Deck & Cover...A DIY Outdoor Space Makeover Story

Once upon a time we had a deck. A very, very large deck.

That's great. "Good for you," you may say. Who wouldn't want a very, very large deck?





And the deck is great, don't get me wrong. But the thing about a very, very large deck it that it costs a very, very lot-o-money to maintain said deck. And apparently, the people we bought the home from figured that out at some point as well, because this deck had not been maintained in years. So with a budget that paled in comparison to the size of the deck, we hatched a plan and got to work.
DIY'ing EVERYTHING was a help in keeping our deck makeover budget-friendly. And it definitely took some serious elbow grease, blood, sweat and at least a few tears, but putting in some time, definitely saved us a dime ;)





Our deck sits less than 2' off the ground, yet it was enwrapped by a protective layer of rail so well constructed that I liked to call the look "Alcatraz-chic".





So we staged a jail-break. We cut loose the state penitentiary look and went for more "free bird". We are afterall "The Heathered Nest". And our birds here don't like to be caged.





Next on the agenda? Cleaning. As you can see, we had a lot of mildew and gunk to eliminate.





After the "jail break" and the deck "laundering" came the "cover up"...staining. WOW, what a difference. We learned a lot of good tips and techniques along the way which we shared as well in the deck staining post.
Then it was time for our outdoor "rugs" to go down. But I'm practical. Cheap and practical. And I knew that if I bought real outdoor rugs, they'd turn into a mildewy, nasty mess unless I was willing to bring them in or store them when not in use. Who has time for that? Not this bird. So, I stenciled some rugs (and I can teach you how I did it, if you're interested)...





We used the outdoor furniture we already had, and just added a few fun decorative touches.





Our old deck made me want to "duck and cover". But with some imagination and DIY'ing we now have a beautiful "deck WITH cover" and are enjoying our time outside as much as we can.
Come check out more of the space, and hang with us at the Nest anytime!






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/9940209/deck-cover-a-diy-outdoor-space-makeover-story site