9101 Decking a garden in the hot south - good idea or not?

[quote=lindsaycom;85776]We have a house in Calabria and have considered decking the garden. Someone has commented that this may be a breeding ground for lizards etc.

Any thoughts or experiences?[/quote]
For what it's worth, my first thought was, "So what's wrong with lizards?"

I mean, we're not talking about huge colonies of Komodo Dragons taking up residence in your garden, are we? I suspect the worst that's likely to happen if Calabrian lizards [I]should[/I] breed under the decking is that you'll have to put up with some hissing sounds during lizard breeding season and the local bug population will suffer. Is that so terrible?

I suspect that if you do manage to find decking, the worst that's likely to happen is that the locals will probably look at you like you're nuts because you haven't created a patio in The Proper Italian Way: give someone a wodge of €20 notes to come in to build shuttering (which is more of less where you want it) and knock down walls so a huge concrete mixer can drive in and dump a few tonnes of concrete. Then, after spraying water on it for at least a week in order to prevent cracks, removing shuttering and rebuilding walls, you can spend a small fortune on tiles and give another chap [I]another[/I] stack of twenties to lay them. :bigergrin:

Al

I would not worry about the lizards, as Allan says; but I would be terribly worried about scorpions and tarantulas. Check the local situation regarding those little beasts before you do anything. Otherwise, I see you dancing the "tarantella" for the rest of your life....

Okay guys, anyone want to buy a house in Italy:eeeek:

I agree with you Al, it's not as if we've bought a house in Jurassic Park. However, don't want to do decking and regret it. The cost was one reason as was accessibility. We have no way into our back garden unless we go through neighbours gardens. So the only other alternative is to come through the house. Now I don't mind doing that with cement and wood but not with tonnes of hardcore and brick.

And the price!!!! A neighbour was quoted 3,000 Euro for a patio which was 5m by 2m. I want to do 5m by 14m. Do your own calculation. I know I can get it cheaper but it will still be a lot more expensive than more than decking.

With regards to scorpions and spiders, do you think this would be a BIG problem, or are you just thinking it a possibility.

Cheers

P.S. I am battle hardened against the Scottish Midge:bigergrin:

Well, I think it would be wise to ask neighbours about the presence of these little monsters, who apparently belong to the same family. And I found all this information which may help:

[url=http://arachnophiliac.info/burrow/btstalk.htm]An Introduction To Tarantulas And Scorpions[/url]

Now, I have seen a huge black scorpion in one of the houses we viewed in Tuscany when we were house hunting. Needless to say I did not buy the house!!!! Just in case the rest of its family was nearby. I am sure that if you find them in Tuscany, they must thrive in Southern Italy. Same for the tarantulas, and you know that their name is the origin of the dance "tarantella".

Ask plenty of questions before making a decision. And don't worry about the lizards, the others worry me much more.:Dancing_confused:

[quote=Gala Placidia;85806]And don't worry about the lizards, the others worry me much more.[/quote]
I know a lot of people are very fearful of spiders and scorpions (and bugs in general), but I was a little amsued to see that the article you linked to, Gala, confirms what I've heard before: that the fearsome reputation of tarantualas and scorpions is really not deserved.

I'd never play around with a scorpion just to see what happened, I'm very careful when removing small, black spiders from the house (since I've never knowingly seen a Black Widow) and I'm always cautious about picking up rocks and taking wood from the log pile, but I'm actually far more concerned in Italy about getting stung by wasps - and the ones I mean are exactly the same type as the foul-tempered beasts you encounter in Britain during the late summer.

I've seen scorpions in Abruzzo and I'm pretty sure they can be found throughout Italy, but, as far as general nusiance and a realistic assessment of potential degree of discomfort created is concerned, I think mosquitoes are by far a much bigger pain. :madd:

Al

What I mean is that I can touch a lizard without any fear, I would never do the same with a tarantula or a scorpion and I do agree that sometimes, those small black spiders can be very dangerous. After all, I lived in Australia for many years.
But tarantulas and scorpions horrify me!

Thanks Gala, that was an excellent article. I have seen a couple of scorpions while out there, but no big hairy spiders yet. I see that both like to burrow to make there nest, so it may be that the covering I would put under the decking to keep the weeds at bay, might be enough to reduce the risk. As you say, speaking to locals will be the best thing to do.

Thanks

Couldn't you get a patio laid in small blocks? Could even do it yourself and would avoid the need for pouring cement. Had one done at my house in the UK and it wasn't anywhere near €3000

Today we came across a large green lizard in our wood pile. The post-lady who arrived just at that moment told us that it was a "ramarro" and that if it attached itself to you, you could only get it off your skin by burning it. We managed to poke it away with a stick, which it fought with teeth, according to my brave husband. Anyone ever come across these lizards? They're pretty skinny, but quite long.

Today we came across a large green lizard in our wood pile. The post-lady who arrived just at that moment told us that it was a "ramarro" and that if it attached itself to you, you could only get it off your skin by burning it. We managed to poke it away with a stick, which it fought with teeth, according to my brave husband. Anyone ever come across these lizards? They're pretty skinny, but quite long.

Just on the subject of decking (and I agree, I wouldn`t be worried about lizards but would be worried about scorpions, spiders and rats etc.) - won`t it be a bit of a fire risk? I`m saying this as we had a very bad fire in the land next to our house last ferragosto and we rather regretted having our woodpile so close to our boundary and, at the same time, so close to our house. I probably wouldn`t put a wooden structure so close to the house.

I wasnt aware that we had Tarantulas in Italy!, dont think we have any here (I hope), we have scorpions but as long as you are careful about picking up wood and bricks its fine, except that Robert was bitten once,but actually said it was interesting for him as it was like a small sting and a bit itchy but not painful.He wanted to see what it was like! weirdo.I guess for some it might cause an allergic reaction, so for them not so interesting. If you live in a rural setting you must expect creepy crawlies and rats, as you would in the UK, but we have cats and have only once seen a rat and that was dead.
The creatures that I really dont like are the hornets, massive flying bombers, that are attracted to the outside lights in the evening ,or get in through an open window or door, they are the only thing that unerve me, so its lucky they dont appear to be aggresive.

Seem to have strayed away from the decking issue, dont have any thoughts on that only that there was a worry re fire, but I dont think its going to be a breeding ground for all things unpleasant.
A

Thanks All,

So now I have to consider, mini dinosaurs, killer creepie crawlies, huge monster hornets, and fires. :swoon:

New I should have bought an Igloo.

Thanks all, will take this all into consideration. If I decide to go the decking route, I'll post an update.