So when we bought the cabin it came with these little temporary steps. The steps were ok but since the cabin is so high off the ground they were always a little scary to go up and down. It was a really big step at the top and Logan couldn’t get up and down them himself. Shannon even fell down them one time! We knew we had to build a better solution ASAP before one of us got really hurt. I really wanted to build a deck and expand our living space. We love to come home and sit outside while we do Tristan’s homework and we never really had a good place to do that. Well, you know me, I don’t do anything small so I came up with plans, a shopping list, and Shannon and I took a week off of work and knocked it out. I am so happy with the way it turned out and I hope our future guests will enjoy it as well!
Here was the before:
We started on a Saturday morning with the footings. To save time we decided to go with these deck foot anchors you drill in to the ground instead of digging holes and doing concrete footings. These things were a little pricey but the time we saved made them worth it for sure! They will also help protect the wood by keeping it above ground.
These things definitely took some work though! Each one took about 30 minutes to get in the ground and level. The nice thing though was we could start building right away instead of waiting for concrete to dry! Score!
After a small snag with needing longer boards and a very long trip to multiple stores we finally started the frame at about 5pm and worked until after dark to get the supports done on the first section so we could lay some plywood up there to get in to the cabin!
The next morning we were up at dawn and got started on the deck boards. My parents were nice enough to watch Logan for us on Saturday and Sunday so we could get the most dangerous parts out of the way. Tristan was a big helper though!
Decking was s low process since I was using a hidden fastener system but it was work it to not have a bunch of screw holes in the deck.
The next morning we had Logan back and we were ready to knock out the railings and some more finishing touches.
We had to make another trip to the store for more wood and screws!
Sometimes you have to just nap where you can! LOL. Poor Logan…
Back the the house Logan kept himself busy by building a track for his dump truck out of wood. Future engineer maybe??
Finally we were ready to build the steps. The steps took a lot of logistics and work. I knew I wanted them to be as wide as the deck so that they would be nice and safe.
And here is the finished product!
Next I just have to sand and stain it. We are still deciding whether or not to add a roof. If we decide not to then we will be cutting those posts off. Shannon votes yes… I am on the fence =P Eventually there will be lattice around the bottom too but right now it works well as a garage for all the boys cars. haha.
May Family Adventures 