During the COVID-19 pandemic, a surge in garden renovations led to widespread installation errors and the use of substandard materials. Now, homeowners are discovering that their outdoor living spaces require full replacement much sooner than anticipated.

The "Lockdown Renovation" rush and its structural fallout

The global pandemic triggered a massive surge in home improvement projects as families sought to expand their living environments into outdoor spaces. As the world retreated indoors, the garden became a primary site for recreation and relaxation, driving a spike in demand for outdoor living structures. This "nesting" trend led to a sudden, intense demand for garden transformations, which often outpaced the availability of skilled labor .

As a result, many homeowners turned to whoever was available to complete their decking projects during the height of the lockdowns. This haste created a bottleneck in the construction industry, where speed was often prioritized over technical precision .

Why Jason Schellenberg is replacing decks barely four years old

The long-term consequences of this rush are now becoming visible in residential gardens across the country. Jason Schellenberg, the owner of London-based Oilcanfinish Outdoor Living, reports that his business is increasingly seeing the fallout of these hasty installations. According to Schellenberg, his team is frequently called upon to replace decking that is "barely four years old."

This premature degradation represents a significant financial blow to homeowners. Many who thought they were making a durable, long-term investment in their property are now facing the heavy burden of a full replacement much sooner than expected.

The Trex report on inexperienced tradespeople and substandard products

The root causes of these failures appear to be a combination of human error and material deficiency. According to members of the Trex network, a group of professional decking installers, the pandemic-era boom encouraged the use of inexperienced tradespeople who lacked proper training. The report says that these workers, combined with the use of low-quality products, have left behind a trail of "dodgy" installations.

Common physical symptoms of these failures include warped boards, uneven color fading, and structural isses that can make the decking unsafe for use.. Beyond the visible aesthetic damage, professionals are warning that serious structural problems can often be found lurking underneath the surface of these decks.

Who bears the cost of these "dodgy" pandemic installations?

As these failures come to light, several critical questions remain regarding accountability and consumer protection. It is currently unclear whether the financial liability rests with the original contractors,who may have been rushed or underqualified, or the manufacturers of the substandard materials used. The source focuses on the physical failures themselvs, but leaves the legal recourse for affected homeowners largely unaddressed.

Furthermore, many homeowners may struggle to find the original installers from the 2020-2021 period, making it difficult to seek repairs or compensation. there is also the question of whether existing warranties cover failures cased by improper installation rather than material defects.