Goodbye decking hello new patio!

[Gemini]

You may remember the many weekends my OH spent helping SIL1 to remove their large decked area behind their house.
We were to have some of the decking and the fencing to make a deck of our own. Something we had planned on for few years so this was a good opportunity.

Last week we went down and OH and SIL sawed the planks to the right length for us.
Next task was to find a van or some sort of vehicle to transport them the couple of miles between houses. Then build the deck.

Then a few days ago OH realised they had cut the planks two feet short!! Entirely her fault as she was the one with the measurements.
When she told me I suggested that as we have to transport it, then she has the problem of fitting it all, and fitting it around the conservatory that we should forget it now this had happened.
I think she was relieved. We have decided to replace our patio, with something newer and smarter and slightly bigger - the size we intended the decking to be. SIL doesn't know about the measuring error. He thinks we just changed our minds


The men who did DD and SIL's new patio are coming on Sunday morning to measure and give us an estimate.

[Oma]

Well I always say things happen for a reason Gem , you were not meant to have decking but a new patio
Plus its a big job for S to do , this way the stress is taken off her shoulders

[Lizzie48]

Gem, things like that happen! Friends of mine asked me if I could shorten their new curtains, this was a while ago, they had them made to measure but had added 30cm to the length! A good thing it wasn't shorter.

[Gemini]

Yes, LOL at least longer can be put right!

[Nanto2girls]

Gem, getting someone to do the job will take pressure off OH.

[Plantaholic]

Sounds much nicer for you and S. Gemini

[Clover]

All’s well that ends well. Poor S .I bet she felt cross with herself but things happen and in this case it saves a lot of work and you get a brand new patio!

[Daisy]

Gem - poor S. I bet she felt very cross with herself, but it is a huge amount of work and decking does need maintenance. So perhaps it's for the best. I'm sure you will love your brand new patio.

We're still planning to have a new patio when the greenhouse has gone so we can have a sitting area in a sunny part of the garden. There are some very attractive choices for paving or whatever these days, so I'll be interested to see what suggestions the men make.

[Gemini]

We had an estimate for the patio from the men who did DD and SIL1's.
To us it seemed high (mainly the daily rate and number of days they estimate)
This may just be what it costs, but we are having a couple more estimates from people recommended to us on our local FB group.
We have also decided to delay it. Although a lovely new patio for this summer would have been nice, we have left it too late.
It may take up to two weeks according to these guys. We use our garden and patio a lot to relax and eat in, and we have GC two days a week from next week. A bad time to have the garden out of bounds. September or October would be better.

[Daisy]

Gem - I think we will have the same sort of shock when we get an estimate for our new patio and soakaway. Like you, I'd now rather wait till the autumn to get it done, but certain materials are in such short supply at the moment prices are rocketing and jobs could get held up if the contractor can't get materials when needed.

[Enfys]

The friend I visited today, her husband was out going to all the local builders merchants trying to get some bricks and concrete blocks. He wasn’t lucky and he said he was told that these sort of supplies are all being diverted to the HS2 project and nothing left for builders merchants. Don’t know how true it is but would explain why such things are in short supply.

[Lizzie48]

Enfys, I saw a builder saying that on London news, we get the London news here, he was saying cement etc is very difficult to find and very expensive when you do find it.

[Gemini]

Ours isn't vital, we can well live without a new patio, so if prices rocket or materials are in short supply we'll just put it on hold.

[Oma]

We have been having trouble getting MDF sheets, also felting for the shed roof , All the DIY stores saying the same , its not so much short supply as no Drivers to deliver to stores

[Daisy]

Oma - that's what we've heard, too. When the workmen were doing our neighbours' front drive they were having to go to the builders' merchants every day for their 'ration' of raw materials.