Deck project

As home owners, James and I decided that we will tackle one major home improvement project each year. We had actually been planning to tile our kitchen this summer, but my brother, who was going to do it for us, joined the National Guard and is gone until September. So we're going to do the kitchen next year, and this year we decided to renovate our deck.

I wish I had taken a "before" picture, but I didn't think to start photographing until we were already started. Needless to say, our deck was in major want of some love. The railings were all rough, unstained wood that was pretty much guaranteed to give you a sliver. The floor was made of Trex, but an older variety that was not in very good shape. There was a metal frame that one bore an awning--a decrepit, non-functional thing that we tore down several months ago, leaving the frame bare and useless.

My issues with the deck were:
1. The roughness and unattractiveness of the wood. (After all, it won't be long before we have little fingers and toes out there exploring!)
2. The lack of shade during most of the day. (The deck is on the west side of our house, and the sun beats down, making it almost unbearable to be out on the deck.)
3. The somewhat-wobbly handrails.
4. The stairs that our little guy, once mobile, could potentially tumble down.

To address these issues, we did the following:
1. Powerwashed & sanded the wood.
2. Replaced the supports with 4x4s to reinforce the handrails.
3. Built a gate at the top of the stairs.
4. Built a frame on the west end to hold lattice for shade.
5. Painted the entire thing with a special "Deck Over" product to seal the wood.
6. Installed lattice on the new frame and on the metal awning.

This project turned out to be more work than James or I really anticipated, but we are so pleased with the result!

Powerwashing the wood

Dad and James cutting 4x4 support beams to reinforce the handrails

Grandma helped by snuggling the baby while Mom was sanding :)

First coat of paint
(No Grandma there that day, and Baby J was crying unless we held him, so I ended up wearing him while painting. The blanket was to keep him from getting sunburned!)

Shadow was, of course, very helpful throughout the project

Painting the floor

Installing lattice on the new frame

Dad trimming the lattice

Caught in the middle of putting up the lattice

Then Dad and James installed more lattice on top of the metal awning-frame

And behold! The finished product:

Isn't it such a cute little gate? My dad is a wizard.

Having shade on the deck makes such a difference!

We are so happy with the way the deck turned out. I think that we may continue to make small improvements, but for the moment, we are very content. The deck is now very pleasant, and I can't wait to enjoy it this summer!