insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 15 - May 2016 | Page 83

OUTDOORLIVING

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Jacksons Fencing

NEWS, TOPICAL TREATS AND MORE...

What a difference a deck makes...
That might be a rather cheesy pun, but the
sentiment is quite sincere – hopefully it will get
your attention, you may read on, then I can tell
you a little about the difference a deck can make
to you?
With the heady promise of long hot summer
days, our thoughts readily turn to making the
most of our outside space. I don’t think I’m alone
in wanting to get projects sorted, so I can get
the hard work out of the way and then be outside
relaxing and enjoying the better weather. This is
exactly what spurred me on to get a decking
project underway last March.
I had an area at home leading out to the
back garden from two sets of French windows.
It was rather depressing and dingy, especially as
this was what you saw from the house and the

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first thing that you saw when stepping outside.
Not a great first impression!
My plan was to consolidate the two areas
adjacent to the doors, cover over some old
concrete, take out old decking tiles and remove
a rockery. By covering it with an L-shaped deck,
there would be room for a small bistro style table
set – this part of the garden gets morning sun,
so it will be lovely for weekend breakfasts. There
would also be room for a storage box, planters
for fruit trees and decorative planting. All in all,
a much better use of space. We managed to get
this completed well before Easter, which was
great because it meant other weekends could
be spent doing the nice stuff like sourcing plants,
pots and prettying up other parts of the garden.
This was a fairly simple use of dec