Staggering your decking timber will avoid untidy looking rows of joins.

You should start laying the along the house side of your deck, leaving a 5 - 6 millimeter gap for rain to drain off. Between each length use a nail or pencil head to keep a consistent 2mm gap. Position your lengths to meet over a joist so you can nail the ends of your timber down (pre-drilling will stop the timber from splitting, particularly if you're using hardwood.) A good way to ensure consistency in the gaps between each length, is to smack a nail into the joist beside each length of timber. Once you've laid your first length, hammer in a thin nail (remember you're trying to keep a 2mm gap) hard against the outside of the length, push the next length hard against the nail, hammer in another nail, then hammer in down your decking timber. This may be a little extra work, but is worth-while to avoid inconsistent gaps.

Now you've finished the structural side of building your deck, all that is left is the finishing touches. You may want to paint or oil your deck to fit in with the look of your house and to protect the timber from the elements.

Add some outdoor furniture or a barbecue, and get ready to enjoy your DIY outdoor entertaining.

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