Deck the Halls

The suburbs are very rarely described as little oases of paradise. There is probably a good reason for this, that being they're not. They're the suburbs for goodness sake! Who knows what possessed you to move in but you would very much like to move out again. Preferably to some nice quiet spot in the mountains somewhere, or a lovely little place out in the countryside surrounded by sheep and cows.

Because suburbia can be a hellish place. The houses all look very similar, tiny dogs yap all day at nothing, little brats scream all day at nothing, inconsiderate neighbours play their music very loudly and whatever your taste in music their music is always something that you hate, and come springtime, some overzealous dingbat always spreads his lawn in manure, about 3 feet deep and about a month before anyone else.

Your lawn is always in danger of dying, weeds are always on the attack and the roof always needs painting. And once you get the roof painted the walls are next on the agenda. It's a never-ending cycle of maintenance and that's not to keep up with the Jones'. That's to stop your place from becoming the one on the block with the cars parked on the front lawn, balanced on bricks because the wheels are missing, with the grass raggedy and uncut, some plastic taped over one broken window and cardboard taped over another, paint peeling off the roof and walls and the gutters coming off, while one gate sags on it hinges and the other one is missing. If you're going to move in the suburbs always make sure that a house like that already exists in the neighbourhood, this will ensure that you don't become it.

One surefire way to guarantee you stay on the Jones' end of the list and not on the one-step-away-from-a-trailer-park end is to have a beautiful garden and every beautiful garden needs a beautiful deck so that you can sit outside and admire it.

Decking is relatively inexpensive according to the research done for this article, so it won't break the bank, good news for those on a budget. It is quick to install and is low maintenance. They are hard wearing and versatile, the only real limitation in design is your imagination. Decks can be installed on first floors as balconies and can even be integrated with water features and Jacuzzis etc. They are usually made out of hard wood but these days a lot of people are choosing wood composites. Hi-density polyethylene made from rice hull fibre lasts longer and is more durable than any other wood composite because the fibre does not absorb any water and does not allow for the breeding of insects or mould.

A few tips when it comes to caring for your decking: do not use linseed oil on your decking as it supports the growth of fungus and retains dirt, it is important to give your decking a resealing treatment once a year, also use a penetrating resealer and not varnish on your decking. I don't know why the last point is important but apparently it is. I guess that it is because varnish peels after a while and it needs to be redone and if you walk on it with bare foot while its peeling you can get splinters and that hurts. It also increases maintenance.

Well looked after decking though will seriously increase your standing within the community. You will become the envy of the neighbourhood and all will look upon you with open admiration. Even if you do play your panpipes cds loudly well into the night.

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers Deck Pro garden decking one of the leading manufacturers and installers of decking in the UK

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