curls

So my dad and I spent 5 full days tearing down the 4x8' contractor-built deck, staking out fence lines, installing a fence, and more importantly, building the deck. We also had to build a new base for the shed which was moved from one corner to the other, and install 3 gates (one at the front for our yard, one at the front for my neighbour to the open side (she paid for it obviously), and one at the back for my attached neighbour who has a right-of-way through our yard).

Here are a few pics (more can be found here: http://pics.smileydesigns.ca/pics/backyard/)

Fence (view from our side):


Deck (16'x16' less cutouts and 45* corner):


Deck (yes I still have to add lattice around the bottom to hide the deck blocks and the lumber storage area):


Deck:


Deck - view from above. Shows the 16" escape route I left from the basement window-well. Don't mind the baby toys. :


If you notice along the back fence, the only section WE built was the one on the far left of the lot -- the rest along the back was built by my rear neighbour (who still hasn't cut down his posts in over 6 months! ). We mimicked his design for the one panel along the rear, for consistency, but the rest of the fence (both side fences) were built with the "good" side facing the neighbours, as is by-law in the area. My neighbours paid for 1/2 of theirs anyhow so I didn't mind. I actually prefer the "non-good" side as it gives more depth instead of looking like a wall).

Needless to say, building the fence and deck from scratch in 5 days was challenging, but my dad works ridiculously hard, so I had to follow suit and do the same. We definitely are proud of the work!

Cheers!
Eric
PS: The deck and fence and overall yard layout was mostly done using Google Sketchup. It's a CAD-like program that anyone can use. It gave us a very clear indication of what we wanted to do by test-fitting everything we wanted before actually lifting a drill or ordering the wood. I'd HIGHLY recommend getting Sketchup (the free version) if you're planning anything big or small! It's great!

doopstr

Wow, that looks nice! I wish I had skills like that

Scrib

nice!

Whiskers

suite

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

I'm getting wood. Nice job.

dallison

beautiful