Maintenance – Shorty and Slim Garden Decking

As a proud homeowner, you will want to keep your garden and the grounds of your property looking as good as the property itself does on the exterior and interior. Although you may want to save some money by taking care of it by yourself, there is a lot involved. From the designing and planning to the building and maintenance, you need to consider whether you have enough time or whether it may be worth hiring a professional landscaper.

To help convince you that this is the right move, we are going to discuss several key reasons why you need a landscaper.

Time-Saving and Convenient

Sure, it is a nice achievement to work in your own garden. To know that you’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it. Well, it is when things go according to plan. As you are not a professional though, it is less likely to go to plan and could take you a lot of time to complete.

Your time is precious. Our modern lives are so busy now and you may struggle to find the time in your weekly schedule to commit to doing anything in the garden or around the exterior of your property.

That’s why, if you hire a professional to do it for you, you are saved the extra work and have free time to enjoy with your family and friends. You can sit back and enjoy the fruits of the labour, even if it wasn’t your own labour.

Professional Landscapers Have Access to The Best Equipment and Tools

Maybe you want to save a little bit of money by taking on the work yourself. However, you need to remember that professional landscapers have access to the best equipment and tools. Some of the items they use to complete the work they do to a high standard you won’t have in your tool shed.

If you did try to do it yourself and were unfamiliar with one of the tools or pieces of equipment, you could cause problems. Problems that you may need to hire a professional landscaper to correct, so why not save yourself some stress, time and money?

They Know Their Craft

As commendable as it is to have a go at something you have no specialist training or experience in, it may not produce the results you really want for your garden. Whereas if you hire a professional who works on landscape projects week in, week out, whether they are big, small, complex or simple, you get a wealth of experience and insider knowledge at your disposal.

They will be able to come in, plan out according to your requirements and then start preparing the area before wasting no time and getting to work clearing, tidying and bringing your garden to life.

Landscapers spend their working week around plants and if you hire a local professional, you will get the benefit of their expertise as to which plants work best and which don’t. Thanks to the fact professional landscapers work in the industry, they often have connections with suppliers and retailers and know where to get the best plants to really make your garden perfect.

Unless you are a big fan of plants and flowers already, it could take you much longer to hunt down just the right species and it’s unlikely you would get them for the same price as a professional.

Save You Money

Despite their actual fee, which can be quite expensive depending on where you are, hiring a professional in the long run could be more economical. They are unlikely to make costly mistakes and as labour, equipment, and materials will be factored into their fee, there is not a whole host of additional costs you need to worry about when hiring a professional.

Construction materials used to create garden decks such as wood and later plastic are susceptible to various problems that require regular maintenance work or the complete replacement of decking systems. Faults with these substances led to a search for a low-maintenance building material that resulted in the development of composite decks that require little expenditure of time, money or effort for their upkeep.

Hardwood garden decking

Although hardwood is stronger and more durable than softwood garden decks are exposed to the elements which results in fouling and the need for regular maintenance work such as sanding and oiling every year or two. Due to the time it takes for slow-growing hardwood trees to attain maturity the use of this type of timber in construction projects has become controversial with alternative building materials being sought. Popular hardwoods used in garden decking such as teak and mahogany originate from the tropics and the felling of these trees for lumber has resulted in widespread deforestation which has a detrimental effect on ecosystems.

Plastic garden decking

Despite plastic’s reputation as an imperishable material its use in the construction of garden decks often leads to poor-quality results with compromised structural integrity, inferior aesthetic appeal and a greater need for maintenance work than might be expected. Although attempts have been made in plastic garden decking technology to address these issues these types of deck remain unpleasing to the eye, tend to expand or contract in hot or cold weather and they are prone to cracking, warping as well as bowing. Until these pressing concerns have been rectified it stands to reason that superior construction materials should be used in the building of garden decks.

Softwood garden decking

Softwood garden decks require the most maintenance work and tend not to last as long as decking made from other materials. While it is true that softwood is a cheaper timber than hardwood and that the faster-growing trees from which it is cut are easier to replace than slower-growing varieties it is inferior as a building material and its high-maintenance characteristics and short life-span may result in greater expenses in the long-run. Water-absorbent softwood tends to rot and moulder leading to slippery surfaces that cause health-and-safety issues. Brittle softwood is likely to crack and split while environmental factors often cause it to warp.

Composite garden decking

Composite decking represents the most advanced form of decking technology available at the present time and was developed to remedy those ailments associated with decking systems constructed from wood and plastic. A combination of recycled hardwood and polymer resin results in a durable material that neither cracks nor rots and its use in the building of outdoor decking allows for some of the most low-maintenance garden decks on the market today. Low-maintenance composite garden decks are easy to clean and do not need to be painted, sealed or stained while its anti-slip properties decrease the chances of accidents in inclement weather when decking is prone to become wet, such as swimming facilities and pools.

Category: Maintenance

Why Hire A Professional Landscaper

Which type of decking is the most low-maintenance?