The Spivey Deck Project 2017 is complete!
Today I want to share with you the before and after shots of our deck project and later I will take you on a video tour of the finished deck project.
As I mentioned a while ago, David and I decided to remodel our deck this summer. We made some pretty big changes that will allow us to enjoy the outdoors again. When you are almost 1000 feet closer to the sun, and there is no shade, things tend to get rather hot and more intense. Our old deck was small and looked weather-beaten. It required treatment every year, which is crap or at least it was in the blazing sun on our mountain. During the winter the deck got a black mildew look to it. How does wood grow mildew in direct sunlight? It had to be from the stain we put on it sealing in moisture. I don’t know, but it made our five-year-old deck look horrible.
Regardless, of a poor choice in protectant, our deck was really starting to look bad. Our favorite spot outside had become an eyesore. The aesthetics were one reason, but our main reason was the blazing hot sun. We could not enjoy sitting outside, until late in the evenings after the sun went down behind the trees. Since having Melanoma, I try to stay out of the sun whenever possible, mainly because I HATE sunscreen. The umbrella table helped some, but for three to four hours a day, we received angled sunlight that the biggest tilt of the umbrella would never hide and I would still need to slather down in SPF 1000 and avoiding sun is better to me than applying sunscreen which always tends to fail in some way.
The remodeled deck has addressed these issues and it also gives us more entertainment space. Although we found out after our party at the end of October when the weather did not cooperate and we moved our party inside, we really didn’t need extra entertainment space at all, but we are happy with how our deck project turned out.
I’m excited to take you on a tour, so let’s get started!
BEFORE
This is a shot of where our deck used to end. It was a standard 10 x 13 right off the back door with steps leading down to our wee unlevel backyard.
July 2017 the materials were delivered and dropped off into our little driveway. Getting in and out of our driveway was a little frustrating until the materials began to vanish onto the back of the house. We got pretty good at 50-point turnarounds in the space we had to park our vehicles.
FRAMING
And then one day we got home from work and walked out the back door and this happened. And the following days a little more happened…
This window went away. We had them replace it with a door that walks out from our master bedroom onto the screened porch.
THE FINISHED PROJECT
Taaddahhhh! Here are our new deck and screened porch!!
Of course, this shot of our new deck was taken more recently. Leaves have fallen on the deck and the table and chairs have been moved inside to our basement for the winter.
So how did we get to the finished product?
The deck was extended the full length of the house, with composite decking. We ended up using a composite made by Armadillo called Painted Desert. We chose this mainly because it was one of the best matches we could find to go with our stained log siding. Which also got recoated with Sikkens.
No more treating deck boards, no more splinters and no more mildew that won’t go away!
New steps were added to the side of the house. They are so much better than the old rickety ones we had on the back of the house. These new steps may be David’s favorite feature of the new deck. He loves how sturdy they are and has admired them since he took the first steps.
We installed the paver landing area at the bottom of the steps ourselves one Saturday after the deck was completed. We almost killed each other trying to get it done. I’m just glad it wasn’t any larger than it is or we may not have survived!
The view from the top of the stairs. Just look at those beautiful fall colors!!! Y’all!! Pinch me or something because even after almost 6 years I still can’t believe I live here!
To the right on the wall by the screen door of the porch, you will see a large printed map of Skyline Drive. The north entrance is about 15-minutes from our house. At the top of the map, you will see a picture of our home showing you where you are in the beautiful Blueridge Mountains of Virginia.
I made this map when I was working in the graphics department of a trade show company. I’ve been waiting for 5 or 6 years to hang it in the perfect spot. I finally found it!
I also found a great deal on this awesome outdoor sectional on Wayfair.com and ordered it once I made sure it would fit the space. They shipped it all the way across the country in just a little over a week for FREE!
To make the space more open and breathable, we requested open gable and had a ceiling fan and light installed to give us mountain breezes on the days the wind doesn’t blow.
We get more views now that we have extended to the other end of the house.
Here’s the door I mentioned earlier from our bedroom. I love being able to walk outside from the bedroom. Morning coffee in this new space will become a regular thing! We plan to shop for more furniture in the Spring. It’s really hard to shop for deck furniture when the stores are trying to put out big blow up Halloween decor!
When walking outside from the new bedroom door, I am greeted by this sweet owl I found at Marshall’s for $7! No way was he staying in the store for that price.
I just love him! Isn’t he the cutest?!?
