Wooden Decking in Ballater

Find Wooden Decking Prices in Ballater

Home > Gardening & Landscaping Projects > Wooden decking > Ballater

Wooden Decking in Ballater

Wooden decking is an increasingly popular choice for creating outdoor seating areas in gardens. Because of the natural beauty of wood, they can be very fashionable areas that can be used year round by using additional heating and light. Wooden decking is typically fitted in locations in front of patio or French doors where they can create a smooth transition between interior and exterior spaces. Wooden decking can come in virtually any size or shape to fit any area. Curved designs or large areas linked by pathways can create an attractive effect. Wooden decking is fairly simple to install and causes minimal disruption, especially when compared to other possibilities like patio or paving. It could even be installed over the top of a pre-existing patio. It is vital however to be sure that your wooden decking is structurally sound and able to take the weight of any furniture or plants that you want to use on the decking. There is a choice of species of wood that can be used in wooden decking. Typically decking is made of hardwood, but there are softwoods available that fulfil the durability specifications. As hardwood decking will require maintenance, which generally will involve yearly cleaning and staining for weather proofing, composite woods have become more popular for use in wooden decking as they are more robust and require significantly less maintenance.

Average Wooden decking cost in Ballater

The typical cost of Wooden decking is £1500. Costs can change based upon the materials and the firm hired. The upper price range can be as high as £1725. The material costs are commonly approximately £375

Average price per Wooden decking job in 2026

Avg. price low

Avg. price low
£1,125

Avg. price

Avg. price
£1,500

Avg. price high

Avg. price high
£1,725

£1900

£1425

£950

£475

£0

Prices based on actual Wooden decking costs for Ballater, as reported by local LeadsDoWork members.

Wooden decking installation cost in Ballater 2026

Labour cost £1,050
Material cost £375
Waste removal £75
Time frame: 1-4 days
Advertisement

Wooden decking on Google in Ballater

Google searches that showed Local Quotes, 17 July to 14 October 2026

406

Searches that showed one of our pages for Ballater, all services

Source: Google Search Console, the number of times our pages appeared in Google search results. It counts searches that showed the page, not quote requests.

Ballater

Ballater is a burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on the River Dee, immediately east of the Cairngorm Mountains. Located at an altitude of 213 m (700 feet), Ballater is a centre for walkers as well as known for its sparkling water, once claimed to cure scrofula. It is residence to greater than 1500 occupants. The medieval pattern of development along this reach of the River Dee was affected by the ancient trackways across the Grampian Mounth, which established strategic areas of castles and also various other Deeside settlements of the Middle Ages. In the early 14th century, the area was part of the estates of the Knights of St John, however the negotiation did not create up until around 1770; first as a day spa turn to fit site visitors to the Pananich Mineral Well, then later on upon the arrival of the train in 1866 it was seen by numerous visitors making use of the much easier accessibility thus managed. Ballater train station was enclosed 1966 however remains in operation as a site visitor centre with an exhibit tape-recording the village's royal connection. Several buildings date from the Victorian era and also the centre of the town is a conservation area. The old site visitor centre was substantially harmed by fire in May 2015 but has consequently been brought back and resumed.

Looking for Wooden decking in Ballater?

Get free quotes from local carpenters

Get free quotes
Advertisement

Local & reliable carpenters near me

Tell us about your wooden decking project

Answer a few quick questions, so we can match you with local carpenters who can help.

Find up to 4 carpenters in Ballater

Get free, no-obligation local wooden decking quotes from 4 verified carpenters working in Ballater.

Hire with confidence

Compare customer reviews, services and prices, and choose the right tradesperson for you.

Our reviews

Average

Easy to use

Easy to use

People contact was quick

People contact was quick

Got immediate response saved time a ...

