Tuesday, July 9, 2013

I Have a Deck!

First of all, I never would have imagined that Kody and I would be celebrating 6 months of marriage in a house we BOUGHT!  Second of all, I never would have imagined that we would be adding a whole back deck another 6 months later.

I LOVE home improvement!  I love making our home ours.  I love seeing my hubby love working on home improvement projects as well.  Its just all around amazing!

So, a little back story on the deck...

Kody has, up to this point, received quarterly bonuses for being a caseworker. We spent his first one on things like a lawn mower, weed wacker, hose, grass seed, etc. (Sometimes I feel weirdly guilty for spending money on my Hot Philosophy equipment, so when we have some extra money, I get excited that Kody is giddy/excited about purchasing these kinds of things...)  This time around, we started discussing adding a back deck.  I went online to the Lowes Deck Builder program and entered in my dream deck.  Just like that we had the plans and a $2,800 price tag. 

Umm...his bonus ain't no where near that big!

I'm not kidding you, literally THE day after I started pricing decks, we found out that our next door neighbors were selling their privacy fence (a project planned for later this year) and you guessed it, their back deck!

I guess the guy that owns the house next door was letting the family in the house live there for a minimum-no rent.  Well, he decided to let the house go into foreclosure, and his lawyer told him that anything he had put into the house himself was his to sell (the privacy fence and the deck and I guess the boiler).

At first we had just discussed the privacy fence because that is all they were taking down at the time.   We threw around a price.  Over the course of a week and a half, we were $200 off on what each of us wanted for BOTH the privacy fence and deck.  Kody and I talked about it, and we just decided we couldn't do it.  So, we told them thanks but not thanks.

I was a bit bummed...for 20 minutes.  Then there was a knock on the door.  Would we come up another $50?  Ummm...YES!

We got both a deck AND a privacy fence for just a fraction of the cost of ONE of these items!  Talk about amazing timing!

About a week and half after having loads of lumber sitting in the back yard (the privacy fence is still there for hopefully not too much longer), we have a deck!


This is the before...well, just about before.  I didn't make it out there before they moved some fencing.  It's kind of hard to explain, but there was a "cut-in" where the fencing came in.  I'm not exactly sure why it was like that previously, but we just moved it, so that the deck could go all the way to the end of the house.  (and by we, I of course mean my amazing hubby and father-in-law)


I came home from work the next day to find a framed out deck!


While I was at work that night, I received this update from my mother-in-law.  I LOVE the slanted decking.  I keep thinking that it actually takes more lumber to do it this way, but it's totally worth it!  Also, they used some of the cedar planks to do cover the underneath of the deck.  We have 2 dogs, and we don't need them under the deck!


It's so beautiful!!  We didn't have quite enough lumber to do exactly what I wanted...but it is plenty spacious and just dying to be the platform for our next cookout!  We do plan on staining it, we do have railings and our yard needs a good cleaning up, but that will come!

Right now, we are just enjoying our deck so much!  I was bummed that I didn't get to be there to help more, but I can't complain AT ALL! It. Is. Amazing!

Who is coming over?

xoxo,
Linda

1 comment:

  1. Gorgeous! I have porch envy, girl, like nobody's business!

    <3 Abbe

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