Back Deck...9 months later...

Well, "we" (meaning Paul) started building our enormous back deck last October, and this weekend we (again, meaning Paul) had hoped to finish it. But Lowe's didn't have more of the roofing material that we wanted, so we couldn't get it done. So for now it's on hold, but I've had requests for pictures of the deck so here they are.

Here's the whole deal so you can get the perspective of size (in relation to Paul). I like that you can see my shadow in the grass (as I'm standing in the cow pasture), and my shadow looks tall in comparison. :)

As you can see, we only have about 1/3 of the roof on.

The roofing material is "smoke" colored polycarbonate plastic - made by Tuftex if you're interested. It's UV proof, crack proof, damage proof, yada yada yada. Supposed to be great stuff. I like that it lets light through. We're going to put 2 more rows of the smoke colored panels on, and then the rest will be a white opaque panel. Basically the same material, but lets less light through (although it won't completely block out the light). But it should help with the summer heat (we think). That's the plan anyway. First we have to find a hardware store that has the white opaque panels in stock. That was the hold up today.

Here's the view from the roof. (Paul took this picture, as I do not climb on roofs).

Here's Paul putting the first panel up. Again, I am on the ground. I don't climb up on roofs. But I did help get all the stickers off the panels. It involved lots of "Goo Be Gone" because the stickers had gotten wet, and then the paper separated from the glue. It was a big mess, so I'm glad the labels were only about 3x4 inches big.

And of course I have to include pics of the rest of our family enjoying the deck. Chessie likes the shade, and until the roof is finished, will probably prefer the mud underneath the deck. Hopefully when the roof is done and we have shade all over the deck, she'll enjoy the top of the deck more.

And Flurry is definitely more interested in what's beyond the deck in the cow pasture. So it will be interesting to see how bold she becomes as she explores. Yesterday she tried to get about half-way under the barbed wire fence between the cow pasture and our yard. Technically her wireless collar will allow her to go under the fence, but not very far, so I'd like her to think that the fence is the limit. We'll see.

And Paul didn't want to let me get away without a picture of what I wore into the cow pasture to get the pictures. But if you've ever walked into a cow pasture before, you'll understand exactly why I put these boots on, despite the lack of rain. :)

I guess we should give credit for the deck to all parties involved. Matt Wall (a fellow Virginian living in Texas at the camp) is probably the reason why this deck is still standing, and why it is almost finished 9 months after starting it instead of 2 years. Thanks Matt!!!!