The original oak floors are sanded new and the new oak floors blend seamlessly to the the old. Trim is complete, including a closet design created by the kind folks at Container Store, but executed with built-ins by our contractor. We “recycled” two of the original architectural interior doors that had been removed over the years to leave the rooms downstairs more open. Now they’re in the master bedroom, leading into the bathroom and the closet. Not sure if we’ll ever get the original antique looking mortise boxes functional. (Yes, we have the original skeleton keys and all.)
With the house three fifths of the way complete, we started thinking about the backyard. We met with a landscape designer for some ideas on gutters and drainage and he gave us some opinions. His initial reaction to the backyard was how it feels inviting, secluded and low beneath the new, taller elevation of the house…feeling like a secret garden.
After referring to decks looking cheap, he described a ground level patio. Not a bad idea and we have close friends who’d trade their deck for a patio but we’ve always enjoyed our old deck. And it wasn’t cheap either! Leaf blow it, spray it down and it’s tidy again. We’ve decided on a deck but want to retain some yard and landscaping so we’re considering smaller variations of our previous deck.
One challenge we have is how close the back door is to the garage now. If one were to walk straight out of the back door, one would soon be stopped by a rain gutter to one’s face. This seems less than ideal. We need to step down at least one step fairly quickly when exiting the house.
IDEA 1
IDEA 2
IDEA 3
We’re considering a variation of idea 2 without connecting the entire width of the deck to the back of the house, sort of the large area of idea 1 and the back door steps of 2.
Comments?
For deck I have a few comments.
I would use only kiln dried dimensional lumber to frame the deck (KDAT). It is more stable and holds fasteners much better. I would not use ACQ treated lumber in use for the last few years. Remember I am talking about the framing material not deck surface.
Next I would not use a ledger board. Look at the most recent building code and fastener requirement. It is a good improvement. But ledger boards are asking for trouble long term depending on where you live.
All the composite material (especialy TREX etc) seems to be garbage. They look great for a couple of years. Always try to look at one at least 3 years old. Funny how deck builders never come back after a few years to look at their work.
Coat all cut surfaces of the framing material with to seal it. I use marine two part epoxy (west system). Wood does not have to breath. It is not live.
Now I am looking at Timbersil (so called glass treated wood) but possibly I will switch to IPE. It is really not tat expensive for your deck if you install it down yourself
Nice home.
Joe