Decking - is it an abomination?

[Rogerthatmummy]

Moving to a new house that has a very poorly laid

Oh bloody hell! Posted too soon!

It has a very poorly laid patio - very wobbly, not cemented, maybe just laid slabs on top of an existing patio...?! Anyhow, it will need sorting as I have two small DC and an accident prone DM.

The house also has a v large pond which is built into current patio, so would need to do all together...

Wondering what will be cheapest way to replace - decking or new patio.

Also not sure what I think of decking, does it not get really slippy when wet and mossy?

Yes, it can get slippy - we power wash ours after the winter and it's fine again.

You can also get decking boards with anti-skid strips, like sandpaper, to prevent this from happening.

I had one bad fall last winter when bringing stuff out to the bird table - v undignified fast landing on my tail-end and bumping my had hard enough that my glasses went flying in to the flower bed.

Laying the direction of the grooves in the boards perpendicular to the direction you'd usually walk in helps too.

must admit I really don't like decking - put some nice stonework down instead and do it properly.

It's a haven for mice and rats. I loved it until I had it, I'm so glad to be rid of it!

I think it's like any other garden landscaping TBH. When it's done well with good quality materials and someone who knows what they're doing planning the design it can be lovely, done on the cheap it's horrid.

It can be slippery but we have a beautifully laid stone patio and that can get very slippery in the winter too.

If I had to do something quickly and cheaply I'd go for gravel with a view to getting something done properly ASAP

We took ours up when we moved in for the same reason. We used it as firewood! We replaced it with astrotuf which surprisingly I absolutely love!

I know it's not loved by many- but I've had mine just over a year and ADORE it. Easy to clean, perfectly flat, looks pretty. Dc love it, playing on it, chalking, eating, paddling, everything they can't do in the rest of the (sloping and slightly dangerous) garden. I wouldn't be without it. It is slippery if not cleaned , and can grow algae if not cleaned (yuk) but maintain it well, and lay it properly and you have instant garden. There is the rodent issue- no getting away from it, but I just put poison and traps down regularly. Problem sorted.

I like gardening so wouldn't have all the earth covered with decking, i like growing stuff too much, but if I didn't, I think I'd deck the lot.

Don't forget rats love decking. So make sure they can't get under

Thanks all. Rats are enough to put me off. So we will do proper slabs I think.

To all