It has been ages since we’ve done any real work on Pen Y Llechwedd, other than regular repairs and maintenance. We actually made a decision to do nothing on the house for a period of time, as the Builder was going through a difficult time, and needed to focus on his health. Taking the time off has meant that he is feeling excited about working on our home again, which isn’t easy when you’ve been doing the same work all day every day for 20+ years. Coming home to do the same on the weekend, has never been high on either of our lists. But with rest has come a refresh and we’re ready to begin again with a back deck revamp.
With our home being so old, a lot of the timber decking is due for replacing. First up is the back deck, where, as a family, we do most of our living. More excitedly though, we get to make some changes and add a few new features I just know you’re going to love!!
We will begin with changing some of the decking boards, and one of the joists. Once this foundation work is completed, we will raise the height of the handrails to the current legal height. When this deck was built, these handrails were quite legal, (and still are if not replaced) however I often feel nervous when the kids are on the deck, and we’ve agreed to replicate what is there with new, higher handrails.
Next up will be the second new addition with an outdoor kitchen, only we’re going to do it on a really tight budget. We’ve been issued a challenge by a reader to start showing you how we do what we do, and with this challenge in mind, we’re going to repurpose an old kitchen and add it to the deck.
Photo by Hannah Puechmarin Styling by Rachael Honner
Our third new addition has us exploring screening options with Half Price Blinds. We’re really excited about this, and while we don’t want to screen out all of our deck, we would like a little more privacy.
Finally, we’re updating the furniture to be more in keeping with our decorating style. This will involve us sourcing and repurposing furniture to make it right for our space.
All of which is going to be done on a really tight budget, to show you just how you could make the same improvements at home. We’re going to create some easy to follow tutorials including videos where we can, you’ll even get to see me with my sleeves rolled up getting stuck into the DIY!!
So be sure to follow along as we take the blog on a slightly new journey and share with you our top tips, tutorials and all our expert knowledge along the way.
Do you have an area in your home you’d like to improve? Got a DIY job you’d love advice on?
Nicole xxx
