Decking installation - help!

[PurpleStarrySocks]

So, I bought a 3m x 3m decking kit without realising that I'd have to dig up all the turf underneath before installing it! Would it be OK to cover the grass in order to kill it, then install the decking on decking risers that would leave a 5 cm gap between ground level and the decking? Would this work? Would this look strange? Also, we have heavy clay soil. Will the decking risers sink into the ground? Also, if I got someone in to install it, how much would I expect to pay? Any other advice on issues I haven't thought of would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much! 😊

No you need to clear and prepare the ground properly. If you can't do it, you will need to pay someone

Where in the country are you? Location will be key to finding a rough price

I'm in the West Midlands.

It depends on where you are laying the decking.

If it's next to your house, you want to make sure you lay it at a height that will work coming out of the house.

If it is somewhere else, then you can definitely do as you want to, but make sure you lay down a good weedproof membrane underneath (you'll need to do that anyway or you'll get weeds coming through). I've never laid decking on clay (but it's in my near future unfortunately), but I would expect to have to make some sort of a base for the risers or risk some sinking more than others and the decking going skew whiff.

We did ours ourselves. We got rid of the grass. Then laid a layer landscape and then stone and built on that. U don’t want the grass to start coming though.

Grass or weed Matt. No need to dig up all the grass as that should kill it. I’d be inclined to use plastic adjustable decking risers to get it all level and possibly consider putting these on a substrate like MOT1. I’ve built decking on all sorts of bases from old paving slabs to risers to direct o to grass and so on. It shouldn’t sink into the ground unless you are putting a hot tub or something super heavy on there. The weight of a few people at a time spread out over a 3 x 3 area doesn’t lead to any great stress at a particular point.

Thank you for the advice so far. Has anyone experienced rats taking up residents under their decking? Is it possible to have the decking a little higher to prevent rats living underneath it?

Rats, mice and in my experience a lot of spiders and frogs are going to make their home under there. Nothing you can do - mice need barely more than a pencils width hole and that will be impossible to eradicate in decking. We have two cats as a deterrent which works pretty well for all of the above, though can lead to being brought some nasty ‘presents’.

If the decking is more than 30cm above ground level, you will need to apply for planning permission so be careful how far you raise it.