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• Decking joists
• Coach screws
• Coach bolts
• Combi drill
• Socket set
• A saw suitable for your project and the thickness of the timber
• Pencil
• Decking preservative
• Sandpaper or sander

1. Measure your deck frame and cut to size if necessary.
2. Make 2 pencil marks on each end of the frame’s 2 outer joists to mark where the coach screws will go. They need to align with the centre of the adjoining outer joist. Then, use a flat wood drill bit to drill recesses into each mark. Make them the same depth of the screws that your using’s head and wide enough for a ratchet or socket to tighten them.
3. Using a thinner drill bit, line up the outer joists and drill a pilot hole through the middle of the recess. These pilot holes act as a guide for the screws and stops them from splitting the wood.
4. Fit the coach screws with either a drill driver or socket and ratchet.
5. Repeat the process for the inner joists once you’ve assembled the outer frame.

• Paving slabs – old or cheap ones are fine
• Timber for the frame and legs
• Type 1 MOT hardcore

1. Mark out the area as we explain in ‘How to lay decking’. Then, dig to 200mm below where you want to surface of the decking to be.
2. Add a 50mm layer of hardcore and make sure it’s compact.
3. Build the decking sub-frame as we describe in ‘How to build a deck frame’.
4. Lay out paving slabs along the edges and in the centre of the area. This will help to spread the weight of the decking.
5. Set the decking frame on the slabs, checking for high or low points and adding off-cuts of timber where needed. Don’t forget to sand and seal these off-cuts with decking preservative.
6. Add your joists and then the deck boards, leaving the recommended gaps of expansion of between 5-8mm.

Our gardens are often our pride and joy, so we want them to look their best. If you notice that your garden is uneven, you’ll probably want to do something about it. But how do you level your garden or lawn? A gardener can help you do this and will get the best finish, but if you want to have a go at doing it yourself there are a few steps you can take. Before you start, make sure you’ve got all the following equipment to hand:

• String line
• 4 rods & string
• Tape measure
• Flat shovel
• Water sprinkler or watering can
• A rake
• Earthmoving and compacting equipment
• Spirit level
• 2 x 4 piece of wood
• Wheelbarrow
• Protective gloves and shoes

Then, you can get ready to level your garden.

1. Mark out the area Push 4 rods into the ground around the area you want to level out in a square or rectangle. Tie your string around the rods to connect them all together, ensuring that the string stays tight. Then use your string line to any of the 4 sides to check that it’s level. You’ll then need to measure the height from the ground to the string on all four sides to check how much you would need to adjust the ground to make it level. Make sure you take note of the high and low spots and measure the difference between these spots.
2. Water the ground to soften it If you want to level your lawn, or the part of your garden that you want to level has grass on it, you’ll need to uproot the ground underneath it. To make it easier to dig and lift out the grass, sprinkle some water over the area before you begin. It’s a good idea to do this over a few days to really soften it – but make sure you don’t do it so much that it becomes too heavy and soggy.
3. Remove the grass Push your flat shovel into the ground, around 3-6cm deep, then slide the shovel horizontally to lift out the soil and the grass on top. As you repeat this process around the entire area, make sure you try to lift out the soil evenly to avoid making your levelling task even harder.
4. Add soil Fill low spots with nutrient-rich soil and spread evenly over the area with a rake. If you’re levelling out a large area of your garden, consider renting earthmoving equipment to make it easier.
5. Flatten the soil Next you’ll want to compact the soil to protect it from erosion. If you’re working on a small garden or area of your garden, simply use your feet – get stomping on that ground! You could also use a rake, but for larger gardens consider hiring a compactor. Then, leave the soil to settle for around 3 weeks before doing anything. If you’re doing this in the summer, you can water it sparingly to keep it from drying out.
6. Adjust until you’re happy It might take you a few adjustments to get the level of your garden or lawn right. Use a spirit level along a long 2 x 4 piece of wood to see whether the ground is even, then adjust by adding a little more soil or removing soil until it’s at the level you want it.

That’s it. A gardener or landscaping company will be able to level your garden or lawn perfectly, so consider getting some quotes from local companies.

Not if they are under 1 metre high if next to a road or 2 metres high elsewhere. It’s always recommended to check with your neighbours and the local authority if you are unsure. Other restrictions may apply, for example if a fence might impact driver visibility on nearby roads.

Laying a lawn is a task that’s best left to the professionals especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. However, if you can follow a simple logical process, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache – simply start from the edge and work inwards. If you’re looking to lay your lawn by yourself, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to consider the processes involved in lawn installation in order to ensure your project turns out a success. Let’s take a look!

Firstly, the tools you’re going to need to lay your lawn includes the following – sturdy boots, gardening gloves (should be thick), wheel barrow, garden fork or rotovator, landscaping rake, laying boards, knife or edge trimmer, hosepipe and broom.

1. Start from the outside edge. Install the initial strips horizontally overlapping the boundary a bit (trim the back once done). Press down carefully to make sure there’s a good contact with the soil (make sure not to squash the lawn).
2. Proceed to lay the adjacent pieces till the first row of the lawn along the entire edge is completed.
3. Continue with the next row. If there’s a need to stand on the laid turf, simply make use of a plank so as to avoid squashing or denting the turf. It’s important to ensure the successive rows are staggered to prevent the short edges from lining up.
4. Proceed by butting and pushing the edges to create a tight joint (make sure the turf is not stretched).
5. Use a wood saw or sharp serrated knife to trim any untidy edges. Remember to make use of a plank to ensure you do not walk directly on the turf.
6. Water the newly installed turf adequately to ensure the water penetrates the soil. However, do not turn it into a mud bath.

How To Draw A Garden Landscaping Plan

Are you thinking about constructing a new garden landscape? Do you have an existing one but forgot where you planted those tulip bulbs the previous autumn? Or perhaps you’re just trying to identify the exact spot where you cut back that clump of wilted foxglove, without mistakenly digging it up. For everything to be much easier when it comes to a garden landscape, it’s always a wise decision to draw a garden landscaping plan.

To get started, let’s take a look at the materials you’ll need to acquire. These includes a piece of white paper on which the existing elements on your garden will be plotted, a piece of tracing paper and tape to give options for planned additions, a pencil, an eraser as well as a measuring tape.

For more accuracy while drawing your plan, you’ll need to measure the garden’s distances, perimeter, the existing garden beds size as well as the trees’ and shrubs’ shape and size.

• Write down the measurements taken on the scrap paper.

• Assuming it’s a medium sized backyard garden that’s 18 feet wide, we allocated a scale of 3 feet to equal an inch.

• Using a piece of white paper (could be graph if you wish) and a pencil, carefully outline the perimeter of the space. Once done, you can then sketch in the existing plants as well as other special features on the space (features that are of a permanent nature like trees, fences and paths).

• Hold a piece of tracing paper and tape in on top. Then you can sketch out the plants you wish to add to fill in the spaces in the garden on the tracing paper.

1. Mark out the area and dig the top layer of soil, trying to get the ground as flat as possible.
2. Build a timber frame to size.
3. Measure out 4 rows of 3 blocks to create good weight distribution and lay in place.
4. Underneath each block, dig around 50mm wider than the blocks and about 150mm deep. Fill the hole with pea gravel until it’s flat.
5. Place timber planks along the rows of blocks and see how level it is. Add or remove blocks where necessary. If it’s only a small difference, use shingle underneath the timber until it’s level.
6. Nail your timber shed base to the timber planks to create a sturdy base for your shed.