DIY Deck Makeover/Redo

This Summer we're celebrating 9 years in our house.  Over the years, we've made several changes to the house as well as the backyard.  However, nothing has undergone more "touchups" and "redos" than our backyard deck.  In an attempt to modernize it and make it more appealing, we've tried several steps along the way.  Finally, this past Spring, the deck was looking so drab that we thought about ripping the whole thing out and laying stone on top of the concrete slab underneath.  It was very tempting until it was pointed out to us how much a pergola costs and how everything was still structurally sound.  So back to the drawing board we went.   Here's a picture of the deck from 2003.

Over the years, we yanked out the wrap-around benches, added a privacy screen to hide the heat pump, and tried several shades of stain.  Meanwhile, those tiny black-eyed susans grew to overtake the bed.  The only thing stopping them were the daylillies anchoring the corners that filled in even more.  It was a jungle and a half! 

So my husband added a box step (which you can click here to see step-by-step instructions in my other blog).  And I ripped out the ugly wood edging to replace it with brick (which you can see here in my other blog).  The final step was to get the old wood powerwashed and stained.  And TA-DA!  Here's the deck today!

Here's some other angles.

And on a sunnier day

And with that, we're finally finished trying to "fix" the deck.