Last week on the blog I talked about my big garden plans and how I had given up on our rotten, raised timber deck area of our garden. Instead, it was all going to be ripped out and replaced by something called Trex Transcend - a strong and durable composite decking made from 95% recycled materials. Well, as you can tell from the header image to this post (!!) the exciting news is that the big garden overhaul has begun! Landscape company The Greenkeeper arrived to dismantle and and re-lay the deck just over a week ago. After some initial framework problems, the actual installation of the Trex Deck was pretty interesting to watch. So, here is the build progress so far.....

Once the rotting timber deck was removed it was obvious that the timber framework also was not up to scratch. As well as also being rotten in a lot of places, the framework was wonky and uneven and just not in good enough condition to lay down the new deck boards.

Using new treated timber boards and recycling the old timber where they could, The Greenkeeper guys created a perfectly level, strong and secure framework from scratch. This added on a few extra days to the build but it was really important that the framework was structurally sound and level. I actually really liked the look of this large geometric timber playground in the garden! It looked like a crazy piece of modern installation art!

Once the framework was complete the Trex Transcend deck was delivered. Seeing this lovely shiny new deck that I knew I would not have to sand and stain every year was a double feeling of not only excitement, yet also huge relief. With a small child, a house to run, a blog and a business, I just do not have time for the huge amount of maintenance every year the timber deck took. Also, comparing the old timber deck that had just been taken away off my drive to this new deck in the warm, auburn 'Lava Rock' colourway was a real treat. What I instantly really liked is the fact the Trex deck does not have the deep grooves of timber deck, meaning that it will be easier to sweep and clean.

The Greenkeeper guys, who are certified Professional Trex Installers, got to work laying the deck at quite a fast rate.

The black gaffa-style tape that you see on the surface of the timber framework is Trex Protect Joist Tape. This gives an extra layer of protection to the timber framework which will have screws in it from the Trex Fixing Systems (which is what attaches the Trex deck to the framework). When a screw is inserted into the timber through the tape, the tape acts like a silicone in the hole preventing any water or moisture from entering the timber.

So far, so clever, but this is the REALLY good part. Trex offers a Pro-Plug system for any parts of the deck that require screw holes in the actual deck rather than being secured by the Fixing Systems. These tiny nuggets have the same grain and colour of the Trex Transcend being laid, so you do not notice that there were any drill holes made in the first place. It took me ages to find one when The Greenkeeper guys challenged me to locate where a plug had been used!

Once the deck boards were down, the next step was the railings. As my deck is raised off the ground, railings were vital. My previous rotten deck meant that the wood railings wobbled at the slightest touch. Trex offer powder-coated aluminium railings with near-zero maintenance and this is what Mark from The Greenkeeper is installing below. This is Trex's Signature Railing and comes in black and bronze. I chose bronze to keep the colourway of the deck and railings all the same.

As the railings are being inserted around the front of the deck, The Greenkeeper guys cut away the excess Trex Deck boards to the shape of the framework. So this is where we are up too now:

All that is left is to add the rest of the railings and the frontal fascia boards and the deck will be ready for its BIG REVEAL! Sign up to the mailing list below to not miss out on my big garden deck makeover!

* This post is sponsored by Trex who are very kindly collaborating with me on the transformation of my garden deck space by providing all materials and labour in exchange for promotional activity.