Each Little World: Decked

Decked

We've been talking about replacing our deck for years, but it was Mark's fall on its slippery surface last spring that finally made us take action. Mark took advantage of last week's lovely weather to get all the furniture off the deck and put away for winter while I emptied all the pots planted with Hostas and shrubs on the deck and around the garden. So we were prepared when the first workman showed up at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Tim tore off the old surface deck boards to reuse to construct horse jumps. That meant he also pulled out all the nails as he went, collecting a big bucketful.

He was on his way by mid-afternoon with all the good wood and left the rotted bits for the next guy to deal with.

Travis came the next morning to deal with the framework and the debris.

He cut the framework into shorter lengths to fit inside the company's pickup truck.

All the rest of the wood structure of the deck was out of the garden on Wednesday. Mark took advantage of the cleared space and raked up a few bags of decomposing leaves for me to use as mulch.

When you're removing a deck that has been in place for untold years, there's bound to be surprises — like a massive concrete stoop hidden within the wooden step from the house to the deck. It also appears as though the original patio is buried under years of dirt and leaves.