Backyard Makeover.

I'm back! It's been a busy week but a little blog break was just what I needed to recharge. The sun was shining here all of the long weekend so it was nice to spend so much time outside.

I have to give credit to Stephane, he worked relentlessly for the last while, getting the yard prepared and building the new deck. The yard is rather large and I always felt that it was unused space. There was a tree planted smack in the middle so we decided to integrate it in to the design of the deck.

He started by building a new deck at the back door. The old one was tiny and rotten. You can read more about that part here. Next up, he dug out the grass and leveled the area in preparation for the gravel base.

Then, we had 4 tonnes of gravel delivered and we filled the area with gravel. Many trips with the wheelbarrow! Here is me spreading it all out.

Once leveled, he rented a tamper and compacted the gravel. Apparently this was the funnest part:) Then he built the frame for the deck and the stairs leading to the smaller deck.

The long part was screwing in all the decking boards.

Here is where we are at now. Bear in mind that there is still lots of work to do. We were just happy to be able to eat supper outside this weekend and sit with a few drop in visitors. It's been lovely!

Still on the to-do list:

Fill the gravel area with pea stone

Finish top deck

Landscape around the deck

Outdoor planters

Figure out the walkway

Did you spot Beaufort in the last photo? My favorite part is the lights we hung in the tree. It's pretty dreamy at night! 

Stay tuned for more progress over the coming weeks!