Part of our deck project was getting rid of the awful french doors on the back of the house. They wouldn’t stay closed unless they were deadbolted shut. The leaked air and let in 219,833,330 ladybugs and 484,443 stink bugs. I despised these doors and I was so glad when they were replaced by this open glass sliding door.
We also had our neighbor, an electrician, replace our old ugly light fixture with a new one, that matches the ones on the front of the house.
The only way I could get a photo of the back of the house was down the road across the other side of the mountain.
So, that’s the big reveal! My only regret is that we didn’t do this sooner so our poor little 18-year old blind kitty could have enjoyed it. He grew up on a screened porch and I promised him I would get him another one to enjoy someday. I was a little late on my promise to him, but he knows I tried and I stayed true to my words.
At this point, you are welcome to take a narrated video tour of the deck and porch by clicking the link below. Never mind the stupid way I talk and the southern twang of my voice or the glitchy camera. You may want to take a Dramamine first…
If you are interested in seeing the narrated video tour, click HERE!
We are very excited about new outdoor space. This deck project took a lot longer to get done than we expected, but we love it and are excited to spend more time out here in the years to come.
Diane says
Oh, Debbie… I love this! It’s a bit like our deck and screened in porch on the back of our house. The porch was there when we purchased our home, but there was no door or deck or stairs to take a person to ground level. WEIRD to build something that way, but we bought the house anyway knowing that we would have a deck and stairs constructed. which we did later that same year. We use that area a lot… like an extended room off the kitchen. Ours is screened, but no windows…. we checked into have it enclosed into a four season room, but they wanted $50,000 to do the job. We said “no way”. You are going to enjoy this a lot throughout the years ahead.. You can check out ours by using the search term porch or deck on my blog if you would like to see it.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Diane! Thanks so much for sharing the link. I love what you did with your porch. It makes much more sense now. I kind of know the feeling because our stairs went away from our the front yard, which was awkward. I don’t blame you for not going with windows… ouch! Thanks for stopping by and for sharing! 🙂
ohiocook says
What incredible views!!! Beautiful!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Mark!
BEN F. JONES says
Very nice addition to your house – and what beautiful views. You did a wonderful job in selecting the home site. One thing to remember – composite deck boards in direct sun will get hot enough to burn you – be careful if you’re barefoot.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you, Ben. We have already found that out…lol! May have to buy a couple pairs of flip-flops here and there…lol! ?
Paula Somers says
Gorgeous! You will love that composite decking. It’s the only way to go.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Paula! Thanks. I am glad we went that route. Wish they had composite log siding. If it exists… don’t tell me!! 😉
givememeatloaf says
As if your place didn’t already look like a dream – how FABULOUS!!! Well done you two! But, you made me nervous b/c our big plans for next summer is to do a really big back porch with pavers. LMAO! Luckily I’m just in charge of feeding the buddies who will help. 😀 Absolutely love the remodel – looks so fantastic, how perfect!! <3
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you, Annie. Can’t wait to see what y’all do with that amazing space of yours. Pavers are dangerous!! lol!
Janet says
Love this project and your gorgeous property ! You will enjoy this forever! What a wonderful view you have. We live in the flat land in North West Ohio. It’s pretty boring but I can’t complain since I don’t like driving though mountains n the winter. I just love the deck and man the view is a piece of heave. I have view envy.
Janet says
opps I mean heaven .. I don’t have my glasses on.. oh bother.
The Mountain Kitchen says
I knew what you meant! 😉
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Janet! Thank you so much for the compliments. <3
Bruce says
In 1970 while stationed in the Air Force in D. C., my wife and I made the drive along Skyline Drive. We stayed one night in a mountain top motel with a view like yours. We still fondly remember that trip. I built a couple decks for ourselves, but added handicap ramps due to my son in a wheel chair (atv accident). I have built several decks for others when I was in the remodeling business too. You did a great job!
The Mountain Kitchen says
First of all, Thank you for your service, Bruce! We can’t take credit for the craftsmanship, but we can take credit for the idea. Thanks for the compliments!
Patrons of the Pit says
And to think I loved your deck before all this. Now it’s simply point blank awesome! Oh the deck envy tho. I must have breached 6 out of the 10 commandments reading this post. Looks fabulous save for one thing…You gotta let your man put his BBQ grill out there! There’s room now. No more excuses missy.
Hey to David!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you so much for the compliments. LOL! We are working on getting that Weber out there. We ran short of time before the weather starts getting too cool. We have to figure out a way to make sure the ashes and cinders don’t melt the new boards!