A side yard transformed with a covered timber deck festooned with lighting.
The project
We built an extended outdoor entertaining area. A warm space that connects our dining, garage and backyard. Somewhere where we can relax, read, sip wine, and or have cold drinks soaking up the sun during summer, and still be able to utilise the space in winter.
We were only able to work on this during weekends, so it took about 25 weekends in total to build. We also had to wait after staining and oiling the deck (6-8 weeks) to let it weather and settle.
Tools and materials
Materials used in the project:
Tools used in the project:
Steps
Step 1
Plan, design and draft drawings:
- Completed draft designs and measurements of the project for approval and permission requirements
- Dug required depth for posts and frames
- Used concrete to secure posts and frames
- Completed posts and frames.
Step 2
Decking and stain:
- Merbau decking and fence deck completed
- Bamboo screen completed
- First stain and oil applied
- Deck lights wired and installed.
Step 3
Roofing and D.I.Y. aluminium shutters:
- We decided to close off the side yard so it's also accessible in the rain
- Skylite roofing & D.I.Y. black aluminium shutters cut to required measurements, built, assembled and installed.
Step 4
Door installation:
- We bought the door secondhand from Gumtree to close off the side yard for safety purposes and to block the wind
- Built frame around the door so that the door can fit as required with no spaces.
Step 5
Extension:
- To make the space bigger and to create a seamless look, we decided to also deck the paved pebbles area
- Built an extra deck seating area attached to the deck fence (built the deck seat to be removable and adjustable).
Step 6
Shelves and small cupboard:
- We wanted to create an outdoor bar shelf and cupboard with chevron style cabinet doors. This was built to also hide the outdoor wires and electrical plugs
- We reused wood from a previous hutch we built for our pet rabbits. Therefore, we made use of the hutch to lessen wastage and recycle wood where possible
- Previous shelves repositioned to extended area from Step 5.
Step 7
Stain and paint:
- Cleaned all the deck, as well as roof and structure posts
- Sanded the deck where required
- Painted posts, door and deck with Merbau stain and oiled all the deck
- The family all chipped in for this work.
Step 8
Lights:
- Added more lights to brighten the area at night and so the space can also look more warmer and inviting
- Fairy lights (heavy duty) also added to the extended deck area.
Step 9
Decor:
- Assembled all the decor and laid out jute rug.
We absolutely love looking at this during night time. Love these additional fairy lights we hung. The added additional fairy lights as supposed to just having the festoon lights has made such a huge difference in lighting. It feels like we’re always under a starry, starry night.
This project took a lot of time, effort and sweat to complete. We admire all the projects we see in this forum. We definitely know the efforts and hard work each D.I.Y. takes to complete and it's so amazing we have this community to share, get ideas, help and tips.
Before and after
