Prepare for a blustery winter Check your stock as the weather changes

November 2022 has been one of the mildest on record, with temperatures reaching 20°c on Armistice Day – a full 2°c warmer than the day’s previous record. It’s been a particularly warm year as a whole, with a long and dry summer sending everyone out into the garden to enjoy the weather. This follows a warm 2020-2021, when many chose to make the most of their gardens between lockdowns by upgrading outside spaces with new decking, fencing and landscaping projects.

Decking sales have fallen in recent months, due to both rising living costs leaving little money spare for RMI projects and, arguably, because most of the people who wanted to upgrade their garden spaces have already done so. As a result, merchants could be forgiven for deciding against stocking large amounts of timber for garden projects such as decking and fencing, but this may be a mistake now that our usual windier winter weather is on the way.

January tends to be the windiest month in the UK as storms come in from the Atlantic, and we’re already seeing gustier weather arriving.

The Met Office is warning of more unsetlled conditions to come, with wet and windy spells at the start of 2023 making it likely that there will be a need for more replacement fence panels across the UK after the storms hit.

Use the right treated timber

When you’re ordering new timber stock for fencing and decking projects, make sure it has been treated for the intended use – and that it’s correctly labelled for your customers. Don’t offer fence posts or decking bearers that are ‘green treated’ or ‘brown treated’, as this does not give your customers enough information to make an informed purchase.

Preservative-treated softwoods that will be in contact with the ground must be treated to Use Class 4 standards. Anything less will compromise the timber’s service life and structural safety. Always offer your staff timber training to make sure they understand the different Use Classes so they can correctly advise your customers. TDUK and the Wood Protection Association have created guidance notes to explain the different Use Classes and timber treatments, which you can find online by visiting www.timberdevelopment.uk and searching for ‘Use Class 4’.