Backyard renovation- Deck!

We tackled our first major home project in May- a deck! I have always loved being outdoors and knew I wanted outdoor living space in our new home. I could just imagine hanging out and grilling and playing cornhole :) The floor plan and lot we picked were perfect for this. We have a nice sized backyard with a hill in the very back for wonderful privacy and the front of our house faces the west so the house shades the backyard area close to it. That meant we could use that space in the summer heat during the afternoon and evening without being in the sun. It really would have been a crime not to expand our square footage outside.

Before: this is the back of our house, the screen porch wasn't complete yet at the time but it was the only before picture I have. I think I took this picture in March 09 standing at least 5 ft in front of the hill.

during our house construction

The screen porch was great especially for keeping bugs out but we really wanted more space. We planned to save up the money and build a deck before the next summer (the house finished in Apr 09 and we moved in July 09). We wanted a simple design to span the rest of the back of the house and wouldn't need steps or railings since it would be low to the ground.

Eric, his twin brother Keith, and their Dad (the real mastermind behind the project) had built decks before and graciously offered to do ours- THANKS! It was a fun weekend for them to do something together and cut down on costs too! I acted as official gofer with many trips to lowes and cooked lots of food to keep them energized. They started on Friday evening, worked all day Saturday, and finished Sunday afternoon.

Just starting out

some framing

more framing- this is the longest step in the process

securing posts in concrete - digging those holes was tough

starting to lay the deck board

spacing and screwing in the boards

finished deck- view from the screened porch

view from the yard - we still had a lot of extra wood piled up there

After: Eric added some screen and lattice to the bottom to keep out critters and give it a finished look

first major home project complete!

We moved our patio table and chairs and 2 chaise lounges to the deck. The grill is still on the porch for now. I have been searching for patio furniture and would like to buy a 6 person table and sell the current table/chairs and then get a loveseat or chairs and a coffee table for the screened porch. The deck is wonderful - we have already eaten dinner out there a few times and I've lounged and read in the chaise. I could not be more excited about our new addition and I can't wait to have people over to enjoy it as well! What do you think?

Soon we will have to tackle our backyard grass, and the word grass is a real stretch... more like dirt, weeds, and occasional patchy grass. :)

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