A NEW BACKYARD DECK

A SMALL DECK MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE

Welcome to the back deck

A small wooden platform was built earlier this month in the backyard of the Place Under The Pine. It was constructed of wood (the species is unknown) and screws (the deck variety). With all hands on deck the platform was constructed in only a few hours. Big hands set the foundation, while little hands worked the drills and screwed in hundreds of deck screws. That was stage one of the project.

A mandate for the deck was to include seating, so naturally the next thing to do was to procure some furniture. The Place Under The Pine did have numerous metal patio chairs that only required a fresh coat of paint and cushions. A fresh and lively turquoise colour was chosen for the chairs and the loveseat. While a contrasting grapefruit / coral paint was chosen for accessories such as side tables and plant stands. Cushions were recovered by Grammy in a great fabric that added some bright colour and interest to the chairs. An inexpensive outdoor carpet, with a fantastic grey and white chevron pattern, was laid down to help define the space. Lastly, the barbeque was placed in the corner on an angle for ease of use and to soften the far corner. A couple of matching plant stands (with dragon lilys) flank the BBQ to finish the space.

With comfortable seating and a cheery colour the citizens of the PUTP will want to spend hours of quality time in the backyard. 

With the deck installed, stepping out of the patio door is now a pleasant experience. The wood is a few inches higher than the ground and makes that first step out almost level. Pre deck there was quite a drop down to an unlevel cement step. Psychologically these couple of inches made the mind feel like one was dropping out of the house into a hard, almost harsh, world. With the first step raised up, the transition from indoors to outdoors is smoother and softer. The notion that the back deck is like 'another room' rings true. Extra living space, check!

Repurposing 'junk' to enhance a side table

This project also gave the citizens of the PUTP a chance to practice some eco-friendly renovation tactics. The small side table in the picture above was found on the side of the road. It was headed for the landfill. The stand was in perfect working conditions, the only problem with it was the outer coating (a thick plastic) was flaking off. With a quart of elbow grease Jen managed to scrap, chip, and sand the coating off. The white circle is a piece of metal the children found 'treasure hunting' one day. It too was headed for the recycling plant until it was discovered that it fit in the stand and provided a base for holding drinks and such. All that was required to finish off this beauty was a coat of spray paint. Being creative and using 'junk' gives the citizens of the PUTP a feeling of satisfaction on so many levels.