We've (mainly Adam) been working on sprucing up our deck over these last few months. Updating the exterior siding of our house started the process off. Adam has always wanted to improve our deck. When we bought our house, the deck spanned a large portion of the back of the house and was mostly covered. It was a nice idea, but after we took a closer look at it, the deck wasn't built in the most structurally sound way. When we first moved in, Adam and some very kind family members came to help shore everything up and make sure it was nice and sturdy. It was very clear the deck had been built in three different installments. There was the original covered deck, then an extension of the deck (also covered), and finally a smaller section that was probably used for a grill. There were lots of vertical posts and two doorways so we assume it was once screened in or the previous owners had planned to screen it in at some point. It was alright, but there was an overall lack of craftsmanship and was starting to show its age. It was time to make our deck shine!
Here's where our deck started out:
This was after it had been shored up to be structurally sound and Adam had replaced some of the lattice that critters had chewed through. Again, it was okay, but it certainly wasn't anything special.
With plans to have new siding added to our exterior, Adam got to work planning how to reconfigure our deck to maximize using materials we already had on hand. We wanted to keep what we could, but rework sections to make them look and function better. All the extra posts, beams and horizontal pieces served as a jungle gym for the neighborhood squirrels. They had started chewing up a bunch of parts of our deck and even some of our siding! (Fun fact: Squirrels' incisors never stop growing, which is why they continuously chew on acorns, siding, decking and even plastic solar lights.)
We decided to remove part of deck roof (the middle section that looks a little taller in the above picture.) We don't typically get sun on the back of the deck until the middle of the afternoon because the house blocks it. We also have several shady trees, which adds even more protection from the sun. So we weren't too concerned with removing part of the deck covering. There was also some water damage happening where the two deck roofs met and we wanted to eliminate any further mold issues. The crew who worked on our siding removed the upper deck roof. Adam marked which pieces of lumber he wanted to save and actually used most of that lumber to build the kids' swing set. You know I'm all about reusing things we already have these days, so this made me very happy!
Removing half of the covered deck made such a big difference! I didn't realize how much of a difference it would make until I saw it with my own eyes! It really opened up the back of the house and let some of our house's architecture shine through.
The next order of business was to figure out what to do with the railings. We tossed around the idea of removing them completely, like we did on our front porch. That would definitely open things up! But parts of our deck are fairly high off the ground, so we didn't want anyone toppling off of it. We also thought about doing stairs that wrapped around the whole deck. But we thought furniture placement might be tricky, and again might not be the safest option. So we knew we needed some sort of railings. The wooden railings we had before just seemed so bulky and obstructed the view. We considered doing slimmer wrought iron rails, but thought that might look equally busy to the wood railings. I've always been a fan of cable railings and got Adam to entertain the idea after finding some inspiration photos online. Once Adam was convinced cable railings were the way to go, he got to work researching every possible option out there. He finally settled on buying the HAAS REVO Stainless Steel Cable Railing System from E-Rigging. He liked that the materials were made in the United States and had lots of handy how-to videos to help with installation.
The supplies took awhile to arrive from ....due to COVID-19 and hurricanes, neither of which could be helped. While we were waiting on the supplies, we got busy prepping the posts. Adam started by cutting off some of the posts, lowering the overall height of the handrail. Lowering the height of the handrail helped free up our line of sight while seated on the deck. Whenever we sat at the table on the deck, the handrail was smack dab in the middle of our sight line. So lowering it was the perfect solution. Adam made sure to check our local codes to make sure it was still at an appropriate height. Once the posts were cut and leveled, he added new wood for the handrails. The previous handrails were pretty boogered up and a bit warped. He also had to work on shoring and leveling up some of the posts to make sure the cable railing would be level when it was installed.
Once all the posts and handrails were good to go, we got to work painting them white. We decided the white would tie in with the other white trim on the house. Plus, we had leftover wood primer and white paint from the front porch we could use. Nana and Ted came over to help us out. Ted pitched in with the painting while Nana watched Archer and Lyla. The fresh white paint definitely crisped things up! Adam eventually added a clear coat (General Finishes Exterior 450 Water-Based Topcoat in Gloss) to the handrail to help keep the white looking fresh since its prone to bird poop and grubby, little hands. Once the paint was dry, Adam drilled holes in the posts in preparation for the cable rail system.
