Decks are great for adding two things to your outdoor space; style and function. Incorporating a deck is a great way to allocate a set space for relaxing, entertaining or hosting a herb garden, with many of today's styles looking more sleek and modern than ever before. Thinking about installing a deck in your garden? Then follow this step-by-step guide from DIY blogger, Kirsty aka Number Twenty Six.

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What You'll Need:

• Decking floor boards
• Joists
• Screws
• Felt
• Gravel
• Chop saw
• Drill
• Hammer
• Spirit Level
• Square
• Screwdriver

Step-By-Step: Adding a Back Deck

Step 1

Make sure the area where you want to place your decking is as level as possible. Our garden sits on a slope, so we dug up the mud at one end of the decking area and then leveled it off.

Step 2

Cover the grassed-over areas in a felt weed suppressant to stop any unwanted weeds from growing through the decking once it's been laid. Using a Stanley knife, cut the felt to shape and then use nails to roughly tack it in place in each corner.

Step 3

Give the felt a loose covering of stones to keep it in place - this also provides drainage. The stones don't need to look amazing, as you won't be able to see them once the decking is in place.

Step 4

Now it's time to start on the decking itself. You'll need to build a frame using wooden joists to attach the decking to. Measure the dimensions of the area that you're going to deck and then cut the joists to the correct length using a chop saw.

Step 5

Screw the frame together using a drill ensuring each corner is square.

Within the frame, you will need to add further supports to take the weight of the decking and also to screw the wood to. We opted to measure every 600mm, marking the measurement at each point on the frame.

Step 6

Cut more joists which measure the width of the frame and screw them at each point you have marked on the length of the decking ensuring they are square. Use spirit levels to ensure the frame is level and if needed, screw in further blocks of wood to create additional support in the corners of the frame.

Step 7

Once you're happy with the strength of the frame, measure the length of it and cut the decking boards to the correct length. Starting from the outer edge of the decking, begin screwing each piece of decking to the frame, ensuring it is screwed to each and every supporting joist. Continue to do this until the area is complete.

Step 8

When adding the last section of decking in, there may be some obstacles. We had two fence posts in the way so we had to mark where they were on the last piece of decking and use a hand saw to cut the sections out.

Step 9

Now for the finishing touches - cut a final piece of decking to length which you will need to place on the edge of the decking and screw this to the edges of the joists. And voilà—the decking is completed.

This job will take a few days, weather permitting, following which you have your completed decking ready to host a barbeque and sip on prosecco until the early hours.