Once you have built your deck it is advised to leave it for 4-6 weeks to weather before staining or oiling. This will allow the tannin to leak out (blood coloured liquid). This process can be sped up by watering the boards with a hose. There are many stains and oils on the market, including clear oils (a bit like the old linseed cricket bat oil) and water and oil based stains. The clear oils are cheaper but this product will need to be applied every 3-6 months as it weathers more easily. The stains tend to soak in and

The first thing you should do isread the instructions on the label attached to the tree. There is important information regarding the conditions the tree requires for healthy growth, including sun exposure, mulching and soil requirements. The standard procedure for planting any tree is to dig the hole to 1.5 times the depth and width of the pot, back fill with some good quality soil and some fertilizer. Then place the tree in the hole so that the top of the soil level of the tree is level with the soil level of the surrounding ground. Some trees need to

You will need to clear the natural ground of building rubble and excavate if the slope of the land falls back to your house – ideally the rain run off needs to flow away from the building. It is also important if you are installing sprinklers that there is conduit PVC 90mm pipe placed adjacent to your taps under andy concrete paths. All edging, fencing and paths (any hard scaping) needs to be completed before turf is installed. Once the initial preparation has been completed, a 70-90mm layer of good quality soil needs to be leveled across the surface. A

Decks are a wonderful addition to any house. They create a feeling of warmth and richness, as well as adding value to the house. There are 2 types of timber you can use to deck your outdoor area with: soft wood and hard wood. Soft wood is as it sounds, soft and generally more inferior to the hardwood varieties. It is usually treated with a chemical to help resist rotting and weathering in the outdoors. It will scratch and dent easily, and sometimes twist and warp (occasionally popping the nails or screws). It is much cheaper than hardwood. This variety

It is important to plan the style and layout of your garden before commencing with the project. Many people do their garden in stages, not really knowing what they want to achieve, and by the end the garden unfortunately looks like a patch work quilt with an identity crisis. The first thing you need to think about is how are you going to use the space in 1-5 year’s time. Families grow and shrink and circumstances change, so it is important that these things can be anticipated where possible. This should give you an idea of where your entertaining area

Some people have considerable drainage problems around their house if they are a low lying property with all other surrounding housing discharging run off onto their property. Occasionally the contour of the block can unfortunately have run off settling at the base of the house slab, resulting in movement in the ground and cracking plaster on internal walls. There are many things you can do to ensure your property is water tight during wet conditions. Grated strip drains can collect water and discharge to the nearest storm water outlet. Agi pipes can capture run off as well and discharge the