Shop All
Store Locator
Search
Order Status
Log In
List
CartPlanning Our New Deck & Tearing Out Our Old One
Spring is here and we find ourselves bursting with excitement to begin our new deck project! After we completed our major kitchen renovation we knew the back deck was next. It wasn’t just ugly, it was also unsafe. In fact, when the Home Hardware Home Installs team was helping with our kitchen reno they said we shouldn’t even stand on it! So we locked the doors and immediately started planning our new deck. From an operation standpoint, tearing out the old one came first. Here’s How we did both.
The Big Picture Plan
We decided the footprint of the old deck didn’t need to change very much. We’ll extend the bottom platform by a few feet but it will remain the same L-shape design. The top balcony will also extend by a couple of feet to better align with the side of the house.
Adding Stairs & New Railings
The lack of stairs has always been an issue. If we BBQed on the top deck we’d have to carry food through the whole house to get to the patio, and letting our pooch out was a pain because the only access was through my office. So a solid set of stairs was non-negotiable. They will come directly off the top level with a small landing where they’ll turn to meet the bottom deck. It also means extra space under the second story for deck boxes and outdoor storage! Also, we live 100 feet from the ocean but you’d never know it sitting on our deck! The thick plank railings block out pretty much everything. So, non-negotiable #2 was new railings that offer a scenic view of the sea.
Adding Our Own Personal Style
Our new living space also needed to reflect our personal tastes and lifestyle. We wanted the open area to be a friendly hangout with loungers, a coffee table, and a sightline to the new sandbox. The top level will be all about food, with a charcoal grill and a harvest table for family dinners. As for the little ‘nook’ area beneath the balcony, I’m thinking that could be an Erin space: a blissful hideout for early mornings with my coffee to just ease into the day (don’t tell the kids!).
Tearing Out Our Old Deck
There’s something so incredibly satisfying about watching a dilapidated structure come down knowing it’s going to be replaced with something beautiful. First, we had to clear everything out of the demolition zone, including the garden hose, deck boxes, planters, and our vehicles. Then we started with the balcony level, chopping the boards into somewhat manageable pieces and loading the debris into a large dumpster. Working with the Home Hardware Home Installs team meant I didn’t have to do any of the coordinating of the crews, contractors, or dumpster drops and pickups.
Digging the New Footings
Although technically not part of “teardown”, we had the same crew dig the footings for the new deck. They used a helical drill (basically a large super digger-drill) to ensure the footings for the new deck were at the right depth. This also saved the construction crew from having to hand dig the holes and helped to speed up the whole process.
