Hiring Contractors For Home Improvements
Two steps to take before building a deck
Tim Graham
If you have hired a contractor to build a deck in your garden, here are a couple of steps you should take before the construction process begins.
Protect your untreated timber from the elements
Lots of people who decide to build a deck opt to buy untreated wood from a decking timber supplier (that is, timber that has not been coated in insecticides and fungicides) and then add a protective stain to the timber themselves after purchase. This is often less expensive than purchasing pre-treated decking timber.
If you have decided to do this, you should take steps to protect the untreated timber until you have a chance to add your own treatments to it. Left outdoors in an untreated state, timber may be vulnerable to fungi like wet rot, as well as termite infestations. The former is particularly likely to develop if you live in a humid or wet climate, as this type of fungus thrives in moist environments.
If the timber succumbs to a pest or fungal infestation, it may deteriorate to the point where it will no longer be structurally sound and will need to be replaced.
Ideally, the timber should be stored in a dry garage or spare room of your home until it is to be used. If you don't have any spare storage space on your property and the timber, therefore, needs to be left outdoors, you should lay it carefully on a bed of dry bricks (so that it is raised off the ground and will not be exposed to moisture if the ground becomes wet) and then place some plastic sheeting over it, making sure to anchor this sheeting to the ground with additional bricks, so that it does not get swept away by the wind.
Ask your contractor to use corrosion-resistant metal components
Your contractor will need to use a variety of metal components, such as nails and bolts, to install your deck. If you want to ensure that the deck remains structurally sound for as long as possible, you should ask your contractor to make sure that the components they use during the construction process are made from metals or alloys (such as aluminium or stainless steel) which are resistant to corrosion.
If you do not, and they use nails and bolts made from, for example, iron, which tends to rust when exposed to moisture and oxygen, your deck's posts, support beams and slats may loosen over time, making the deck unsafe to use until the deteriorated nails and bolts are replaced.
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Hello! My name is Richard and this is my new blog. On this blog, I hope to pass on some useful information about how to work with contractors. I recently decided that I wanted to give my property a complete overhaul. I wanted to have a new roof installed, the interior remodelled and the driveway repaired. I asked around and I put together a great team of contractors who could all work together to get the job done. However, that isn't to say there wasn't the occasion challenge during such a big project. I learnt a lot from the experience and I am really pleased with the work that the contractors carried out.