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 Thurso

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Wooden Decking in Thurso

Wooden decking is an increasingly popular option for creating outdoor seating areas in gardens. Due to the natural beauty of wood, they can be very beautiful spaces which you can use year round with the addition of external heating and illumination. Wooden decking is commonly installed in locations in front of patio or French doors where they can create a seamless transition between inside and outside spaces. Wooden decking is available in any size or shape to suit any area. Curved designs or large areas connected by pathways can create an attractive effect. Wooden decking is fairly quick to install and causes little disruption, especially when compared to alternate options like patio or paving. It can even be installed over the top of a pre-existing patio. It is essential however to make 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 range of varieties of wood that can be used in wooden decking. Usually decking is made of hardwood, but there are softwoods available that fulfil the durability specifications. As hardwood decking will need maintenance, which commonly includes annual cleaning and staining for weather proofing, composite woods are becoming popular for use in wooden decking because they are more robust and require far less maintenance.

Average Wooden decking cost in Thurso

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 Thurso, as reported by local LeadsDoWork members.

Wooden decking installation cost in Thurso 2026

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

Time frame: 1-4 days

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Thurso

Thurso is a community and also former burgh on the north coastline of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical area of Caithness, it is the northern most community on the British mainland. It exists at the joint of the north-south A9 road and the west-east A836 road, connected to Bridge of Forss in the west and Castletown in the eastern. The 34-mile (55 km) River Thurso moves through the community as well as into Thurso Bay and also the Pentland Firth. The river tidewater serves as a little harbour. At the 2011 Census, Thurso had a population of 7,933. The bigger Thurso civil church including the community and the bordering countryside had a population of 9,112. Thurso operated as a vital Norse port, as well as later patronized ports throughout northern Europe till the 19th century. A growing angling centre, Thurso additionally had an online reputation for its linen-cloth and also tanning activities. As of 2015 the Dounreay Nuclear Research Establishment, although mostly decommissioned at the end of the 20th century, employs a substantial variety of the neighborhood populace. The Category-A provided wrecked Old St Peter's Church (St. Peter's Kirk) is one of the earliest churches in Scotland, dating to at the very least 1125. The current church, St Andrew's as well as St Peter's, was built in 1832 to a style by William Burn in the Gothic style. The community has the main school of North Highland University and Thurso High School, the northern most senior high school on the British mainland, which was developed in 1958. Thurso Castle, built in 1872, is in ruins. Thurso is residence to the football (soccer) team, Thurso FC, established in 1998, which play in the North Caledonian League, as well as the rugby groups Caithness Crushers and also Caithness RFC. Thurso train station, opened in 1874, was one of the most north station on the Sutherland as well as Caithness Railway. The nearby port of Scrabster gives ferry solutions to the Orkney Islands; the Northlink ferry (MV Hamnavoe) operates in between Scrabster as well as Stromness.

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FAQs

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.

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.

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.

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.

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