We have a 10x20 deck in the back of the house. It's off the porch and in a full-shade nook of the backyard. We haven't really used that space for much - because the deck was originally built for a hot tub and was designed to be two-tiers. I'm not sure why they did two levels, because the upper level (where the hot tub sat) basically puts you at a spot looking into the neighbors' yard. It doesn't exactly make for private hot tubbing. There was also a porch swing thing that looked at the hot tub. Guess they really liked that hot tub.
This pic is actually after the fence was replaced. The fence was a story in itself: they built a wood fence on chain-link posts. Needless to say, it wasn't too sturdy and the dog had quickly figured that out. He was constantly checking the structural integrity of the fence. Remember that scene in Jurassic Park where the velociraptors were checking the electric fence in patterns for signs of weakness? Like that. I had to rip that out and put in a real fence. You can't tell from the picture, but I stuck to my 3 post hole limit. I have a personal cutoff for digging post holes by hand and it stops at 3. Anything more than that and I'm renting a post hole auger. I also have an unconscious heat threshold: I apparently always pick the hottest day of the year to dig 2 foot deep post holes through the Memphis clay. Either that, or trench-digging. Those are the only activities you can do when the heat index is 120. Why? That's something I ask myself repeatedly while I do it. The different heights are because our backyard has a one foot retaining wall that levels/raises this area up - the neighbors' yard is the natural slope.
Problem(s):
We weren't really using this area because, as you can see, it made for weird, non-private seating. Plus, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do here. The deck is pretty old and is basically on the ground so I had no clue what condition the bones (joists, etc.) were in. Plus, it's built around a huge tree. I considered ripping it out and doing a pea gravel area, or just completely rebuilding the entire deck. The other big issue is that all the rainwater from the backyard and patio comes right to this area and flows around the deck to the front of the house. The decking looked way past its prime too so I may have to replace it as well.
The Plan
I settled on just removing the upper deck and making it all one level, reusing the decking where I could. I'll embrace the "wildness" of the corner and try to make it a shout-out to the Smokies - give it a treehouse/woods/mountain feel to the area.
The Process
It took longer than I expected, of course. :) However, I ended up reusing all the decking I pulled off and didn't have to buy any decking, so it all matches now and looks like it's always been there. (Doing this also gives you the out of saying "I don't why they did it that way" if things don't turn out as well as planned.) Once I pressure washed the decking it actually looked pretty cool - definitely looks aged and "naturally" stained. It gives it more of a feeling of permanence and like you're in the woods. Plus, now I can call it reclaimed timbers and sound ultra-hip. I did have to buy one 2x8 and some hangers in order to make the new section work. Also, I decided to go with nails on the decking to match the old side. After 4 pounds of nails, my wrist still hurts. The pic below is before I hauled all the remaining wood to the street. But, you can see how the azaleas are growing over the deck, as is the struggling dogwood in the back. I just need to plant some stuff around it to complete the job. Plus, I need to figure out some drainage to go around it. THAT's the next big project. But it's not nearly hot enough to dig trenches yet (see above) so I'll probably post some old projects in the mean time.
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