Low-level decking materials and drainage questions

[NewbieHP]

Hi there,

I wanna build eko decking and my deck is close to ground as it extends from afresco (1) I don't know if I have to choose hollow or solid? 

(2) I have drain on artificial lawn which is gonna be next to deck. So do I need extra drain? 

I read online about french drain etc. 

(3) I wanna keep weed mat and crushed stone under deck to prevent water pooling and mice issue. Am I doing it right?

Geo fabric and plastic weed mat? Which one should I choose? 

Thx in advance. 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @NewbieHP. It's fantastic that you've joined us, and many thanks for your question about low-level decks.

You might like to start by telling us how high above the soil the decking will be. We can then provide information about how you'll need to prepare the ground and whether there is enough room to create a deck. Choosing what decking to use is one aspect, but you'll also need to decide what you are building the deck's structure from as these timbers will be even closer to the soil.

I suspect you'll need to lay a weed matting or geo fabric with crushed stone on top of it. You might also need to run additional drainage under the deck to allow water to escape. Geo fabric and weed matting will serve a similar purpose, but the geo fabric is designed for drainage situations, so that would be my recommendation.

If you haven't already read through it, @Adam_W's article on How to build a low-level deck will cover some of your questions.

We look forward to hearing more about your project and providing solutions.

Mitchell