Decking, built properly.
Composite and timber decking, supplied and installed by a family-run team from Westhoughton. Proper pressure-treated sub-frames, honest material advice, fixed written quotes — no deposit, no pressure.
Get a free decking quote
Free on-site survey. Fixed written quote within 1 working day.
Two materials. One way of building.
Composite or timber, the job underneath is identical — and it's the part most decking failures trace back to.
A deck is a structure, not a surface. The boards are the last 10% of the job — what decides whether your deck is still solid in fifteen years is the sub-frame, the ground prep and the drainage underneath. That's where we put the time.
We supply and install both composite and timber decking across Bolton, Wigan, Manchester and the wider North West, from our base in Westhoughton. Same crew, same frame spec, same fixed written quote whichever boards you choose.
And if you'd rather see a number before you talk to anyone — fair enough. Our decking price calculator gives you an instant indicative fitted cost for your size, composite or timber, in about 30 seconds.
Sub-frame first How we build
Pressure-treated structural timber joists on a prepared, level base. The frame is built to outlast whichever boards sit on it.
Honest material advice No upsell
We bring composite and timber samples to every survey and tell you straight which suits your garden and budget. Roughly half our customers pick each.
Built for NW weather Drainage
Weed membrane, drainage falls and airflow under the boards — because a deck in the North West spends half the year wet, and standing water is what kills them.
Two materials. Same frame. Honest trade-offs.
Whichever boards you pick, the sub-frame underneath is identical — pressure-treated structural timber, built to outlast the surface. The choice is about budget, look and how much maintenance you're happy to do.
Composite decking
- Virtually zero maintenance — no sanding, staining or treating, ever
- Won't rot, warp or splinter; boards typically last 25+ years
- Colour-stable capped boards — keeps its look season after season
- Hidden clip fixings — clean surface, no visible screw heads
- Costs more upfront, repays you every spring you don't spend re-oiling it
Timber decking
- The most affordable route to a proper deck
- Warm, classic real-wood look — can be stained or painted any colour
- Pressure-treated softwood boards on a matching treated frame
- Needs re-treating every 12–18 months to stay at its best
- Typically 10–15 years' lifespan with sensible care
Want a number right now?
Pick composite or timber, set your deck size with two sliders, and get an instant indicative fitted price. No name, no email, no callback — just the number.
Takes about 30 seconds · No details needed to see your price
What's under every Wolsten deck.
The same four-stage build whichever boards you choose.
Ground prep
Vegetation off, levels set, compacted base with weed membrane and gravel where the ground needs it. Drainage falls built in from the start.
Sub-frame
Pressure-treated structural timber joists, set at tight centres, square and level. This is the part of the job you never see and the part that matters most.
Boards & fixings
Hidden clip fixings on composite for a clean, screw-free surface; stainless fixings on timber. Picture-frame borders and fascia trims as standard.
Finish & aftercare
Steps, balustrades and lighting if you want them, site left tidy, and a plain-English care sheet at handover. If anything needs a second look, we come back — that's our aftercare.
What decking actually costs.
Real 2026 prices, supplied and installed, for a standard ground-level deck. Every Wolsten quote is fixed in writing after a free survey — the price you see is the price you pay.
Timber · supplied & installed
A typical 3.6m × 3.6m timber deck lands around £2,300–£2,400 fitted, including sub-frame and ground prep.
Composite · supplied & installed
A typical 3.6m × 3.6m composite deck lands around £3,000 fitted — then never asks for a weekend of your time again.
Most standard ground-level decks are 3–5 days on site. Landscaper or garden designer? We also do install-only on your supplied boards — see the install-only tab on the calculator.
Decking across the North West.
From our Westhoughton base we supply and install decking across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and north Cheshire — the same towns we've been building, landscaping and laying lawns in for years.
Not on the list? If you're within an hour of Bolton, call us on 07482 332 817 — we almost certainly cover you.
