Our New Deck

Adam's latest project is complete and it looks SO nice! Back in May he started prepping our backyard for a deck.

According to Adam, this was definitely the hardest part of the project. This side of our yard was just dirt, but it is surrounded by trees, which means lots of thick roots beneath the dirt. Adam used a Sawzall to cut through the roots, and called in reinforcements to help him lay the anchors.

My Dad helped him out so much. Thank you Dad! They even worked on Father's Day, laying down the bottom boards.

We talked a LOT about what shape and size to make the deck. We wanted it to be big enough for us all to sit on, as well as hold our BBQ. One day when we were talking about what kind of chairs to buy for it, I had the idea to add a built-in bench. So that's what Adam built for me!

Andrew absolutely loved playing on the deck while Adam was building it (and still does). Here you can see the final shape take form. There is a cut-out area on the right for Adam's BBQ (lucky guy got a new one for Father's Day!).

 Adam's future helper.

Adam worked through the intense heat of June and July, with a few swimming breaks mixed in. Oh, and about 10 million trips to Home Depot.

By early July the deck was finished! You can see here the large step Adam added, as well as the LED lights. (There was no electricity out there but he and my Dad worked really hard one day to add 2 outdoor outlets and then run the electricity to the deck).

Here is Adam inspecting his deck. He is very critical of his own work. When he gets going on a project, he is excellent at paying attention to detail and finishing the job WELL. 

Originally, we talked about staining the deck a darker color. But after seeing the natural light color of the wood I decided I really loved it. So Adam sanded the wood (the boys helped!) and then put a clear coat on it.

In Adam's words, "It was a lot of stinkin' work". The clear coat turned the deck a slightly orangish color. But over the last month it has faded a tiny bit.

And we love it! It is a perfect use of the space. And I think it looks like a professional built it.

You did a great job Adam! We love our new deck and we love you.