Two Finished Decks...

 It is August and the very best month for Summer.  My favorite time of year!  I am so happy to report that our deck project is in essence complete.  We still have a couple of very large fascia boards to put up but that needs some extra muscle than my puny little strength allows.
This top photo shows the deck joists and their new layer of protectant.  The house wasn't built with it but Mr. C never does anything less than perfect and builds to last more than a lifetime.  Just to refresh...this is an upstairs deck that overhangs the garages.  It is fairly large at about 600 square feet.  Our Great Room and Kitchen both open onto the deck with double french doors.  It is a good outdoor living space.  We really missed it for the two months we were rebuilding it and not able to access it.

 Here is the lumber we have measured and cut to lengths for the staggered and alternating rows.  This is another place where it is very handy to have an engineer who is doing the job.  Mr. C calculated it all out.  This also shows the painting station.  This is where my "expertise" comes in handy.  Hundreds of boards to paint both sides.  We had quite a glitch with the original deck stain we were going to use.  We did some boards to test the color and they never dried.  The stain totally came off on our hands and clothes.  Then we wiped the boards all down and the knots shown like polka dots.  I was distraught.  $150 of stain not returnable and useless.  The Habitat Re-Store will be getting this donation.  So we changed to a solid deck stain/paint that is much more friendly to paint and it dries!  Of course we had to change our color selection.  I really like this Ashland Slate as it is a beautiful grey just like the stucco of the house we painted from beige a few years ago.

 Here is the beginning of the new deck all in place and securely screwed down.  We used approximately 1800 very special and expensive deck screws that we had to custom order.  Nothing but the best for Mr. C.

 Here is a long view of the finished deck.  Mr. C is putting the furniture and BBQs back in place.  So a glass of wine was in order.  As part of the deck redo we also sanded and repainted the banisters with a fresh coat of blue that I love.

 This is a view to the backyard.

 This view shows more overall of the deck.  The open doors are to the kitchen.  Very handy when eating outdoors and BBQing.

Here is a view over the banister towards the front of our property.  The lawn and then the pond below.  This is such a peaceful spot to enjoy our surroundings.  I love the new deck and am so grateful for my husband who is the best at building and keeping all we have in fine working order.  This was a huge project and I am certain we will never attempt anything like this again.  

 This is another upstairs deck we have.  It is much smaller and the surface is in much better condition.  So Mr. C sanded all the boards, tightened screws where needed and then we painted it to match the new deck. I forgot to take a before photo but I can assure you the transformation from yucky brown to this elegant grey is amazing.  Once again he sanded all  the banisters and repainted them blue.  The winter snow and the summer sun really wreak havoc on the wood.  Paint cracks and blisters in no time at all with the harsh elements.

Here is another view of the smaller deck.  It leads off our Master Bedroom.  We really never use this deck.  Through the years we have tried many things...plants in giant pots, bistro table and chairs, a hammock...but the result is always the same.  We just don't use this deck.  It does make a nice cover for my shade fern garden which is underneath it.
So job well done and thank goodness it is over.  Time to BBQ and eat outdoors and enjoy friends and family on the new deck!
Summer Sunshine Smiles to all (including my friends who are having Winter now)...
P.S.  This is a form of creating even though it uses not fabric, lace, beads, paper, glue, etcetera.  This is what I had to keep reminding myself for the last two months of neglecting my studio and sewing rooms.