A long post about our Deck.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 8:10PM 
So turns out being sick at home gives you the opportunity to finally snap a few pictures of the finished deck. I`ve been holding this off for quite some time because it isn´t quite finished yet, but then again it won´t be this summer.. so let´s see what we have so far.
What you see above is the space between the kitchen and the barn. Go here to see the original plan and also a hideous picture of what the space looked like before. We have sun here in the mornings here so it is a lovely place to have breakfast. The husband built the wooden table, I am so proud of him - I think it´s gorgeous. I still need to find some nice chairs that won´t break the bank (seriously what is is with super expensive outdoor furniture?). And I need to find a nice little bench to replace the makeshift solution we have to the left.
My little herb garden. The wooden stairs are one of the items we rescued back in January. I always thought I´d find some good use for them! Oh and don´t you love this derelict brick wall? I totally do.
The other side. Rockers are from Ikea, I knew I had to have them as soon as I saw them. I painted them grey of course. Stripey cushions also from Ikea. Oh and that ladder? Well we don´t have stairs to the garden yet! Minor details.
And, uhhm, there´s no railing yet. Yikes. Like I said, minor details.
Also, the decking. The boards are Siberian larch and looked like this when we got them. I loved the color. And then the incompetent clerk who sold them to us insisted that we needed to seal them with some oil. Which made the wood look all redish and ugly. Later we learned that it is not necessary to treat Siberian larch. Duh. Oh well, the wood will turn grey sooner than later.
One of the best things about our deck? The view! We sit here for hours in the evenings, often until it´s dark.
So what is the overall verdict you ask? This year, we could either have done the kitchen renovation or the deck (unfortunately we can´t afford both). We chose the deck and I am very happy we did. We are always out there! I think we´ve maybe eaten twice in our dining room since we finished the deck. Having said that, this was a hell lot of work. The planning alone took ages and there were times I felt we couldn´t possibly do this on our own. But with a lot of help from the village folks, we (well mostly the husband) did it! Yay! Drinks on my fancy deck anyone?
PS: If you´d like to learn more about what building a deck is like, head over here.
PPS: What is the right term for this? Porch? Deck? Help! (I need a native speaker who proofreads my posts.) Apparenly it´s a deck. Thank you!
Our House
Reader Comments (9)
Wow... it's your own little palace-garden... I love it!
My previous post didn't work for some reason. A porch is generally an area that is raised off the ground - for example you step out your back door onto the 'porch' and then down stairs to ground level. I also think of a porch as having some kind of roof structure. I would call the area in your first photos a 'deck' and the last photo a 'backyard area'. Hope that makes sense. It's all beautiful, well done.
Thank you Sandra!
Anon actually it is raised - it´s 1,50 m above the ground!
I always love peeking in here and dreaming about country life.
Wahnsinn. So schön! Und 1.50m über dem Boden. Das klingt super.
oh yes ! what a wonderful view you have !!!
congratulations on the new deck. what a bummer this person didn't give you the right advice. i like wood when it goes greyish as well. we had a wood extension (we chose the kitchen, but would need a deck as well !) built and it has already started to loose it red/orange color in a few months.
your place looks like Heaven (no pun intended as for the lack of stairs LOL) and you can be proud of what you have achieved -- including Mr. for the lovely table !
OK. I'm stealing your rocker idea for my narrow porch in Newton. Perfect b-day present for my husband! I assume, when you say "gray," you mean F&B Cornforth White, right? I ordered my catalog last week.
Justine, no Cornforth White this time around, although the color is very similar. I don´t use water based paints for outside, although I have yet to try F&B´s exterior range. This is a cheap paint from our local hardware store...
What a lovely way to spend your free time! Love how you've created such a wonderful space.