Small deck ideas – designs for tiny spaces
These clever small garden decking ideas and designs are perfect if a deck is the top of your wish list but you feel your garden is too small
Small garden decking ideas are a fabulous way to enhance your outdoor space. Your deck can be used to zone an area that’s purely for outdoor dining, or to create a low-maintenance space if you don’t want a lawn.
Be open minded when it comes to the shape of your decking and design it to best fit your space. Rectangular or square-shaped decks are traditional and create clean, angular lines in your garden landscape. A straight-edged deck is also easier to construct than one with a curved edge.
When thinking about how you want your garden to look as a finished product you can narrow your choice of materials by considering:
1. Will it be a new stone for a contemporary scheme, a reclaimed one to enhance a period property or perhaps a wooden material, either natural or manmade?
2. Will it be seen directly outside the home providing a link between inside and out?
3. Will children play on it in the winter months when a lawn is perhaps too wet to be used? Does it therefore have to have a good anti-slip properties?
4. Will it be sited in sun or shade, or both?
5. Will it be used as a flooring or vertical (walling, fencing) material?
6. How much ongoing maintenance will be required to keep it looking fresh?
Decking can be categorised under the “Marmite effect”: people either love it or hate it. Softwood decking is the more economical option and is readily available wherever you live. If laid correctly and treated with a preservative (either to give colour in the form of a stain, or simply as a clear treatment) it can look as good as hardwood decking and will give a good 15 years of life.
Hardwood deking made from ipê, balau, Cladocalyx and Garapa wood are more expensive than softwood but could give up to double the lifespan. These woods work best with stainless steel screws that minimise the amount of warp in the length of each board as they dry out, but this method of fixing is also more costly. Hardwood decking looses its colour as it dries and will end up naturally silver. This is attractive in its own right, but if preferred the boards can be oiled or stained yearly to maintain the colour.
Small garden decking ideas can be so much more than a simple level for you to walk on. You can create raised areas, like these, that can be used for seating and as somewhere to place drinks and nibbles if you are entertaining.
Small garden decking ideas are a fabulous way to enhance your outdoor space. Your deck can be used to zone an area that’s purely for outdoor dining, or to create a low-maintenance space if you don’t want a lawn.
You can also use decking as a path area through your backyard. The beauty of most deck ideas is that you can add to them – so you can start small, and then create a larger area that could include balustrades and even a small fence to provide a more sheltered space to enjoy more months of the year.
If your yard slopes, you can have a raised deck with steps down to the lower part and use the area underneath the decking for storage – decking is one of the most versatile garden structures around, whatever sized space you have.
Both types of decking are notoriously slippery in the winter months when algae and debris builds up. A thorough clean two or three times a year will alleviate this, but the nature of wood is that it will never be a grippy surface. If grip is important but you still require a wooden look, then there are many composite manmade decking boards comprised of wood dust and resin that look very realistic. They are generally anti-slip and UV stable so won’t change colour over time, making them an ideal choice for a sunny roof terrace or shady courtyard.
Contact Decking Pro – 0723748564 – info@deckingpro.co.za