Getting Decked Out!!

My new deck is finally going down!  Trev and I got stuck into getting the new decking in place last week when it was too nice to be inside working on the basement.  I love the way it's looking!  The deck was one of the things we really needed to change when we first looked at all the things begging for attention here.  The decking had never been treated, so the part that stuck out past the roof was rotting and would be dangerous if we left it for too long.  This resulted in having to chop those 3 feet of exposed decking and support beams off, which made me sad as the deck was such a nice size.  But, safety first!  We had to remove the railing as well, and have been stuck in that place for over a year.  Last spring we had changed the deck from being just 'a deck' into also being the roof to a sunroom we are enclosing under the deck.  That entailed laying down new 2x6s over the support beams, then a layer of plywood, tar paper and finally rolled roofing.  Over the summer while the kids and I were away, Trev tried re-using the decking wood that was still in good shape after cutting off the rotted end.  It didn't go so well.  While the wood is still very good, it was rough cut and not very even.  Plus, as I wasn't around to be the 'supervisor', he spaced them too far apart, and things would just disappear under the planks and get messy.

Old decking..not good.

So, this year, we decided to take it all up again and go with treated decking planks.  Trev had put the old stuff back on in sections with treated landscaping ties as supports underneath.  As we think we can re-use these as another deck project, we didn't want to take them all apart, so we cartwheeled them off the deck...very heavy....and they now are sitting on the walkway, making it feel like we live on a dock!  Eventually, we'll get those moved (I hope!).

Old deck...not good.

Now for the new deck! 

                                         

First, treated 2x4s were laid down...

                                         

The new decking goes down.....

                                                   

And it began to take shape!

We still have to put up the railing, which will hopefully get done by Trev while the kids and I head off to work at camp for the next 3 months.  But I am loving the way it looks so far!  After 60 days of being in place we can put a coat of waterproofing stain on as well which will preserve it even more.

My deck is my favourite place at the Little Shack and I enjoy sitting out there in all seasons.... huddled in a blanket in the winter with a mug of hot chocolate, or relaxing on a summer evening, listening to the birds and enjoying the scenery. It's my 'happy place'!