Find a Landscaper you can trust in Chester Le Street.

Usually, slipperiness is caused by algae or dirt on top of the deck or terrace. A full cleaning treatment should restore the natural grip of the wood or stone. If slipperiness is a persistent problem, consider installing grip mats in high traffic areas of the deck.

Yes, it is possible to insulate a shed. You might want to do this if you’re planning on working in it during the winter. A professional will be able to help you find an insulated shed or advise you on how to insulate a shed that you already have. Always seek professional advise first before attempting to do this yourself!

Everyone wants their garden to feel luscious, spacious and welcoming. But if you’ve got a small garden, it might feel like there’s no way to stop it looking cramped and unappealing. Luckily, there are ways to make a small garden look bigger – and they don’t have to cost the earth. Plant high You can’t expand your garden outwards, but you can go upwards. Harness your neighbours’ walls and fences to plant climbers and trailing plants to add height to your garden. Hanging baskets are a great option too. By using all the space available to you, it creates the illusion that your garden is bigger than it really is. Remove bulky bushes Now you know to plant high, you might realise that there are some shrubs and bushes that need to go. Large bushes spread out and take up too much space, making it feel crowded. If you’ve got a bush for security reasons, consider replacing it with a fence and adding climbers or tall plants around it like we suggested. Create depth An easy way to make a small garden look bigger is to create depth with different textures. Around borders, plant fine-textured plants in the background with course, large-leafed plants in the foreground to give the impression of a deeper space. This is a great idea for shallow, sloping gardens. You can use vibrant colours in the front with a backdrop of green to draw the eyes back. Blend into the background Consider using similar colours, shapes and plants to blend into the view beyond your garden, so it blurs where the boundary of your garden is. If plants and trees creep over from your neighbours’ gardens, don’t trim them back – merge them with your own garden’s style. Stick with a few favourite plants Another mistake people make when trying to make a small garden look bigger is they plant too many different things. This makes your garden feel cluttered, so stick with seasonal combinations; a good rule of thumb is to have at least 3 different flowering species at any time.

If your deck isn’t going to be flat to the ground, it’s a good idea to have some kind of balustrade to avoid any tripping. If the gap between the deck and the ground is less than 600mm, use a 900mm balustrade. If it’s higher than 600mm, the balustrade should be 1100mm tall.

Speaking to the owners of the neighbouring properties is recommended. If you are still unsure, you may need to check the original deeds to the property. Generally the rule is that you are responsible for the fence at the right hand side of your property.

It’s a good idea to talk to your neighbours before you start any work to avoid confusion along the way. But if the fence is definitely your responsibility and on your property, there’s no legal obligation to notify them. It’s also a myth that you need to erect a fence with the flush side without posts facing your neighbour’s property.

Scarification is the name given to the process where you remove excess thatch and moss from your lawn to encourage it to grow and look healthy. Although it sounds difficult, it’s actually pretty easy – simply grab a sturdy rake and apply moderate pressure to rake out moss, thatch and dead grass. Then collect it up and add to your compost heap if you have one. You can also use a petrol or electric rake, but you just want to tease out the moss and thatch. Don’t be tempted to go deep into the grass, as this could damage your lawn. So when should you scarify your lawn? The experts say that the best time is in the autumn, when the grass is actively growing and it’s not too hot, cold or dry. Most of summer’s weed seeds will have gone, so you won’t encourage weeds to grow in the raked-up soil. This soil also makes an ideal seed bed for over seeding with new grass seed, so that’s why you don’t want to get weeds in there as well. However, you may also carry out light scarification in the spring – usually around April. Make sure you don’t go too far though – as you will end up with a rather disfigured lawn if you scarify too heavily and the dryness of summer stops the lawn from recovering. It’s also best to scarify your lawn in the spring if the following apply:

• If you couldn’t do it the previous autumn – if you keep putting it off, you might end up with extreme moss and weed growth
• If your lawn is shaded – these areas will thin over winter and start to thicken from spring onwards, so if you scarify in the autumn you’ll make your lawn even thinner.
• If your lawn is under trees – pair the shade from the trees with the fall of leaves in the autumn and your grass won’t be healthy, but in the spring the trees are bare, allowing lots of light onto your lawn to help it grow.

Being a strong and durable product requiring little maintenance and expected to last over 2 decades, it’s little wonder resin is now a popular material amongst homeowners in the UK to build their driveways. However, there’s always the issue of the driveway fading, cracking or even becoming worn and tired. So is it possible to repair resin driveways? The answer is yes, a resin driveway can be repaired, however the best approach to use largely depends on the issue being faced. As a confident DIYer it’ll be very easy to do, but if you lack the confidence then calling in a professional for help would be a better option. So let’s take a look at how you can repair your resin driveways.

For cracks, the best reparation approach would be to chisel it out. Once done, then you can proceed to breaking the stones to form a rough edge. It’s important to make sure that the matrix of the stone remains unaffected. Make a new mixture of resin bound stone and pack it in tightly to the gap. While doing this, we’ll recommend making use of a plastic trowel to avoid burnishing. This fresh mixture will then create a smooth and perfect surface by interlocking with the edges. You can follow similar procedure for patches but these are larger holes or damages than cracks and as the name suggests are mostly likely to remain noticeable but will prevent further crumbling of your resin driveway.

For homeowners, who aren’t so keen about the patch repairs, you can opt for an overlay especially in the event whereby the majority of the surface has failed. Although many usually shy away from this approach because of the perceived high expenses, but the fact is that the approach is actually cost effective as you won’t have the need to spend more money in the long run.