Decking out the Deck

When it starts raining inside your house, you know its probably not going to be a quick or easy fix. In our case, it took several months to find and fix the leak, but we ended up with a huge bonus – a living vertical garden privacy wall and a custom roof deck.

We had a leak in our guest room (2nd floor) and kitchen (1st floor) and after many opinions, quotes, estimates, and second opinions, we realized we had to remove the roof deck over the guest room to replace the roof underneath.

The small roof deck was accessible through the master bedroom on the 3rd floor and is about the same size as our guest room. I really enjoyed the space and had the windows and doors open to this area whenever the weather permitted. I had some small plants and some furniture I bought on clearance at the end of the season (always love a good sale!). My neighbors on either side have similar decks that border mine, one is in very good shape and the other…. is a bit of an eye sore.

Because of the way the original deck had been installed (fast and cheap), it could not be taken apart and put back together. Bummer! I put up a craigslist ad for free used materials and a local church and farm were able to come pick up the dismantled decking materials to use in some community projects. Much better than the contractor hauling them away (for a fee) and dumping in a landfill!

I did a lot of research about decking materials and ended up using an Azek deck board in gray from a local lumber shop and then customized the railings to be a combination of gray and white. I wanted post caps with lights but couldn’t bring myself to get the Azek caps at $120 a piece, so I ordered some solar caps on Amazon for less than half and love the way they look.

I sketched out a photoshop file of what I wanted for a privacy wall to hide the eyesore next door (see image in gallery) and my contractor was able to build it for us. I then bought some planter holders and planters from Amazon and at a local Target and filled them with plants from Lowes. Its now my favorite spot in/on the house for morning coffee, hanging out with Rylee, reading, and having after dinner drinks with my husband. Last week we ordered a pizza and enjoyed it on the roof for some starlight outdoor dining.

Please view the gallery below for before, in progress, and after. Do you have an outdoor space at your home that you love? Please share in the comments below.