OUR BACKYARD THE DAY WE MOVED IN
You all had such nice comments on the fence, I’m so glad you liked the outcome as much as we do! That change made me even more excited to see the other elements transformed, and I’m happy to say we have been charging away at both the decks and the exterior of the house. Whenever we tackle big projects it feels like I rarely have time to sit down at the computer, but I wanted to be sure to give you a glimpse into the progress. Today I thought we’d talk about the decks, where they started, and where we’re at now.
When we moved in the decks weren’t in the best shape. The boards were split and the wood looked tired. Wanting a quick fix we opted to use a deck paint product, and to clean things up I went with a white finish. The product claimed to fill in the cracks and create a smooth surface. We rolled all the decking and planned to spray the posts and railings a few weeks later, but within a very short amount of time the paint started to peel. What began as a great solution kind of turned into a nightmare. The light color easily became dirty, but water from the hose would just peel the paint right off. Instead of wasting time painting the rest we’ve just lived with this two-tone look for a few years now.
Yikes. We knew from the start the best solution was to replace the decking, and this is the year it’s happening! I have always loved working with Lowe’s, our kitchen makeover is a forever favorite and I’m thrilled to say that they wanted to work together to make our deck dreams a reality. The decks were an area I’ve had a clear vision about since the first year we lived here. Micah’s one request was that we use a composite product. Virtually no maintenance! I dreamed of expanding the lower decks to make one big deck the concrete in between them was sunken in, wasted space and replacing the posts with rounded columns…a much better fit for our colonial home.
After demo, Micah framed the space between the two original decks, and I couldn’t believe the difference the framing alone made! My goal has been to simplify the back as much as possible, and sometimes that means adding more. Along with simplifying, this covers up the sunken in concrete and the big drain for the pool water. We kept the old framing on the lower decks, and in retrospect we wish we would have just started fresh. We ended up having to replace several joists anyways and work around some warping and sagging. Time wise, replacing would have made the most sense. You live and you learn!
The upper deck was not up to code and not very sturdy. We opted to remove everything and start from scratch. Because of the door on the second level and the hole in the siding we felt locked into having an upper deck, even though we have never used it. Maybe having something more sturdy will prompt us to get out there, but most likely it’s just this season of life that doesn’t allow for quiet mornings sipping tea and listening to the birds someday, right?
When it came to the decking I spent a lot of time researching and contemplating. We were set on composite and Trex is the longstanding brand in that material. Plus, it’s available in stock at Lowe’s. I love a product you can go down the street to get more of instead of waiting for delivery. When it came to picking a color I kind of wavered back and forth. Grey feels fresh, but would I tire of it? Brown is classic, and I actually think it’s going to start coming back in the trend area. But the lower deck is 54′ x 10′. I just didn’t want the brown to feel too overwhelming. As I looked through inspiration I kept coming back to the look of a brown deck with white risers. I knew I wanted the house to go white, so the white fascia boards would tie into that and also break up the brown.
We ended up using the Trex Enhance grooved boards in Saddle for the deck and doing a boarder using the smooth edged boards. The grooves allow you to lay the boards using fasteners instead of screwing into the board, creating a clean finish. The smooth edged boards have a more realistic look for the outside pieces.
A tip I mentioned in the fence post is sticking with in stock items for savings. Lowe’s purchases such large quantities for their stores that they are often much less expensive then getting the same item through other retailers. The Saddle color is classic, and the price can’t be beat because Lowe’s buys it in such great quantity and passes on those savings to you.
The lower deck is complete, but I hate to give too much away. The house got painted before it was finished, and that is another amazing transformation for another post. It looks so good. The power of paint is always magical, and I can’t believe how fresh everything feels. Micah is plugging away on the upper deck. This is where we’re adding some interest and beauty. I’m looking forward to sharing the entire transformation with you soon!
Can you believe the difference in the brown tone from the house being blue to the house being white? It just goes to show that any color can feel wonderful, it’s all about what it’s paired with.
The blue colonial became modern white, see here.
*This project is in partnership with Lowe’s but all thoughts, selections, and opinions are my own.
LET’S CONNECT! FIND ME ON…
Looks so much better; can’t wait for the reveal. The only thing is that a screened porch is absolutely incredible and I almost made that suggestion before. But, totally understand not having that with the pool too.
Yes, that was a thought, but we kind of want it open. Thanks!
Looking forward to the reveal. You are so good at reno.
Thank you, Dianne!
I first didn’t really like the color of the decking, having a Trex deck myself, but after seeing it paired with the new color on the house it looks so much better. Where did you get the new deck furniture?
Thank you! It’s all old stuff I painted and had cushions made for or new from Arhaus!