How we build a composite deck — step by step.
Every photo below is from one real Wolsten job in Bolton — from overgrown garden to finished composite deck. Same crew, same process, every deck.
Before
A tired, overgrown garden with no usable space. The brief: a low-maintenance composite deck the family would actually use.
Surface prep
Ground cleared, opened up and levelled, with drainage falls decided before anything gets built. Spoil bagged and taken away.
Posts in
Support posts set and fixed to carry the sub-frame -- solid anchor points so the deck can never move, sag or bounce.
6x2 treated sub-frame
The full frame built in 6x2 pressure-treated structural timber, square to the house. The part you never see, and the part that matters most.
Level & ready for boards
Every bearer and joist checked dead level at tight centres. The flatness of the finished deck is set right here.
First boards down
The first composite boards go down, set square with correct expansion gaps to the board manufacturer's spec.
Board by board
Each board locked down with concealed clip fixings -- no visible screw heads, clean lines across the whole surface.
Boards complete
Full deck surface down, trimmed and finished, with every clip and edge checked before the balustrade goes on.
Balustrades on
Matching composite balustrades fitted -- safe edges, clean look, and zero painting for the lifetime of the deck.
The finished deck
Done -- a clean, level composite deck that needs a wash-down a couple of times a year and not much else.
The three of us on every deck.
No subcontractors, no sales reps, no call centres. Liam, Ryan or Paul is on site every day of your build.
Paul — Master Joiner
Paul leads every deck build personally. Thirty years on the tools, every cut made on site — frames square, boards true, picture-frame borders mitred properly. The difference shows from the first board.
Ryan — Site Lead
Ryan handles the ground: levels, sub-base, drainage falls and any brickwork or steps the deck ties into. A deck is only as good as what it sits on, and that part never gets skipped.
Liam — Project Lead
Liam does the survey and your fixed written quote within 1 working day. He's also a qualified electrician — so if you want deck lighting or an outdoor socket while we're there, it's done properly and certified.
Decking — straight answers.
How much does decking cost?
As a guide for 2026: fitted timber decking starts from around £180 per square metre and composite from around £230 per square metre, supplied and installed. A typical 3.6m × 3.6m deck lands around £2,300–£2,400 in timber or around £3,000 in composite. Use our decking price calculator for an instant figure on your exact size — your final price is fixed in writing after a free survey.
Composite or timber — which should I pick?
Budget-led: timber. Maintenance-led: composite. Timber is cheaper on day one but needs re-treating every 12–18 months and typically lasts 10–15 years. Composite costs roughly 25–30% more upfront, needs essentially nothing doing to it, and typically lasts 25+ years. We bring samples of both to the survey and give you an honest steer for your garden — no upsell.
How long does a decking install take?
Most standard ground-level decks are 3–5 days on site, including ground prep and the sub-frame. Larger decks, steps, balustrades or awkward access add time — we confirm the schedule in your written quote so there are no surprises.
Do I need planning permission for decking?
Usually not. Decking under 30cm off the ground that covers less than half the garden generally falls under permitted development. Raised decks, listed buildings and conservation areas are the exceptions — we flag any of that at the free survey before you commit to anything.
What's underneath the boards?
The bit that decides how long your deck lasts: a pressure-treated structural timber sub-frame on a properly prepared base, with weed membrane and drainage falls so water gets away rather than sitting under the boards. We build the same frame regardless of which boards go on top.
Can you just replace the boards on my existing deck frame?
Honestly — usually not worth it. The frame is almost always the first thing to fail, and putting 25-year composite boards on a 10-year-old softwood frame means doing the job twice. We'll inspect it at the survey; if the frame is genuinely sound we'll tell you, and if it isn't we'll quote the full rebuild so it's done once, properly.
Ready to get your deck priced?
Free on-site survey, fixed written quote in 1 working day, no deposit, no pressure. Or get an instant indicative price from the calculator first — whichever suits.
