Park and holiday home decking: everything you need to know

What is decking?

Decking is a structure that runs along one side or, more usually, across the front and also along one side, of a holiday home or lodge. Its function is to provide a platform around the holiday home or lodge home, for al fresco dining and enjoying fresh air, and to integrate with steps up to the door level of your holiday home or lodge.

What types of decking are there?

There are broadly three types of decking: timber, composite and uPVC. While timber decking needs to be treated regularly to keep it in top condition – just like any other timber structure – and uPVC decking needs no maintenance. It can be wiped clean of any algae that accumulates. There’s a wide choice of colour, and some uPVC decking is designed to look like real wood.

Decking can also be made of composite materials, including a combination of recycled plastic and timber. Like uPVC decking, composite decking doesn’t require staining and is wipe-clean.

In addition to decking and balustrades, a range of lighting installations is available from many decking suppliers.

Can you put decking on a park or holiday home?

Decking is often added to holiday homes and lodges. It can also be used for park homes, but brick surrounds and timber are also popular choices. Every park home development will have different rules around how their outdoor spaces can be designed. Some will supply timber decking for all of their homes and whilst some will stipulate that you must have decking.

Our advice is to check with the park operator before installing decking – whether it’s a holiday home park or residential park home development – you may have to obtain permission from the park operator, and you should certainly check if the park has regulations on the type of decking.

Types of decking for holiday homes

When you buy a holiday home or lodge, you may find that the park stipulates the type of decking that you can have: timber, or uPVC. That’s in the interest of uniformity on the park. If you are given the choice, while timber decking looks great, it does require regular painting with preservative, while uPVC decking is wipe-clean and maintenance free.

Among the many companies that supply uPVC decking is DekBoard, based in Scunthorpe. Dekboard supplies both uPVC and composite decking and fits countrywide via a team of approved installers. Vinyl Solutions makes decking for holiday homes and lodges and is based in Poole, Dorset. This company supplies decking to holiday park operators including Hoburne, which has eight holiday home parks in the south of England. Lakes Decking, based in Penrith, Cumbria, supplies timber decking, uPVC decking and composite decking.

How much does decking cost?

The cost of decking varies enormously. At the lowest price level, you can buy decking kits and construct it yourself. Or you could shop around among the many companies that supply, construct and fit decking. Cost obviously depends on the quantity of decking required. That, in turn, depends on the width and length of your holiday home or lodge, as most decking runs across the front and along one side. Whether you go for timber or uPVC (if the park gives you a choice) has a bearing on cost, too. Each quote is individual, as decking is tailor-made to size requirements based on the size of the holiday home or lodge. Our advice, as with any product, is to approach several companies and compare quotes.

The MyJobQuote website states that the average cost of installing caravan decking is £1,400. Other websites refer to costs of around £6,000. These figures illustrate the huge variance, owing to the amount and type of decking.

Our recommended suppliers for park and holiday home decking

One decking company with which we are very familiar is DekBoard. Part of the Epwin Group, DekBoard supplies and fits uPVC decking at both park and holiday homes across the UK. Working with major holiday park operators including Park Holidays, Bourne Leisure and Haven, DekBoard delivers durable, low-maintenance and practical decking systems to complement any park or holiday home. They also offer a range of accessories including balustrade systems, skirting, lighting and hot tubs.

Another is part of the Omar Group that makes lodges and park homes. This division of the Omar Group is called UK Sundecks, and supplies decking for both park and holiday homes. UK Sundecks decking is constructed on a galvanised steel sub-frame for strength. UK Sundecks uses steel rather than timber in the interest of longevity. Deck boards, handrails and glass screens, plus skirting, are all available from UK Sundecks.

Another major supplier is AB Sundecks. This company works with major holiday park operators including Parkdean Resorts, Park Resorts, Bourne Leisure, Haven and Park Holidays. AB Sundecks decking is made from PVC and is built on galvanised steel.