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1. If you’ve not got an overhang or it’s a fixed deck, fit starter clips along the outside edge of the frame and secure with screws provided with the composite decking. If you are working with an overhang, put the first board into position not exceeding 25mm. If you’re adding a fascia, put an off-cut of board under the overhang so you know it’ll be flush with the fascia.
2. Pre-drill all fixing points, measuring in 30mm from the edge of the board. Secure the board to the joist below with composite decking screws.
3. Slide a hidden fastener clip in so it sits within the groove of the deck board. It needs to be in the centre of the joist to keep the boards secure and ensure an expansion gap of 6mm. Tighten the clips until just tight, and repeat so there’s a clip at every joist.
4. Add the next board, ensuring that the fastener clips sit within the groove – make sure you don’t force it. Repeat step 3.
5. Continue steps 3 and 4 until you’re at the final board, which you should secure in the same way as you did the first.

For a lot of home and property owners in the UK, a common courtesy is being neighbourly and several people find it relatively easy to get along with the folks next door. However, for most individuals, where the major dispute arises most times is due to boundaries which can lead to impasse that may only be resolved through legal action. But since nobody wants that, when boundary issues become more than just passing a comment about the current condition of the fence, you may want to clue yourself up on what to do to get the desired action. If attempts have been made to talk to your neighbour to no avail, there are a couple of things you can consider to make “them next door repair their fence. In this post, we’re going to give you a good insight on these things to help you make informed decisions. Let’s take a look!

Firstly, it should be stated that if the fence poses an immediate danger then the usual legalities doesn’t apply. In this scenario, you may need to report to the local council who’ll take the necessary action on your behalf.

• Offer assistance. Since the cost of repairing a fence isn’t the cheapest thing to do, a lot of people might not be too eager to carry out this project and any friendly suggestion to do so may not be taken kindly. So if you feel that the this may be the issue, you can try offering some assistance to lessen the financial burden on your neighbour.
• Put up your own fence. If all attempts fail, you can consider erecting your own fence. However, this must be on your own property and as close to the boundary as possible.

• Paving slabs – old or cheap ones are fine
• Timber for the frame and legs
• Type 1 MOT hardcore

1. Mark out the area as we explain in ‘How to lay decking’. Then, dig to 200mm below where you want to surface of the decking to be.
2. Add a 50mm layer of hardcore and make sure it’s compact.
3. Build the decking sub-frame as we describe in ‘How to build a deck frame’.
4. Lay out paving slabs along the edges and in the centre of the area. This will help to spread the weight of the decking.
5. Set the decking frame on the slabs, checking for high or low points and adding off-cuts of timber where needed. Don’t forget to sand and seal these off-cuts with decking preservative.
6. Add your joists and then the deck boards, leaving the recommended gaps of expansion of between 5-8mm.

Properly erected fences shouldn’t require a great deal of maintenance. Any rotting boards can usually be replaced without replacing the whole panel. Timber fencing should be stained every 2-3 years. General maintenance is something you can carry out yourself, however, larger works may need a qualified professional to come in.

1. Start in one corner of the sub-frame and position the first board across the inner joists. You want the deck board in the opposite direction to the inner joists, ensuring that it’s flush with the frame. Position any end-to-end joins between the deck boards halfway across an inner joist so you can screw both boards into the joist for stability. Make sure you keep a gap of between 5-8mm to allow for expansion of the wood.
2. Begin to screw your deck boards to the joists. You’ll need to secure the deck board to every joist is covers along your deck frame. Use two screws for every joist. Mark where you’re going to add your screws, ensuring that they are at least 15mm from the end of the board and 20mm from the outside edges. Drill pilot holes for the screws, being careful to only drill through the deck board and not the joist. Then screw the decking screws into the holes.
3. Continue to screw in the deck boards, ensuring you leave the correct expansion gap. You can stagger the deck board joins across the deck for more strength.
4. Sand down any cut ends if you need to before applying decking preserver to protect the timber from rotting.

Regular maintenance is vital for keeping a garden looking its best. By carrying out regular gardening work, you can ensure that your garden is as functional as possible. Regular garden maintenance work could also save you money, as it is better to detect problems such as overgrown trees or rotten fencing early.

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.