I'm going round in circles a bit on what ti replace my small and rotten decking with. It's against the house .
*Started with York stone but too pricey
*It's under several trees so think sandstone will just mark
*I like wood effect porcelain (need to see in person though) but only tradesman I've had so far who has laid it before has insisted it needs a soakaway dug into the garden and the whole project just became huge, he was trying to persuade me to returf and level the entire garden telling me it looked a mess . I have a tiny budget (and yes it's not flat or remotely perfect but half of it is wild flower meadow now so I like it in the summer). He also walked all over my plants in the border and I've planted my entire garden from scratch and it's been a lot for me financially - he didn't have much respect !
*next guy said it could drain into the downpipe no need for a soak away, but he said the labour was expensive for it and was a bit dismissive about the idea.
- another guy wanted me to get composite decking which I do like but it's really expensive (as much as york stone although Labour much cheaper) and ultimately the hole underneath worries me as a large part of the reason I want the horrible decking removed is because there is definitely a thriving rat population around here (rural)
*another guy was nice but didn't mention a drain at all for it but waiting for quote which might detail it perhaps.
*another guy last night has just blown my mind by talking about wood effect concrete ?!!
I'm going to keep getting quotes but wondered what people thought about wood effect porcelain vs composite . Thinking this will end up being a spring 2023 project now! I don't want a soakaway dug it makes it too disruptive. . But there is a rainwater downpipe next to the patio and it's small - 18 sq m.
Tia