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.

**Ghostyslovesheets

Agree 100% on the upvc conservatory - God I truly fucking hate them...Ugh
Nothing signifies you're cheap than a shitty White upvc conservatory - extra bonus points if you've filled it with wicker / cane furniture.

I love my decking. ( was built by the previous owner)
It's cleverly done.
One wall of my large living room has bifold doors which open onto decking. So my 32 foot lounge opens onto another 15 foot of outdoor decking. The flooring is a similar colour to the decking so on good days we have this 47 foot of living room indoor/outdoor space,
I love it.

Its horrible....looks nice when first done, but looks hideous after one winter. The UK is definately not suitable for decking, both my ndn have it and it looks awful!

@PrimalLass

Lucky you.

Mine's a rotten pile of cheap shite. Can't wait to get rid.

Anybody put down exterior rubber matting? Be great for kids to play on 😎

I don’t think decking per se has ever been a selling point. A well- designed garden that looks reasonably easy to maintain is. Anything that is poorly maintained - decking or otherwise - will contribute to a general impression that your house needs work so is likely to contribute to a lower offer.

"Nothing signifies you're cheap than a shitty White upvc conservatory - extra bonus points if you've filled it with wicker / cane furniture."

It's a selling point where I live - in a country where it only rains for maybe 3 weeks a year total, and is sunny the rest of the time. But I cannot see why it'd be a selling factor in a country notorious for drizzle and grey skies.

We have a huge composite deck, it covers a nightmare patio situation. It’s not slippy, algae doesn’t grow on it. I’m rather worried we have devalued our house

Don't be. Some people, like me, like decking.

And these threads always bring out those who like to be mean about other people's choices.

I look at it and just think "rats".

Even when it's in good condition.

Not a selling point

Agree crappy, rotting, cheap and poorly installed decking is not a selling point.

But ours isn't and it's great! Not slippery, never seen a rat, and extends our living area on the few days a year it's warm enough to go outside. And 100% improves our slightly muddy garden which is at least 1m drop from the back of our house.

Unlike many previous posters, I can't bear patios/paving stones and these would really put me off a house. Especially crazy-paving or stones that look right in the Med but not in UK.

To each their own.

Ha ha!

What do you expect to a smug comment like yours?

If you can't take it....

Rats?! I don’t understand, how do the rats get in?

Bad decking is awful! But I love ours, it makes our garden usable, where otherwise would be a wonky uneven, dangerous patio situation. It’s clean and non slippy. I’m not kidding myself it will last forever but it’s been there for 5 years and still going strong. There may be another solution to even out the garden but not as affordable as decking.

We do need to treat it every year though which is a real pain (even though the tin says 5years!).

The newer styles of composite decking are really lovely if done properly.

Me? I have fairly cheap and currently dirty-in-need-of-cleaning deck. Just not hard on the feet or likely to get toes stuck in it.

It was the UPV conservatory comment I was talking about. We spent 10k on one because the alternative was to go through months of planning. It was a total waste of money but still was the thing that sold our house.

We inherited our decking when we moved in and, 7 years later, we still have it as I can't think of another solution. If we didn't have decking, we'd have to more or less abseil out of the back door and then the section of garden which is currently decked would be in the shade rather than the sun. It is fenced (has to be as it is so high off the ground) and the combination of height and fence is quite a good barrier to being hit by a football. DD also loves the top straight for practising beam work.

Try walking on decking in bare feet and then on stone
we have decking
we have five kids
I am the wrong side of fifty

The thing you describe is not exactly an exotic, unusual experience.
Its been done.

Its fair enough you don't like something but this thread is coming across a bit desperate now.
Its fine for people to like different things.

I don't get the obsession with rats either.
You have rats in your garden. That is pretty much a given.
So all this 'I just look at it and think rats' is weird.

Do you look out of your window into your garden and think 'rats'?
Because they are there.

Nothing signifies you're cheap than a shitty White upvc conservatory
You don't mean 'cheap' do you?

I have never seen any evidence of rats around my property.
I regularly defrost meat on a tray on the concrete floor of my garage.
Packs of chicken, chops etc.
They have never been nibbled or chewed. Not once.
And my garage door is not a tight seal, I can see daylight from a gap at the bottom of the door.

We bought our house last summer - the garden obviously was previously sloping and they did a really good job of sorting it out. There’s an area of decking then a lower raised lawn then a lower wooden path alongside. Unfortunately the deck is just made of planks of wood and has a raised pond in the middle of it, we really need to replace it. I don’t know what’s going on underneath it but due to the sloping I suspect replacing it is the only real option. Then the neighbour told us the pond is made from an old bath tub. Oh joy.

How is describing the difference between walking on a smooth, stone surface as opposed to a load of ridges, desperate?

Decision is made. The decking is going to the tip. Going to leave this thread- it's getting bonkers with people getting personally upset that people might not love their decking.

It's decking, not a religious conviction.

Op if you rip it up though based on all these people that said they hated decking what would you do instead?

If you just leave a load of mud you'd be better off leaving the decking.

FYI, sold a house last year with newish decking with lights built in, wasn't slippery as we jet washed it. No rats. Got over asking price and no one said the decking put them off.

Personally I wouldn't put decking in again as I think it is a bit dated but I'm not sure everyone hates decking as much as this thread suggests, think it's got skewed towards those that hate it.

I’m sure we have rats, it’s a rural location, but how they would fit under the decking I don’t Understand, it just clads a very dated 70’s terrace, when I hosed it down after doing some planting the water didn’t even fit between the gaps let alone a small mammal !
The only negative is it gets hot as hell under foot, is that what is meant by comparing it to stone, is stone cooler? Our deck doesn’t have any of those ridges that some deck does, it’s just pattern imprinted to look like the grains of the wood.