Home Tour: The Deck, My Outside Dance Floor and Living Room!

Why did I put the boards in as tight as I could together? Because green treated wood SHRINKS A LOT. Unless you have the time to let it fully dry out in a protected area for at least a year any green treated board is going to shrink. If you’ve ever used it I’m sure you’ve noticed how the screw holes fill up with “water” when you drive them in. So, when someone tries to tell you that you need to put gaps between your boards feel free to inform them that it all depends on the material that you’re working with. You can see in a few of the close ups that all of my boards now are a good 1/8th of an inch (and sometimes more) a part. (You want at least a little bit of a gap between your boards so water has somewhere to go instead of sitting on your deck.)

I always dreamed of a home that was never more then a few steps to outside, that I could flow in and out of my kitchen and my living room from my deck like they were all just part of the home. I am VERY excited to say that I managed it! I have three glass exterior doors that come out to this deck, one on either end of my kitchen and a 72 inch glass door in my living room. Did everyone think I was nuts to add this many doors? Of yeah but I haven’t regretted it for a second! I love that I can open up all three of my deck doors and my home literally gets 700 square feet of living space added to it!

I chose green treated lumber because it was affordable and very very durable. I always planned to finish the entire deck as well as my privacy fence in a red wood stain/sealant but I’ve decided that I’m not going to be doing any of that. Why? Because I live in northern Minnesota and I have known many people who spent A LOT of money (not to mention time) on exterior stains, sealants and finishes on their decks to see it not even last one winter. It is a certainty that, in my climate, it will fail (even in a very mild climate most outdoor finishes can’t guarantee any durability past 5 years anyway.) SO, this is it, I’m going to let my deck and privacy fence fade naturally to gray.

My last posts you guys saw was how I finally finished my deck rails and gates! And that’s really what’s been holding me up when it comes to sharing my deck here on the blog. I just couldn’t make up my mind and because I didn’t NEED deck rails it got put on the back burner.

My indoor to outdoor furniture held up through two summers and two winters and that’s with the temperature going from 100+ degrees Fahrenheit in the summers and downwards of nearly -40 degrees in the winters. It is no longer perfect (if you look close you can tell) and I have basically swore off paint for outdoor furniture from this point on. And, though I love both the sofa and the chair, I also have one big complaint about them: they’re really low! I am playing around with the idea of adding to the sofa and chair somehow so A: I wouldn’t actually need the cushions and B: to make the seats higher and C: to add some cohesion between the end tables I built and the furniture because, right now, they’re from two different universes.

My adorable little solar light jars that I made last year are still holding up and working great! This is a HUGE space (700 square feet!) and my dream someday is to add outdoor string lights around the whole thing. The bench I built a few weeks ago dealt with the “dead-zone” I never used in the back and the sun loungers have given me a wonderful spot to just soak up the heat.

Many people have commented on the height of my railing because it is REALLY high: 4 feet! When I was adding them I made this choice intentionally. I wanted to be able to step up to it, lay my arms on it and have a nice high safe surface to put a drink. (My last dog was a 120 pound mastiff and I always plan on having huge dogs so a tall railing makes a lot of sense for me…) I like them this high but they’re certainly not for everyone.

I finished up the base for my barn door table this summer and I am SO glad I finally got it done, I used it all the time! There are still many things I can’t wait to do out here but I’ve had to really just hack away at it a little bit at a time. Even when you do things yourself, with a space this big, I’ve really had to scrimp and save for every project!