Deckstravaganza: Decision time

Since we unexpectedly unearthed a full-on patio when we ripped up our old deck, we were faced with some major decisions:

1. Forge ahead with the new deck plans or be swayed by the siren call of the open-concept 100% paver patio (we loved the idea of bricking over the patio and then doing a step-down to a secondary level of pavers. Bricks everywhere!).

2. If we kept moving forward with the new deck, could we legally secure the footings to the existing concrete patio (we’d seen this on Holmes on Homes – love that burly Canuck!) or would we need to jack hammer the old patio so we could put in proper 42-inch deep footings.

I can tell you we’ve decided to stick with the original deck plan, but with a possible twist. Remember the prairie modern concept hubs came up with on day one of our demo adventure? Well, that’s illegal. Turns out, the city hates horizontal tension wires unless they are protected by glass or plexi-glass. Something to do with little kids climbing up horizontal railing like a ladder (and I ask – who is leaving these monkey children alone on decks? You ruined my aesthetic! Gaaawwwwd.). And vertical tension wire isn't structurally sound (pshaw), so that's out, too.




Thanks to Google, though, I've developed a new baluster crush:

Tinted glass! Too bad these puppies are wicked pricey. Anywho, we're now awaiting the quote from our lumber place before we decide exactly how classed-up this deck shall be. Honestly, I'm sure the wood (big), metal (better) or glass (best!) will look great, so we'll get let the moolah do the deciding.

We also had to ask the dear permit folk if we could attach our footings to the existing patio or if we need to jackhammer – turns out, we’d be fine if the patio was 12 inches deep (ours is a measly four). We're getting quotes now from dudes with jack hammers to see if the DIY route would really save us that much.

So, our momentum slowed a bit yesterday and we just planted some herbs. Add this to rain in the forecast for this weekend and we are experiencing a serious setback on the deck front. At least we have a usable patio and some cheap lawn chairs. I suppose we should enjoy this break before the hard work begins, right?

Tonight - we're hoping to avoid the rain and get the pile of deck scraps loaded up with our neighbor, who has graciously agreed to haul them to wherever piles of unloveable wood go.

What’s been your biggest remodel set back? Tell me we aren’t alone here!