to go. Three things reduce it at build stage: a fall of a few millimetres per metre set into the frame so water runs off, a clear air gap underneath so the boards dry from both sides, and keeping soil, bark and leaf litter off the boards. Grooved boards do less than the name suggests in our experience, because the grooves hold water and collect debris. Textured composite and anti-slip strips on steps earn their money where a deck sits in shade all year. If only one corner goes green, a wash and cutting back the planting above it may be all you need. A published deck clean runs £150 to £350.
Read the full answerCan decking be laid straight onto grass or over an old patio?
Not onto grass. The sub-frame needs solid level bearing points and an air gap under it, and timber laid on soil rots at the contact line within a couple of seasons. We dig out the footprint, lay membrane and set compacted stone or concrete pads under the bearers, then build the frame in Use Class 4 treated timber, the treatment level specified for ground contact. Over a sound patio it is often possible. The slabs give a stable base, and we check the fall runs away from the house, that there is height to spare at the door threshold, and that air can still move underneath. Where the ground is clay, and plenty of Cheltenham gardens are, water sits after rain, which makes that gap under the frame the thing that decides how long the deck lasts. Ground clearance and levelling are priced separately from the per square metre rate.
Read the full answerDecking across Gloucestershire
The same prices everywhere we work. What changes is the ground, and on this patch the ground changes a lot. Each area page starts there.
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GL52, GL53 · Cheltenham Borough Council
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GL52 · Cheltenham Borough Council
Fencing in Bishop's Cleeve
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Fencing in Winchcombe
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Fencing in Gloucester
GL1, GL2, GL3, GL4 · Gloucester City Council
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Fencing in Tewkesbury
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Planning decking?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We reply within one working day with an honest cost bracket, then a fixed written quote once we have measured up.