A Major Deck Makeover

This deck makeover post has been a long time coming, let me tell you.  For awhile, we noticed that some of the deck boards on uncovered side of our deck were starting to warp, and as a result, water would pool when we had a lot of rain.  Which means that I would go out and basically push it all off with a giant squeegee.  Not fun, and not the way a deck was supposed to function.  Honestly, I had chalked it up to a faulty product (this deck had a recall that we just missed, and it was out of warranty as well).  We were told that the structure of the deck was fine, but the boards needed to be replaced.  Definitely better than a complete redo.

Before

This is a photo of the covered portion of the deck after they had started.  It wasn’t as bad as the warped side, but water had started to migrate over to this side due to the warping.  No good.

The stairs were also a hot mess, so you can see that it was time.

 

And then there was the question of the railing.  Do we replace it?  But then my carpenter guy (who does work on kitchens for me, and was handling the deck with his partner), suggested that we have the railing powder coated instead.  It’s a solid iron railing, and would look brand new.  So that’s the route we went, and I’m so glad we did (more on that later).  But you can see, it had been given coats of paint in the past, and was in need of more help than I was able to render.

Hot mess express, indeed.

During

Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan, when you tackle a project like this, despite your planning and good intentions, right?  When the decking boards were removed, they discovered that the joists weren’t level – which is why the deck boards were warping. 

And because of Covid, there was a shortage on lumber.  Go figure.  But they were able to source some joists from multiple locations, to make sure everything was level.  That’s why I trust them so much.  They made sure the job was done right.

Things were a bit chaotic for awhile.  Our house has a walkout basement, and we let the dogs out on the main floor, which means they use the deck and the deck stairs to get to the backyard (our old dog struggles with the stairs to the basement in the house, nowadays).  So, it was interesting, dragging our big old dog around the house while the deck and stairs were out of commission.  And frankly, he seems to think it’s a new thing, and lately has been insisting on going around the house vs. up the stairs.  Old dogs are stubborn like that.

But then, things started to come back together again.  And oh my, what an improvement!

And then the stairs were installed…

After

The only thing remaining after this was the railing installation.  I have to tell you, the guys at Champion Custom Coatings did an amazing job.  I felt bad, they had a horrible time getting the old layers off of the railing (which you need to do before powder coating).  As a painter, I can relate to things going wrong and not according to plan.  But they really made it look brand new.  I’m so glad that powder coating was offered up as an option (and smacking myself in the head that I didn’t know it was an option!).  It’s beautiful!

And now for the beautiful deck that it is now…  I want to get a couple of nice big comfy chairs like these or maybe these for out here.  I like a chair that will rock or swivel, don’t you?

And then the covered area…  It feels like a treehouse out here when the leaves are still on the trees.  Would you believe I got that table on super clearance from Frontgate Outlet for $50??  Yes, it’s missing a piece of glass.  Do we miss it?  No.

A reminder of what it looked like before (ok, midway through the process) –

And here it is now…

You probably noticed that we went with a completely different color with this deck makeover.  The old deck didn’t really jive with the exterior of our house.  This was a good opportunity to give it a more cohesive look.  It definitely plays better with the stonework on our house now.

The Deck Makeover Details

For those of you who are interested, the deck material that we used is from Timbertech.  This is not a sponsored post, FYI.  We purchased all of the materials ourselves.  Timbertech offers a variety of different styles and colors in their decking, and we opted for the Timbertech Pro Legacy Collection in Pecan. The nice thing is that you can order samples from them online, or if you find a local supplier, you can pick up samples for free in some cases.  We opted for the Legacy Collection because we liked the hand scraped texture of the boards, along with the warranty they provide.

I have to tell you, as much as I love the work that I do, painting cabinets, it was so nice to have someone working on my own house for a change, you know?  I’m so happy with how it looks now.  This year has been one of a lot of outdoor projects, and this deck makeover is by far my favorite.  The yard got a much needed clean up as well, so now I’m not embarrassed to look outside.

Have you done any outdoor projects during this crazy summer that we’ve had?

Jenny

 

10 Comments

  • Reply
    Jill
    September 15, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    Love the boards you picked out! We have a similar situation and need to replace our large old wood deck boards but support is till good. Could you give a general price range for replacing all all the parts you replaced with Timbertech including stairs? I know every one is different but it’s nice to get a general idea. Thanks!

  • Reply
    Amy J. Workley
    September 15, 2020 at 2:36 pm

    Looks great! I hope you can find time to enjoy it! $50 for the table.Thats a steal. I wish we lived closer to the outlet.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 15, 2020 at 8:23 pm

      The outlet definitely has its perks!

  • Reply
    Deb
    September 15, 2020 at 3:25 pm

    Your deck looks beautiful!! We just stained ours (after cleaning + sanding – so labour-intensive!!)…looks a kazillion times better. Our garden of weedin’ still needs some loving care, but I don’t know when that’s going to happen. 😂

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 15, 2020 at 8:22 pm

      Weeds are an ongoing struggle for me. I can’t keep plants alive, but I can’t seem to kill weeds no matter how hard I try!

  • Reply
    Kathy Wall
    September 15, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    That’a an amazing transformation. I like that you used iron railing rather than wood railings. It really was a beautiful upgrade. I’m sure you’re enjoying your new space. Lovely addition.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 15, 2020 at 8:22 pm

      Thank you Kathy – being able to salvage the railings was a big win for sure!

  • Reply
    Colleen
    September 16, 2020 at 8:16 pm

    Awesome job Jenny! I love the pecan look. Our front porch construction starts next Tuesday and doing Timbertech Azek English Walnut. It’s not cheap but it’s worth it! I see a trek to Frontgate in my future.

    • Reply
      Jenny
      September 17, 2020 at 9:01 pm

      I can’t wait to see it Colleen! We’re really happy with how it turned out – huge improvement!

  • Reply
    Karen
    September 17, 2020 at 9:23 pm

    Just finished having the house exterior repainted! Literally, the contractor drove out of the driveway an hour ago! It looks so pretty. My 2 story house is 90% Hardiplank, with a 3 stall – 2 story garage and a shed. That’s a lot of paint! Soooo glad it’s over. Next week? A new roof! Whew…I’ll need a break from having contractors all over my house after this!

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