To think decking is NOT a selling point anymore?

[neonyellowshoes]

We have crap decking. It's rotten.

I think we should just rip it out but DH seems to think that decking in general is a selling point. House is going on the market soon.

I hate decking anyway and this in my way.

It's not fashionable anymore, it's bloody inconvenient and a bugger to maintain. If this was our forever home I would have no hesitation about getting shot of it.

I've got massive decking. It's great.

The Ground Force Rat Sanctuary we call it round these parts.

Decking has had its day now. It's also an excellent breeding ground for vermin, they love to live underneath it.

I think it's seem as quite out dated now, and of course it doesn't stay looking like it did when installed, so it's a pain to maintain. In addition, often it's just it was the cheap option in comparison to a good patio and everyone knows it.

A friend of ours has one, and as much as it's fine in summer, just not to my taste, in winter it's a bastard and very slippy.

However there are some now which do look good, but they are very expensive though and you seldom see these.

Decking is horrible slippy slime and rotten only ever looks good for about a month. Gravel or flags or grass may be a better selling point. I know when we were looking at houses we turned our nose up at a few because of the green slime decking and the job involved in ripping it up and redoing it. We eventually went for a house that had a flagged garden with a square patch of grass for DS

Slippy, grimy and ugly as hell. It adds no value or is even an attractive selling point. It's become unfashionable, much like UPVC conservatories.

Mine isn't grimy, slippy, slimy or rotten. I'd like to know how anyone else would have dealt with the garden sloping 2ft from one side of the house to the other.

BTW I think of bifold doors being the decking of future - in about 10 years time

And those awful Plantation Shutters.

Im not a massive fan of decking and I wouldnt make it that as a selling point for my house. I do enjoy enjoy barbecuing on my friend's decking but it was in a sun position.

When I rented a house with decking, it was super slippy (outside back patio doors) and annoying.

Maybe remember that you are buying the property, not the fixtures. My OH looks at properties and says 'I couldnt live with that sofa'. Sofa will not be there if we bought it.

Ours came out last year, dirty rotten scoundrel that it was, and replaced by a lovely patio. We're so happy we ripped it out.

To answer a previous pp, we have Ecodeck, about 28 sqm I think and it was about £2,400 plus installation.

Bifolds are already so over.

It's crittalls now, if you're stylish.

Depends on condition . I like ours . And won’t be taking it out when we sell . But don’t have to out on it in the winter .

It's become unfashionable, much like UPVC conservatories

@Nestlyn - I'm so doomed

to be fair I didn't install the conservatory! I do use it though

Properly installed and maintained decking is great for families. You don't scrape your knees if you fall on decking. It just needs a powerwash and an oil once a year, not difficult. We have decking and paving, paving is so much harder to keep weed free and looking good. Never heard of rats and decking association!

And we live on the west coast of Scotland!

although this was the garden when I purchased the house - I think the decking improved it!

Should I rip out the rotten decking and replace it or leave it for the new vendors to do what they like with it? They could replace it, rip it out or build an extension in its place.

How much does you house cost/what kind of area is it in? If it is a cheap house or in a lower class area then keel it (and paint the kitchen red while you are at it). If it is an exorbitant house or it is in a Naice area then get rid.

I don't see how decking on its own could ever be a selling point unless the house is on sloping ground (mine is). Where it's flat I have patio, you work with the land.

What seems to coming over here is decking just put in for fashion's sake ,and decking which isn't maintained, and then owners complain about its being slippery, etc. It's like anything else, woodwork, flooring you have take care of it. To be fair, you get more reliable weather in Au when the deck can be scrubbed and oiled, so it's easier to keep in good nick.

We discovered dozens of teeny tiny disgruntled frogs under some decking we recently removed, but no rats. Replaced it with some lovely slate chippings.

Had no idea decking was so hated by so many people !

this year I have spent what I consider to be a small fortune on relaying and repairing/replacing our deck. The I spent many hours power washing it and treating it. Just finished today and to be honest it could do with another coat. But if I didn't have the deck a significant part of our not very large garden would just be unusable as the land slopes away steeply at the end. I considered just ripping it but shoring up the land, building a wall to contain it would all have cost considerably more than the small fortune on the deck. However we may need to move in a year or two and I will be alive to the time and money required to maintain a deck. But it wouldn't put me off buying, especially not where I can see there is an alternative such as a patio or grass.

We have decking, which thanks to a bastard NDN who forced us to remove our beautiful copper beech tree now has a roof over it.
The roof had to go up as we lost all privacy (again bastard NDN)
The copper beech was utterly gorgeous and in the summer dappled light made the decking such an inviting place to sit.

As for rats....never see any (all neighbours cats probably keep them culled) but did have a hedgehog 2 years ago and were blessed with 3 baby hedgehogs that were surprisingly tame.

I've seen loads of crap decking where no allowance has been provided to allow the timbers to breathe and air dry - so not surprising it's now all rotting. I'd be more concerned with the bloody termites than the rats!

@TheFirstMrsDV

"Really? Got to be hard on little feet with all the gaps and ridges
Its wood. How is that going to be harder on feet than slabs?"

Try walking on decking in bare feet and then on stone. Decking, has ridges that dig into your feet, Stone does not. It's also easy for small sets of toes to get stuck in the gaps between planks. As do small toys, clothes pegs, screw drivers, anything small really.... all lost forever in the filth beneath.....

I haven't experienced any of that. Maybe mine is built well.