It’s an exciting day here in the country. Our new floating deck is done. And while our pretty little paver patio served us well, it just wasn’t functional for us.
We love to spend time outside and wanted a space that was big enough for dining, lounging, and enjoying a bonfire in our Breeo.
We hired the general contractor who renovated our home to build the deck. But before he could get to work, Tom and I had to relocate some of the landscaping. And then remove and relocate all the pavers.
Removing the pavers ourselves saved us labor costs, so we got to work.
Let me tell you, this was no easy feat. One by one Tom would dig the pavers out. Then, I would pick them up and pile them on the driveway according to their shape.
Initially, we were going to build the deck over the pavers and only remove the ones where footings were going in. However, the plans changed the morning our contractor and his partner arrived.
After piling all the pavers on the driveway, we had to again, pick them up one by one a second time and load them into the trailer hitched to our four-wheeler. Our fingers, wrists, and forearms got quite the workout.
We took countless loads of pavers to our shed in the woods and unloaded them. Our plan is to use them when we renovate one of our shelters into a cabin.
In designing and building the deck we chose maintenance free materials. We heeded the advice of our contractor on the specific brand. It just so happened that that brand also had the color options I wanted.
The deck was complete in about three weeks. There were a few days where it was just too hot to work. We waited a week for two of the inspections. Then, our privacy screens were delayed.
The timing all worked out though.
Five days after construction of our deck began, Tom broke his neck (and hand) and sustained a spinal cord injury. The deck is quickly becoming a sanctuary of sorts for both of us during his recovery.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28
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