Decking · Cambridge & the Fens
Decking in Cambridge:Built Level.Built to Last.
Timber and composite decking designed around your garden and built on a proper frame by an NVQ Level 2 qualified carpenter, quoted at one fixed price after a free site visit, and backed by our workmanship guarantee.
Rated 5.0 on Google from 8 verified reviews · Free site visits across Cambridgeshire
NVQ Level 2 Qualified Carpentry & joinery certified
Timber & Composite Honest advice on both
Fixed-Price Quotes No extras, no surprises
Workmanship Guarantee On every job we complete
£5m Public Liability Insured on every job
01The Service
What Our Decking Service Covers
Decking designed and built properly: the frame and substructure, the boards, timber or composite, steps, balustrades and edging, and the finishing details that make a deck feel like part of the garden rather than a platform dropped onto it. We also repair, re-board and refurbish existing decks, and carry out maintenance such as cleaning and oiling.
Our decking clients are homeowners who want to use their garden more, a level seating area on a sloping plot, a clean surface outside the bi-folds, or a replacement for a deck that's gone green, spongy or dangerous. Around Cambridge's newer developments and period gardens alike, a well-built deck adds genuinely usable outdoor space.
You need a carpenter for decking because a deck is a timber structure, not a garden ornament. The frame carries everything; if it's undersized, badly supported or laid straight onto soil, the deck bounces, rots and fails, usually within a few winters. Charlie is NVQ Level 2 qualified in carpentry and joinery, and the frame is where our decking starts.
Every deck begins with a free site visit: levels checked, drainage considered, timber versus composite talked through honestly, and one fixed price quoted for the whole job.
02Why It Matters
What a Badly Built Deck Costs You
A deck built on a poor frame is a slow-motion write-off. Joists laid on or near soil stay wet and rot from below, often invisibly, until a board gives way underfoot. Undersized frames bounce and sag; boards fixed without proper spacing cup, split and hold water; and a slippery, algae-covered deck is a genuine hazard, not just an eyesore.
The expensive version is paying for the deck twice. When a frame fails, the boards usually can't be saved, so a 'cheap' deck becomes a full strip-out and rebuild inside a few years. Building the frame properly in the first place costs a little more and lasts many times longer.
There's also the lost use: a deck you don't trust or don't like becomes dead space. A free site visit and one fixed price answers the whole question, repair it properly, or replace it properly.
Common Mistakes Homeowners Make
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01
Choosing on the price of the boards alone, the frame underneath decides how long the deck lasts, and it's where cheap quotes cut corners.
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02
Laying joists straight onto soil or old paving, trapped moisture rots timber from below, out of sight.
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03
Skipping ventilation and spacing between boards: boards that can't dry out, can't last.
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04
Assuming composite needs no structure: composite boards still need a properly built, properly supported frame.
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05
Leaving a slippery deck untreated: algae makes timber lethal in the wet; cleaning and oiling is cheap, a fall is not.
03How It Works
How Your Decking Job Runs
01
Free Site Visit
Charlie visits, checks the levels, drainage and aspect, talks through timber versus composite honestly, and measures up. It costs nothing and obliges you to nothing.
02
Fixed-Price Quote
One clear, fixed price for the whole job, frame, boards, steps, balustrade and finishing accounted for. No extras at the end.
03
Frame & Substructure
The deck starts below the surface: properly supported joists, correct spacing, ventilation underneath, and everything levelled and fixed to last.
04
Boards & Finishing
Boards laid with correct gaps and fixings, steps and balustrades built in, edges and trims finished cleanly, by an NVQ Level 2 qualified carpenter.
05
Walkthrough & Guarantee
The finished deck is walked through with you, care advice given for the material you've chosen, and the site left clean. Your deck is covered by our workmanship guarantee, terms vary by job type, so ask when we quote.
04Why CV Carpentry
What You Get With CV Carpentry
A deck is a structure you stand on. Here's what building it properly actually means.
A Frame That Lasts
Properly supported, ventilated and levelled joists: the part of the deck you'll never see is the part we take most care over.
Honest Material Advice
Timber or composite: we'll talk through the real costs, maintenance and lifespan of each for your garden, and let you decide.
One Fixed Price
Quoted after a free site visit and honoured to the end. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Designed Around Your Garden
Levels, steps, sun traps and seating areas planned around how you'll actually use the space: not just a rectangle of boards.
Repair & Refurb Options
If your frame is sound, re-boarding or refurbishing can save real money, we'll tell you honestly which your deck needs.
Guaranteed & Insured
£5m public liability cover while we work, and our workmanship guarantee on the finished deck.
05In Detail
Our Decking Services in Detail
Materials, methods and the variations of decking work we carry out across Cambridge and the Fens.
Timber Decking
Natural timber decking: warm, traditional and repairable. Boards are laid with correct spacing and fixings on a properly built frame, and can be cleaned and re-oiled over the years to keep them looking right.
Timber asks a little maintenance and gives a lot back, we'll show you exactly what care involves before you choose it.
Composite Decking
Composite boards offer a low-maintenance alternative: no oiling, consistent colour, and good slip resistance. They cost more up front and still need a properly built timber frame beneath them, which is where our carpentry matters.
We'll talk you through the honest trade-offs at the site visit, feel underfoot, heat in full sun, cost over time, so the choice is yours and it's informed.
Frames, Steps & Raised Decks
Sloping gardens and raised decks are carpentry projects: posts, beams, joists, steps and balustrades, all sized and fixed properly. This is structural work, and it's done to the same standard as the timberwork in our extensions.
If your garden slopes or you want a deck raised to door height, the structure is the job, and it's exactly what a qualified carpenter is for.
Repairs, Re-Boarding & Maintenance
Existing decks repaired, re-boarded or refurbished: rotten boards replaced, frames inspected and strengthened, surfaces cleaned and oiled. Often a tired deck needs new boards and a proper clean rather than a full rebuild.
For smaller decking repairs as part of a wider job list, our handyman service can batch them in at one fixed price.
Questions
Decking Questions, Answered Straight
Get Started
Get a Deck You'll Actually Use
Free site visit, honest advice on timber versus composite, one fixed price, and a workmanship guarantee. Call Charlie directly, or send the details and we'll come to you.
Free site visit & fixed-price quote
£5m public liability cover
Workmanship guarantee