When people ask me about my
blog, I refer to it as a "food and lifestyle blog." That was my
intention when I first started it back 2010. But, as we all know, it's more
food than anything else. Yes, there are table settings, and occasionally a little
about what's going on in my life, but I don't devote a lot of space to
lifestyle. That's about to change, because I'm in the midst of what will end up
being a huge change in my lifestyle.
I decided, because living alone I am now the Queen of Everything, that after
three very difficult, exhausting years of care giving, and the painful loss of
my husband of 21 years, that I deserved a treat. When I moved into this house
five years ago, it was a spec home. So, it was new, but not one that I’d
designed on my own. It had a small cedar deck on the back, accessible from the
dining area. Why a cedar deck was built onto this house in a neighborhood full
of composite decks, I'll never know. But I do know that I had to paint this
rascal every single summer. Having moved here from a 120-year-old Victorian
farmhouse with lots of gingerbread, that I needed to paint every year, I
decided that I am just too old to paint. It’s not the way that I want to spend
my time any longer.
After consulting neighbors, I
got in touch with a contractor, and, last September, we came up with a plan for
a covered deck with an open area to the side to use for grilling (Grilling recipes, people!). My contractor
is excellent and, as a consequence, a very busy guy, so he wasn't able to start
working on it until the middle of last month.
Every Monday, until its completion (and then brace yourself for posts about dining al fresco!), I'm going to give you updates on this
project. It’s the most exciting thing I've been involved in in a long time. Not
just the excitement of seeing one guy -- that's right one man doing this
on his own -- build a wonderful addition to the house, but also planning what
I'm going to do with it by way of decoration.
Today's post is merely an introduction to the project.
Here is the back of the house with the deck that was original. It was entirely
cedar, but I wanted to paint it to blend in with the decks in the rest
of the neighborhood, so painted it white with a stained floor. The neighbors appreciated that,
because I didn't stick out like such a sore thumb, but it ended up being a heck
of a lot of work, not only because I had to paint it every year no matter what
type or brand of paint I used, but I also had to stain the floor.
The old deck is gone, and I couldn't be happier.
The framework is going up for the base of the deck. It looks massive. In fact,
as I look at it, I can only wonder what the neighbors are thinking. It's a
monster! I have one of the smaller homes in the neighborhood, but, clearly, the biggest
deck. Let me tell you, it's caused quite a stir.
Next Monday I'll show you what it looks like it framed out.
Oh, here is a bit of eye candy. The colors I’ve chosen to use in
decorating my new space are those shown in this piece of fabric that I’m using
to make napkins. I can hardly wait!
All photos by Joe Rogers of Advanced Carpentry and Remodeling,
LLC
