Decking in Yarm

This page looks at the kinds of houses and gardens in Yarm, the ground near the river, the planning rules in and around the old town, and what shapes the price of a deck.

Houses and gardens in Yarm

Yarm ward has a high share of detached houses. In the 2021 Census, 56.2% of homes in the ward were detached, 22.3% semi-detached and 13.0% terraced, with 7.1% in purpose-built flats. More than three quarters of households (76.9%) own their home, and 41.7% own it outright.

Those numbers hide two very different Yarms. In the old town, the houses along the High Street back onto long, thin plots reached through wynds and yards with names such as High Church Wynd, Bentley Wynd, Atlas Wynd and Chapel Yard. Gardens there are often walled, narrow and partly shaded, and a deck has to work hard: a level, dry surface where the ground is uneven, a place for a table outside the back door, and sometimes a way to bridge a change in level between the house and the far end of the plot.

Out towards Layfield, Spitalfields and the roads off Yarm Road and Worsall Road, the picture changes. Houses tend to be larger, and gardens often have room for a deck with a separate seating area, a built-in planter or a step down to a lawn. Here the main design question is usually where the sun falls in the afternoon and evening, and how the deck relates to the patio doors.

What's under a Yarm garden

The British Geological Survey's 1:50,000 map shows alluvium (clay, silt, sand and gravel laid down by the river) under the centre of Yarm, with Sherwood Sandstone further down. Further from the river, the 1:625,000 map shows glacial till, a stiff, mixed clay.

Both affect how a deck is built. Alluvium can be soft and hold water, so footings may need to go deeper than in a garden on firm clay, and we dig a test hole before setting posts. On till, water drains slowly, so we set a slight fall on the ground under the deck, lay a weed membrane over gravel, and make sure rain has somewhere to go rather than pooling under the boards.

The River Tees curls around the town, and the Environment Agency's Flood Map for Planning shows land in Flood Zones 2 and 3 within a few hundred metres of the High Street. If your garden runs down towards the river, check your postcode on the map before you plan. A deck is an open structure that floodwater can pass under, but we'd keep the frame well clear of the ground, use fixings that cope with wet conditions and keep electrics for lighting above any likely water level.

Permission and conservation in Yarm

Yarm Conservation Area dates from 1969, and the Egglescliffe Conservation Area across the river from 1972. planning.data.gov.uk lists around a hundred listed buildings in and close to the High Street, from 14 High Street (Grade II*) to Old Rosehill, Hope House and cottages in Hauxwell's Yard (Grade II).

The national rules on the Planning Portal say a deck is normally permitted development if it is no more than 30cm above the ground and, together with other extensions and outbuildings, covers no more than half the garden. In a conservation area, decking to the side of the house is not permitted development. Inside the curtilage of a listed building, the permitted development allowance for decking does not apply, and work that affects the building itself can need listed building consent.

In practice, if your house is on or just off the High Street, assume we'll need to check with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council before building. A low, freestanding deck at the back of the garden is often the simplest route. Outside the conservation area, most low rear decks need no application at all.

Designs that suit Yarm

For a walled garden behind the High Street, we'd usually suggest a low deck that runs from the back door with the boards laid along the length of the plot, which makes a narrow space feel longer. A hardwood or warm-toned composite sits well against old brick. If the garden is shaded, a grooved or textured board helps with grip in damp weather, and a gap at the walls lets air move under the frame.

For the larger houses further out, the choice is wider: a raised deck outside bi-fold doors, a two-level design where the garden falls away, or a deck tucked into a sunny corner away from the house. Glass or slim metal balustrades keep views open where a deck is high enough to need guarding. See our pages on raised decking and balustrades, steps and lighting.

Pricing your deck in Yarm

We don't publish a price list, because two decks of the same size can cost quite different amounts. In Yarm the things that move the price most are access (carrying everything through a house or down a wynd takes time), the depth of footings on softer ground, the height of the deck, the board you choose and any extras such as steps, guarding or lighting. Our decking costs guide goes through each factor, and the quote follows a visit to measure up and look at the ground.

Neighbouring areas

• Eaglescliffe: across the river to the north, with Victorian villas near the station and Preston Park close by.
• Ingleby Barwick: to the north-east on the same bank of the Tees, a large area of modern detached homes.
• Hartburn: on the west side of Stockton, with its own small conservation area.

Our areas page lists everywhere we cover. You can also read about composite decking and hardwood and softwood decks.

Questions we get asked about Yarm

Sources: ONS Census 2021 TS044, TS045 and TS054, Yarm ward (Nomis); planning.data.gov.uk: Yarm and Egglescliffe conservation areas, listed buildings; BGS Geology Viewer 1:50,000; Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning; OpenStreetMap; Planning Portal: decking.