The Deck of All Decks

So, we redid our deck, and it ended up being a doozy. You think by now that I would realize that none of my projects are ever as easy as I think they would be, and redoing the deck was definitely something I don't want to ever do again.

It took most of June for me to get measurements and quotes from various suppliers in the area. After deciding who to go with, the next item on our list was to pick the Trex color that we wanted. That, again, took weeks because Greg and I are 2 of the most undecided people to hit the planet. We finally picked out a color, which in itself seemed like a small miracle, and I got everything ordered. It still boggles my mind how a Domestic Goddess like myself can know more about building supplies than the so-called experts who work at the local construction stores. 

Anyway, the project I thought would take 2 weeks ended up taking 2 months. It was not awesome.

Greg did a fantastic job demo-ing the deck and it was my job to put it back together - a job that ended up being much bigger than I thought.

Buh-bye horrible blinding vinyl.

Hello totally rotten joists underneath.

I ended up removing all but 2 of the rotten joists and replacing 1/2 of 1 of the beams. Aren't the new supports so pretty?

This is how the girls got to the backyard. They made a fun game out of balancing across the joists, and I'm proud to say that no one fell through the cracks. They were good little helpers and I like to think that they will grow up to one day enjoy building things like their Mama.

Every morning they would wake up to see what progress had been made on the deck while they were sleeping. All I can say is our neighbors were troopers.

Doesn't it look so good?! Now it only needs the white trim.

If you are ever in the market to redo your deck, I have a wealth of knowledge of what not to do/what not to buy :). It was a great learning experience, and I have had a few nightmares of my father telling me what I did wrong. Probably because my sub-conscious knows what I did wrong, but the deck is sturdy and that's all that matters. It's a beaut and I'm so glad it is done! It feels so good to check this on off the list of things to do. 

I built a deck in my sandals, ripped my good exercise clothes, and personally fed the local mosquito community, but that is okay, because the deck is done.

Hala-freakin-lujah!