Adam was also working on the deck boards during this time. Our deck floor has always been a bit bouncy, so Adam pulled up some decking boards to figure out what was happening. It turned out some of the floor joists were missing joist hangers, so he added the necessary joist hangers to make the floor nice and sturdy. He also replaced a few deck boards that were looking a little too worn. Adam then turned his attention into making the deck floor look like one cohesive floor instead of looking like a deck floor that had been installed in three distinct, different sections. He feathered in new pieces and sanded down the whole floor, as you can see in the above photo. It was starting to look like a whole new deck after he was finished with these steps!
Speaking of steps, Adam also reworked the stairs on either side of the deck, along with the set of stairs that lead down from the door in the kitchen. Widening the stairs on either side of the deck helped to open things up, but also make them look more intentional. These are the kinds of details that sometimes seem like overkill to me when Adam is in the planning stages, but the details that totally make a difference once he brings them to life.
Now that all the reworking and prepping was complete, it was time to stain the deck floor. As usual, Adam researched every possible option and scoured the internet for reviews on every product on the market. Ultimately, Adam decided to go with Osmo Decking Oil. While it was on the pricier side, it promises no peeling and will allow the wood to breathe. It claims to be water-repellent and weather and UV resistant. It also boasts very low VOCs, which makes us feel better knowing Archer, Lyla and Jazzy will be clocking many hours on the deck. He ordered a few different color samples so we could see what they would look like in person. We decided Rosewood would be the best option. It was the perfect brown tone that played well with the blue siding, looked crisp against the white painted posts and handrails and tied in with the shutters on the front of our house.
Adam ordered the Wood Reviver Power Gel, the Decking Oil in Rosewood and a couple brushes. He got the deck good and clean using the Wood Reviver Power Gel and then made sure it was fully dry before we moved onto the staining step. Nana was kind enough to come over and watch the kids so I could lend a hand to the staining process. Adam and I tackled this step over the course of two days. We put on the first coat on day one, let it dry overnight, then added the second and final coat the following day. It covered beautifully and really soaked into the wood. We did use some clean rags to wipe away the excess stain after brushing it on. In addition to the deck floor, we also stained the three sets of stairs and the deck skirting on the sides of the deck.
It turned out gorgeous! The finish is very luxe and the color is perfect. It is definitely water-repellent and hasn't faded in the few months since we've stained it. I will mention that since it's a darker color, it does show some dirt and dust. But it's also a deck and that's to be expected. I don't really mind seeing Jazzy's sweet little footprints on the deck occasionally.
Once the deck was stained, the cable rail supplies arrived and Adam got to work on installing the railing. It wasn't a horribly complex process, but it did take some time and an extra set of hands during a few parts. The finished railing is perfect for our deck! It keeps that open feeling we were after, but also provides some safety. While we've discouraged Lyla and Archer from climbing up the wires, it is sturdy enough to hold their weight. I love that I can sit on the deck and my view of the kids playing on their swing set isn't obstructed. So far the squirrels haven't bothered it at all. It's also a lot easier to blow off any leaves that accumulate on the deck with the leaf blower since we don't have bulky railings in the way.
To make things even more comfortable, Adam installed a new ceiling fan under the deck roof. Turning it on keeps flying insects at bay and adds a nice breeze. And since we've removed all the extra beams and posts, the squirrels can't get on top of the new fan like they did with the old fan. Adam also added an outlet so we can add lights if we ever want to.
With the deck looking so picture perfect, we couldn't not complete the final step of adding rock around the deck. We had planned to tackle this at a later date, but before I knew it 7 tons of rock was delivered to our driveway! We created a new border around the deck using large cobblestones. The large cobblestones will allow the tree roots to grow without disturbing a more permanent border. We tried to make it a little curvier and reclaim some of the yard, too. While we were both pretty sore after lugging 7 tons of rock around our yard, it really does finish off the backyard so nicely! Adam added some grass seed around the border to help fill in some of the bare spots. Just over the last couple weeks the grass has finally filled in.
Along with all the cobbles, we also got some larger flagstone to create the perfect little path to the hammock.
Let's end with a few before and after shots, shall we?
It's safe to say the backyard is looking pretty snazzy these days. We love to spend time on the deck and have enjoyed lots of meals and playtime out there. As I was pushing the kids in their swings the other day, I was gazing at the sweet swing set, the gorgeous deck and our cute little shed and felt a huge wave of gratitude. I sure am lucky to have such a beautiful home with a beautiful backyard! I'm lucky to have such a handy husband who can complete so many of these projects! And I'm very lucky to get to watch Lyla, Archer and Jazzy enjoy this space we call home! I'm a lucky girl indeed.
