Hi all,

Please could any of you advise if there is any guidance, i.e. building regs controlling/restricting the use of external wooded decking.

I have checked the building regs but can not find anything relevant.

Many Thanks,

James

Seconded. Hate the stuff.

I've got some decking at the rear of my house and it does get a bit slippery on times but I know about it and take care when walking on it. It is on private land used by no-one but myself and family and it is cleaned every year and treated so no real risk. It looks good and is enjoyed through the summer. This sounds like another over the top topic on the way to me.

Interesting - we recently installed a large raised deck across the back of our house, about 450 square feet, and its between 3 and 6 feet from the ground. Built to my design, the guy installing it was adamant about railing height, the size of steps and gaps on the railing (all good to hear). We treated it with specialist finish so it is not slippery.

What I was less impressed with was the construction underneath, the joists were connected to the supporting posts by long screws, so I then had to secure all the joists to the posts with coach-bolts, although I thought I had done a good spec for design and materials, I totally overlooked something as simple as using bolts (instead of screws).

My suggestion is that there are regs in place around steps, railings, electrics and use of glass. There is guidance around protection of DPM/DPC, and all of these would apply. Other than that it is to a degree simply common sense. I would suggest that maybe a structural engineer or some sort of 'wooden thing' specialist sign off the finished item, or if its really big/expensive, approve the spec/plans in the first instance.

Agree with the slippiness, but have seen (and stayed upright on) decking used outdoors in a retail park. It had grippy anti slip strips inserted into the boards similar to the material you can use for steps and paths, don't know who the supplier is but it worked.