Back Deck Living...From Grungy to Gorgeous

Submitted to Community Chat

Summer before last some may remember I entered the $5,000 Outdoor Transformation Challenge but didn't win....but that didn't stop me from turning my back deck into a useable living area. The transformation did take almost a year but it is complete (well almost). We contracted to have a roof built over half of the deck and what a transformation that made just in the amount of shade we now have. At the end of last summer, I purchased sofa cushions on clerance that I used on the sofa I built. I used plans from Rogue Engineer (love their plans) but put my own design into the plans. Everything else we used to complete the space was found on sale (I never purchase anything unless it is on sale). 

The black metal dining set was painted using Rustoleum Painter's Touch spray paint and moved to the far end of the deck where we can entertain all of our kids when they come to visit. The "cat house" you can see in the before picture on the far side of the dining table was cleaned and the top stained with Varathane Wood Stain  and sealed with Varathane Spar Urethane so it can be used as a table (the cats still enjoy the inside and we enjoy the outside).

When we remodeled our laundry room, we removed the door that once lead to the deck and instead of trying to cover the area with siding that may look like there was a door there once, we built a storage cabinet for our grilling supplies and outdoor sound system.

The deck was refreshed with Rustoleum Restore. The curtain rods are metal electrical conduit and fittings spray painted with Rustoleum Universal in hammered black. You can find directions for them here.

This next summer, I plan on building an outdoor kitchen to house our gas grill and griddle.

This has been one of the best improvements we have done to our house. When the weather is nice, we spend more time outside in our new outdoor living area than indoors.