Backyard renovations

Our backyard needed a makeover. Not a simple makeover involving paint and decor and curtains- a complete overhaul. Our goal is eventually be able to sit and enjoy our space...a peaceful space like this beautiful backyard by Centsational Girl:





But we're not there quite yet.

Here's a sneak peak at what we've been up to with this backyard:

It might not look like much from that photo, but we actually had to rip out the entire deck and start fresh. Our original goal, was to make the backyard into a big square (instead of the odd shape it was before), so we could add a railing around the deck (which would help in the future for safety issues with the pool). So adding a railing around the deck was our way to solve the safety issue.

We initially thought we could just replace some of the boards on the deck (the longer and shorter ones) and just fill them in with new boards cut to the right size, forming a square. Then we would pressure wash the deck and paint it all over next year. Not so simple. The new boards are full of moisture and wider than the old boards, so they didn't fit into the spaces, and we ended up with this:




Hmmmm. We weren't liking the patchy effect and we couldn't fit the new boards in those open spaces. So we ripped it all out and started fresh.
After a week of hard work, lots of help from family (you rock dad!) and friends, our deck is coming along nicely:





I have to be honest...this deck hasn't exactly been a project I can claim credit for. This was one for the boys. However, I've been a busy little bee inside the house working away on my own projects...more to come with those later.

For now, I'm going to go enjoy a lemonade on my deck boards :)

Happy Canada Day Everyone!