Our Cheap Deck Update

Since Tommy wrote about our DIY fence project yesterday, I thought I’d follow it up with a blog about our deck.

FYI, the photo above captures the state of our backyard pre-fence construction. Tommy wasn’t kidding – the brush, pine limbs, and poison oak were out of control. Our trips to Patient First for poison ivy treatment were frequent last summer.

One of the first things we did when we moved in last spring was re-stain our deck. Originally, the deck was a (little offensive) red-orange that like our back yard, showed signs of definite neglect.

We chose to stain our deck because it wasn’t in great shape to begin with, and we knew we weren’t in a place to rip the current deck off and rebuild yet. So we chose a taupe brown stain to match the back door.

We were also fortunate enough to inherit a patio table and set of four chairs from Tommy’s mom and step-dad.

The white chairs and table frame (above) looked a little stark, so we decided to freshen those up with some chocolate brown paint, too.

Everything else, with the exception of the blue bench (more on that later), we were able to purchase at a discount.

I think the best thing about updating a deck or patio is that it can be done cost efficiently, since most of the stuff you buy is seasonal and is guaranteed to go on sale at some point towards the middle or end of the summer.

• We found the blue mosaic outdoor pillows on sale at Restoration Hardware in July for $10 each.

• We bought the umbrella on sale at Pier 1 for about $60, and we didn’t have to wait late into the summer for that to get reduced. I think we bought it in early June.

• The glider were purchased at Home Depot at the end of the season – and despite the fact that the stain has faded, it has held up great.

• The doormat I just bought at Target a couple of weeks ago for $19.99.

Our long term plans are to replace the deck with a screened in porch and add a pavers patio, but here are some before and afters of where we are now: