After an agonizing three years of planning, dreaming, waiting, interviewing, researching, and amending, we finally conquered our outdoor space!
We turned a hideous nightmare of problems to gorgeous outdoor living space that already had a million dollar view!
RESOLVING PROBLEMS
As strategic advisor in the days I lived across the river(before we got married), I insisted that Mr. Bachelor Homeowner find a contractor to renovate the wobbly, rotting front steps to the townhouse…
…repave the back patio to allow for water drainage that a previous homeowner clogged up with cement which can be seen between the deck and the brick patio.
Amplifying the patio flooding issues with every single rain storm is the corrugated rain collection system a previous homeowner probably intended to divert water down a chute.
Instead all the water cascades like a large waterfall onto the patio, where all the water egress points were blocked by the cement.
…remove the corrugated rain collection system that only dumps water onto the patio…
…remove that flood light that he hates…and the conduit that I hate, as well…
…rebuild the steep wobbly stairs (that have nails sticking out) between the upper and lower back decks…
…and repair the rotting floor boards on both decks.
…and create an egress from the lower deck for all sorts of clever reasons, as well as replace all the wobbly railings that had lost parts…
Knowing how much he hated diy projects, I strongly suggested he purchase Trex, which lasts a long time due to its high durability.
That way he wouldn’t have to restain his deck every year or two…which helps protect the wood from the elements.
AUDITIONING SAMPLES
Shortly before we got married, he took me to a Home Expo in Dulles where we met a few decking companies.
The only one that could handle ALL those problems was Prince William Home Improvement (PWHI).
If you live in Northern Virginia, click this link for a code from PWHI so you can receive a $500 rebate for your own project! (Throughout this post, every link with PWHI will link you to the rebate!)
PREPARING FOR TREX DECKING
In preparation for our new decks, patios, and front steps, we hired an electrician to remove the flood lights and electrical conduit! Yea!
Then we hired The Junkluggers to remove from under the deck all the old construction materials left by a previous homeowner: large pieces of granite, massive sections of the original “spiral” stairs from the upper deck, etc.
When a couple of young guys, very neatly dressed in company uniform, arrived from Junkluggers, they cheerfully conquered this adventurous problem, as much as possible.
They got all the wood out, since it was near the edge of the property.
Since the granite had been dropped between the deck and our neighbor’s fence line, nearer the house, they couldn’t access access all of it since headspace significantly lowers while crawling under the deck to the house.
They earned a great tip after all that which I easily added when I paid the bill!
HOLDING PATTERN
When PWHI applied for the permits, the county yelled…STOP…because a previous homeowner did not build the deck to code (despite the paperwork handed over during sale of the house).
Several feet needed to be cut off the lower deck to bring to code.
After PWHI reassessed the cost with us, they designed new CAD drawings, then we analyzed everything in the paperwork for this extensive project for the front stairs, back patio, and back double decks.
Then the county fussed about more issues…and back and forth it went until finally the county provided PWHI the necessary permits.
Through that process I had to rechoose paver colors a couple of different times, because the supplier ran into supply stopages.
RENOVATION BEGINS
Finally, PWHI arrived with a large crew to conquer this monster project which was fascinating to watch unfold.
As the dreariness of winter transformed to the hope of springtime (mid-March), our sad looking outdoor living space began its transformation…the mother of all home improvement projects.
By the end of March, the upper deck was completely finished, which included new structural supports!
While I chose all the colors with HOA approval, my Mid-century modern husband chose the railing, which he coordinated with the HOA.
The patio and lower deck were completed by mid-April!
Soon after that, the stairs between the decks was conquered!
Before the end of April, the front stairs were completed!
This included some new electrical boxes in the front and back, as well as lighting for all the steps in the front and back!
That weekend a deluge proved that PWHI effectively addressed all the water issues because there was no more flooding of the patio!
We were so happy they addressed every problem, while working legally with the county to bring everything to code.
If you live in Northern Virginia, click this link for a code from PWHI so you can receive a $500 rebate for your own project!
PAINT AND STAIN HOMEWORK
At the store, I chose stain for the wooden parts of the deck, and paint for the plastic latticework under the front steps to coordinate with the Trex, so that we could paint those parts ourselves.
ENJOYING
At long last I decorated the front entry with patriotic banners for Independence Day I bought a year ago, with my beloved crepe myrtles happily growing nearby.
Next goal is to paint the yellow trim with the same paint we used for the latticework, a perfect match with the Trex.
Since that yellow trim extends three stories high, we’ll need to find a good paint contractor for that.
The stain we used for the wooden posts and misc other areas perfectly matches with the Trex!
In fact, the HOA thanked us for working with them through this process while upgrading to a classy look.
Since the egress stairs needed to be built with wood, we stained all of that, too!
From the newly created “backyard” (after cutting back the deck to meet code) I have a garden in process. Stay tuned for that crazy project of discovering rock gardens under the dirt!
I’m transplanting these gorgeous hostas from the front garden, for which we finally found a contractor to remove it’s removal.
Meanwhile, I love sitting here in the coolness of the evening with the handy lighting of the steps to enable a few more minutes of gardening.
For my granddaughter’s third birthday, our entire family enjoyed the deck for the first time while playing with giant bubbles!
Most evenings we enjoy dinner on the deck, then watching the massive fire fly show in the many trees while star gazing.
The lights are our neighbor’s, which reminds me we have similar lights (purchased last year) in the garage to string over the new patio.
So thankful to have finally closed several tabs in my head of all the needed projects to this fixer upper!
