The world is full of doubting Thomases, but if any of them were to espouse the view that the decking bubble has, or is about to burst, they should check with Steve Young, general manager of the Timber Decking Association (TDA).

He reports yet another record year, both for decking and for the TDA, which has very effectively wormed its way into the public consciousness.

The TDA website (www.tda.org.uk) for example, now sees 6,000-7,000 visitors – “not hits, we’re talking actual visitor numbers” – per month and page requests have gone from 15,000 to 20,000 a month. Hard copy information is sent out “it seems by the lorry load.”

“The campaign of the TDA has been to raise awareness, not just for quality decking materials and design and installation services, but also that we are here as an independent advisory and technical body,” says Mr Young.

“The quality story is now getting through to people – and not before time because there is a lot of poor practice and dubious traders out there exploiting a growth situation”.

“Growth situation” is putting it mildly: the UK decking market has soared from a total commercial and domestic value of £5m in 1997 to around £80m in 2001. And, using feedback from retailers and from its membership as his ready reckoner, Steve Young anticipates the market exceeding £100m this year. “Richard Burbidge, Arbordeck (Howarth Timber) and BSW are possibly the three major trade suppliers in the UK and they’ve had another fantastic year. Last year Howarth increased its output by a third and it’s done it again this year.”

“I’ve heard people saying the decking boom is over, but they’re probably looking at it from a very subjective view,” Mr Young continues. “There is no evidence for that and, in fact, you can see a trend evolving now.

“We’ve had the early adopters who have gone for low level patio-style decks adjacent to the house and we’re now seeing a trend developing for people who really appreciate the fantastic flexibility of the product to build more complex structures.”

New housing sector

Some of the fancier split-level, cantilevered affairs can be seen in the new housing sector, which has taken decking to its heart. Mr Young cites an example of a development in Cleveland where, in addition to individual decks, the houses looked out over a lake, which featured a timber boardwalk leading out to an island. “It looked absolutely terrific,” says Mr Young, “and the developer said the houses with decks sell better than those without them. There was also a nice little thriving business going on there with new home buyers having decks retro-fitted.

“Some of the developers who are offering decks as an optional extra are designing the houses so that one can be put on.”

The key issue for the TDA now is to convert the growth into a sustainable market – and that means ensuring those traders and builders who are in it for “short-term gain”, don’t do the industry a disservice.

“You can excuse a non-trade consumer for thinking the terms ‘softwood’ and ‘hardwood’ relate to the physical density, but it amazes me how many so-called ‘professional’ deck installers don’t know how to select wood for outdoor use and don’t know about different durability factors. Some of them still think that ‘softwood’ means exactly that.

“We’re grateful to wood. for good which is doing a tremendous job in the educational side of things, but in promoting the use of wood out of doors we’re involved in a culture change and you can’t do it overnight. To get your message over you’ve got to plug away consistently and incessantly.

“We believe the only way we can establish a sustainable market is by working to high quality standards using the best materials for the job, using good installation practices,” says Mr Young. “It’s everything the TDA stands for and all our initiatives are designed with this in mind and to reinforce consumer confidence.”

DeckMark

This was the motivation for the introduction of the DeckMark quality assurance scheme (TTJ March 18, 2000), which is based around ISO 9000 and British Standards. Most of the TDA’s members have now acquired the DeckMark while the remaining handful are being independently audited for compliance with the association’s definition of good practice. Overseas members – BSW Latvia, for example – are audited by BM TRADA, while UK companies are vetted by 4Deck Services, a technical consultancy formed by Martyn Spence, the former managing director of HLD, who, says Steve Young is “one of the most experienced people in decking in the UK”.

The drive for quality assurance also led to the insurance-backed warranty scheme, which has been “incredibly popular”. The warranties last for 10 years and provide an independent underwriting which, again, gives consumers absolute reassurance.

Dispute resolution

If things do go wrong, the TDA is ready to swing into action with its dispute resolution service. Again, it’s an independent committee, which fields technical consultants and officers from the Trading Standards Authority. While the committee hasn’t had cause to sit, it should provide consumers with the confidence to approach the TDA should they feel one of its members hasn’t performed up to scratch.

“Every member signs a Charter when they join the TDA and it’s a visible commitment that they’re going to operate to certain standards and provide a quality service,” says Mr Young. “One of the clauses of the Charter is that they agree to be bound by any decision made by the dispute resolution service.”

He believes the key to raising standards in the decking sector and ensuring its continued success is education, both of the public and the trade itself.

The TDA has a number of publications designed to facilitate this education process. There is, for example, its recently published booklet Place the building of your timber deck in safe hands, which sets out everything the public can expect from an accredited TDA decking installer. Meanwhile, the Timber Decking Manual, due to be revised by TRADA at the end of this year, gives chapter and verse on deck selection and construction.

The TDA is working on a technical guidance note on handrails and balustrades. “There have been some developments in this area and it’s one that needs greater clarification because precise specification and detailing is needed,” says Steve Young.

“The NHBC has a close interest in this and we’re hoping that once we’ve got the document in draft we can circulate it around other interested parties in the industry and get it accepted as a standard reference to best practice.”