The Hazard Chronicles

Our deck has definitely taken on an important role in our house. We call it our getaway spot. Some, would call it a mental asylum. Either way, it is the place we go at night after all the kids are in bed to unwind. We tell each other about our days, read books, discuss things that are important to us, or just sit in the silence of the superlative sunsets that we are constantly blessed with here in Northern Idaho.

The problem is that these "deck nights," as we call them, had become a little bit...scary. The deck was old, and actually shook when you walked on it. We were actively avoiding the stairs, opting most often to descend to the yard through the house rather than risk one's livelihood on the ever increasing chance of a complete structural collapse. The railing was also a joke, and there were times when I considered seriously the chance of a random gust of wind blowing the entire apparatus from our house clear into our neighbor's yard. Now I might be exaggerating just a little, but in short, deck nights weren't as relaxing as they had once been.

After much talking and planning, we finally decided to do something about this situation. We needed our deck. And the upcoming four day weekend (Independence Day) presented the perfect opportunity. The only hitch? Up until now, or "home projecting" skills consisted mostly of painting (but only the simple things), hiring skilled labor, and buying stuff. We had never even come close to attempting something of this magnitude on our own. We had showed the deck to some professional contractors though, as well as to an architect during some of our many backyard gatherings, and had even talked through our plans with them. This, and the unsurpassed benefit of naivety, gave us exactly the confidence we needed to take on the job.

I have to say, we did pretty well. We chose to use long-lasting composite decking material over a sturdy wood frame. For the railing, we chose iron for both aesthetics and durability. Top notch furniture was on order, and the work began. In a mad flurry of purchases, demolition, sanding, measuring, cutting, assembly, and finishing, we managed, in just four days, to make a complete transformation or our backyard structure. To me, it looks like the entire yard got a face-lift.

Photos:

I'm wishing now that we had some better "before" pictures. These are some quick ones that I snapped just before we started tearing things down.

And now for the finished photos. First we'll do a couple of overviews. Besides re-doing what we already had, we also decided to install a lower level that would remain mostly shaded during the day.

 

The downstairs is a nice conversation area. We installed an electric lantern that creates a nice touch. We also got matching ones for the shop,  upper deck, and patio.

Upstairs, we installed another conversation area with a fire table. This is where we spend most of our time talking and watching sunsets. The flames add a touch of warmth and elegance. 

*****

As far as this week, Rachel's foot has taken center stage. After lots of doctor visits, we now know that is is very much broken, that she can't put any weight on it for eight weeks, and will then begin physical therapy which is expected to last for several months. She walks with crutches and a boot, and we have a scooter on order.

To lighten our load, some good friends volunteered to take the three oldest kids with them to a family camp lasting nearly a week. The kids were stoked, and it gave us some much needed time to figure out a new normal with minimal interruptions to our active lifestyle. I think we got some good plans into place and the next several weeks should be just as full as ever of good times.

Anyway...

Have a good week!