Back Yard Privacy Screen

I ran across a new blog today called Aubrey and Lindsay. This couple did something that I just found completely BRILLIANT! They have a chain link fence which they built privacy screens and planted plants to camouflage the chain link fence. The result is a beautiful retreat.

See their tutorial here. We definitely want to pursue this project this spring/summer. We've always talked about what we should do with THAT side of the yard.

Deck Complete!

I woke up early this morning and finished up the deck. It looks amazing.



I'm so glad it's done and over with!

Still Staining

I hope to have this done by tomorrow.

Staining the Deck...still

Yup, I'm still at it...



Plank by plank...


It's been very buggy outside and I've been bitten up all over again. The best time to do this is during the early morning. I hope to have this finished by the weekend.

I got carded...

...for buying spray paint at Home Depot. The sales clerk asked to see ID because "You have to be 18 to buy spray paint." I handed her my ID and she said, "Oh, wow! You look like you're 17! That's a good thing for when you're older." Well, thanks! Now gimme my spray paint so I can go home and get high!

I needed the spray paint to paint this old love seat. My sister in law was ready to toss this love seat. Since our house is pretty much a collaboration of good will, we took it and gave it a new finish with some spray paint.







I have to go back and get more spray paint because 1 can wasn't enough. Maybe I'll bring my mom this time!

August 13th, 2006 - Refinishing the Deck

We love our deck. It's wide, spacious, and has an overhang for shade (future bar area). It wraps around the back of the house nicely, has 2 stair cases, and 3 points of entry. Before the summer was up, we wanted to reseal/stain the deck to protect it from the winter and most importantly...THROW A PARTTTTTYYYYY!

This task was a process, so don't expect to get it done in one weekend.

1. Powerwashing:
Time: 2 weekends, 1 person
Before (left) and After (right)
Be cautious not to over do it. You can damage the deck or overdry the wood.





2. Sanding:
Time: 1 day, 1 person, 23 splinters
"I feel like the Karate Kid! Wax on Wax off"~Keith

"That's Japanese!"~Anita

"Except HE was doing it by hand." ~Dennis


3. Sealing/Staining:
Time: 4 hours, 3 people
Not too bad. Just a little messy and sticky. We used Behr Stain/Sealer in "Cedar".






Drum roll please...
Presenting the finished product! Look, even the sky opened up for us!