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 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. 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. 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. 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 in Dorchester

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Wooden Decking in Dorchester

Wooden decking is an increasingly prevalent option for providing outdoor seating areas in gardens. Because of the natural beauty of wood, they can be very beautiful spaces which can be used year round with the help of outside heating and lighting. Wooden decking is frequently installed 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 any size or shape to fit any area. Curved designs or large areas connected by pathways can create a striking effect. Wooden decking is reasonably easy to install and causes little disruption, especially when compared to alternatives like patio or paving. It can even be installed over the top of a pre-existing patio. It is critical however to be certain that your wooden decking is structurally sound and able to take the load of any furniture or plants that you want to use on the decking. There is a selection of types of wood that can be used in wooden decking. Typically decking is made of hardwood, but there are softwoods available that fulfil the durability requirements. As hardwood decking will demand maintenance, which typically consists of yearly cleaning and staining for weather proofing, composite woods are becoming popular for use in wooden decking because they are stronger and require significantly less maintenance.

Average Wooden decking cost in Dorchester

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 Dorchester, as reported by local LeadsDoWork members.

Wooden decking installation cost in Dorchester 2026

	Labour cost	£1,050
	Material cost	£375
	Waste removal	£75

Time frame: 1-4 days

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Wooden decking Projects in Dorchester in August 2026

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Dorchester

Dorchester is a historical market town and the county of Dorset in England. It is situated between the towns of Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. Situated on the banks of the River Frome, in the Frome Valley, it is south of the Dorset Downs and to the north of the South Dorset Ridgeway separating the region from Weymouth. The town centre is approximated to be between 55 and 80 metres above sea level on gradual sloping ground by the River Frome's south bank. It is nearly 7 miles north of Weymouth, 18 miles from Yeovil in Somerset, and 20 miles west of Poole. The land to the south and west of the town comes under the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In accordance with the 2011 Census, Dorchester has a population of 19060, with 8449 homes. Within this population, 48.35 per cent of residents were male and 51.6 per cent were female. A little under the 18.9 percent for England as a whole, 17 percent of occupants were under 16 years of ages, and 22.4 percent of citizens were over 65 years old, being a little above the 16.4 per cent for England as a whole. Research provided for 2012 exposed that there were 17500 people employed in Dorchester, of which 51 per cent were working full time. There is a total of six industrial estates in Dorchester, which consists of The Grove Trading Estate, Poundbury Trading Estate, Marabout Barracks, Great Western Centre, Railway Triangle and Casterbridge Industrial Estate. The Brewery Square redevelopment project has made it possible for regional and countrywide shops, restaurants and bars to be in simple reach of the town's residents. For all of your house upgrades, make certain to make use of credible professionals in Dorchester to make particular of quality.

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No matter the size of your project, Amazing Fences and Landscaping guarantees precision to meet your specifications. We’re committed to finding the most cost-effective solutions, ensuring your garden not only looks stunning but also remains secure....

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Irene J., BH21

Garden | Decking in Wimborne

Start Date: Immediate

i have a garden 13ft+13ft for decking and i need to find out how much it is to do it all can you give me quot - Estimated Service Date: 07/04/2016 - Estimated Decking Area (sq ft): 13ft 13ft - Reason ...

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FAQs

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.

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

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.

Properly installed wooden decking will not need a lot of maintenance. Most manufacturers recommend regularly brushing leaves and dirt off the deck, and a yearly cleaning and staining procedure. This will keep the wood in the best condition. Fluids and treatments are readily available from all DIY shops and stores.

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Customer Reviews

Overall rating:

Dorchester Wooden decking installers are rated 3.9 out of 5 based on 5 reviews of 15 pros.

The LeadsDoWork rating and review is an overall rating based on verified reviews and feedback from the customers with Wooden decking projects that have been connected with Wooden decking pros to help them. All Wooden decking contractors All Dorchester Wooden decking contractors

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Wooden Decking in Dorchester

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