El Fresco Dining, here we come!
It's been almost 10 years since we purchased this fixer upper. We haven't used our back porch since moving in because of structural concerns. It's been a storage and junk area for nearly a decade. Well, it's time has come and gone. Demo for the back porch/deck started in late May. We had some permitting issues with the town as it took almost a month to get a building permit. 😕
We didn't change the foot print of the structure as it would have taken even longer and would entail a special variance meeting with the town. We were able to bump out the second floor section above the existing stairway, creating more space-- enough space to put a small outdoor dining table. It was a three season porch on the upper deck and now it's a open deck space. We have covered storage space below with two hidden skirt doors made of AZEK trim. We replaced the siding on the part of the house as well.
The structure is very strong and the builder included placement of two LVL beams to support the upper deck and the roof that was completely rotted out. The beams were all wrapped with AZEK material and the floor decking material is TREX tongue and grove (no screw holes!).
Unfortunately, our builder did not do all the finish work-- they left the ceiling unfinished with just bare plywood 😠. Therefore, we are still in the process of finishing off the ceiling with fir headboard and AZEK trim to give it a complete look and weather proof. We hope the natural fir finish will give the porch a warmer feel and coordinate with the rest of the house.
I found some size appropriate (small living!) deck furniture at World Market. Fun contrasting colors with the chairs, cushions and outdoor rug. The Grey San Pedro Dining set was petite enough to fit the space and the bench seating allows for flexibly without a bulk of chairs. It was easy to assemble and a great value! The Surf Blue All Weather Wicker Chairs add pops of color and a festive contrast to the yellow siding. I'm still on the fence with the outdoor rug (s). They are made from recycled plastic and add lots of color to the space but tend to be a bit slippery.
We are looking forward to many summer dinners and lemonade sipping on our new outdoor hang out space! Come on over for some garden fresh food and a cool drink. 😊🌻💕☀️🥗
Photos here show the before and after of the back deck project:
Before:
We didn't change the foot print of the structure as it would have taken even longer and would entail a special variance meeting with the town. We were able to bump out the second floor section above the existing stairway, creating more space-- enough space to put a small outdoor dining table. It was a three season porch on the upper deck and now it's a open deck space. We have covered storage space below with two hidden skirt doors made of AZEK trim. We replaced the siding on the part of the house as well.
The structure is very strong and the builder included placement of two LVL beams to support the upper deck and the roof that was completely rotted out. The beams were all wrapped with AZEK material and the floor decking material is TREX tongue and grove (no screw holes!).
Unfortunately, our builder did not do all the finish work-- they left the ceiling unfinished with just bare plywood 😠
I found some size appropriate (small living!) deck furniture at World Market. Fun contrasting colors with the chairs, cushions and outdoor rug. The Grey San Pedro Dining set was petite enough to fit the space and the bench seating allows for flexibly without a bulk of chairs. It was easy to assemble and a great value! The Surf Blue All Weather Wicker Chairs add pops of color and a festive contrast to the yellow siding. I'm still on the fence with the outdoor rug (s). They are made from recycled plastic and add lots of color to the space but tend to be a bit slippery.
We are looking forward to many summer dinners and lemonade sipping on our new outdoor hang out space! Come on over for some garden fresh food and a cool drink. 😊🌻💕☀️🥗
Photos here show the before and after of the back deck project:
Before:
During:
Now:
Comments
-Heather Pepper