Got immediate response saved time and money

FAQs

How much is decking?
How much decking costs depends on the type of material you go for, how big you want your decking to be and where you live in the country. But typically, the cost of decking is between £1,200 - £1,800. The most popular material for decking is pre-treated softwood, which will set you back around £1,000 for 15m2. Hardwood is more expensive but is more durable, and will cost approximately £2,000 for the same amount. Homeowners are also beginning to choose composite decking, which is made from recycled plastic and wood fibres, and is low-maintenance and eco-friendly. This will cost around £1,600 for 15m2, while uPVC which is also a low-maintenance option costs around £600. People tend to choose composite over uPVC because it looks more like natural timber. If you’re a competent DIYer, you might want to have a go at laying decking yourself which will set you back around £1,000 for a standard softwood timber deck. We think it’s worth paying the extra £600 for a professional to lay your decking, since they will be able to do it much more quickly. If you do want to try it yourself, we recommend leaving at least a whole weekend open to do it, but it’s likely to take you longer. Factor in the possibility of having to take time off work to complete it and it might be more cost-effective to leave it to the pros.
How to lay decking on uneven ground?
There are two ways to lay decking on uneven ground. We’ve explained how to build a raised deck in our FAQ ‘How to build a raised deck’ above, and that’s great for uneven ground or sloped gardens. But there’s another way that you can lay decking on uneven ground if you don’t want a raised deck: you can create a level supporting base. We’ll go through the basics here. Materials you’ll need
  • Paving slabs – old or cheap ones are fine
  • Timber for the frame and legs
  • Type 1 MOT hardcore
How to lay decking on uneven ground
  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.
Building your decking on top of paving slabs is a good way to get it level, but you still may not be able to get as good a finish as if a professional did it. If you’re in any doubt, get in contact with some decking specialists and see what they would recommend.
How to build decking on a slope?
You might think that building decking on a slope is a no-go, but it’s actually a great way to help you make use of your garden when the ground is sloping. It will provide you with a level surface that you can BBQ on as well as dine alfresco without finding that your meal is rolling down the table. But how do you build decking on a slope? Our guide in the FAQ above, ‘How to build a raised deck’, is the perfect solution – but we’ll break it down here if you just want to get an idea of what’s involved. Dig out the area If you’re laying on soil or turf, you’ll need to dig it out. Dig down and remove all the turf from the area and ensure that there are no weeds or stones in the area you’re going to build your decking on. Since you’re building on a slope, it will be hard to get it level, but dig out to a depth of 50mm and lay weed-control fabric with gravel over the top. Add posts and set with concrete Make holes for posts and add them in, ensuring they’re longer than you need. Make sure they’re level, then fill the holes with a concrete mix to set them in place. Build the outer frame Make sure you always work at the top of the slope when you’re building your decking, and measure where the highest point of the decking will be. Secure the 4 sides of the outer frame and factor in a 2mm fall for every metre of decking so rainwater can run off. Add joists Secure joists along your frame at 400mm intervals. If you get to the last joist and there will be more than a 400mm gap left at the end, add in an extra one for support. Lay your deck boards Screw your deck boards to the joists, ensuring that the deck boards are running in the opposite direction to the joists. For timber boards, you need to make sure you leave an expansion gap of 5-8mm. These steps should give you an idea of whether you want to have a go at building decking on a slope, or whether you want to leave it to the pros.
How to lay decking?
Laying simple, ground-level decking may sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. With careful planning and preparation, you can lay decking that you’ll be proud to show off to neighbours, family and friends. Here are a few tips to get you started. Plan carefully Draw out a plan, to scale, on paper. This will help you to know how many boards you’ll need and ensure that you don’t end up having to cut anything to fit. Prepare the area Measure out the site according to your plan and hammer a peg into each corner, then tie string around each peg to help you see what you’re working with. If you’re not laying on existing slabs, dig into the ground, lifting out turf if it’s there, and check that the site is level. Then add concrete slabs for more stability or lay weed-control fabric over the ground and cover with gravel to further prevent weed growth. Build your sub-frame Since a lot of people ask this, we’ve got a more detailed guide in the FAQ below. Lay your deck boards
  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.
Although this is a simplified set of instructions, it’s enough for you to see whether you want to attempt to lay decking yourself – and if you don’t, you can get in touch with professionals who will be happy to give you a quote.

Wooden decking

Other Top Projects in Ballater

Are you a carpenter in Ballater?

We can help you get more wooden decking work with our qualified job leads and boost your business.

Join today