All last year we had planned to build a small deck on the front and the back of the cabin. It never happened partially because the main preoccupation was on my depression and recovering from that. While I wish we had built it, in some ways I am glad it won’t happen because our 2012 idea is quite a bit better than our 2011 one.
Our neighbours have a cute small deck out front of their cabin and we are thinking of something like that but after thinking about it, we do want a bigger space to go out and sit on. Our idea for a 8×8 deck was enlarged to a 8×12 deck. It’s not that big but we don’t have that large of cabin either. We weren’t going to build a railing on it but after thinking about it, we will have a 4 foot high railing on it with 1×6 horizontal boards that with an inch between them. The idea is privacy and an extension of our living space, not a wide open deck. At the same time with Adirondack chairs out there, an umbrella, and a table, it will be inviting enough to entertain on.
On the back of the deck, the plan is to put a 8×10 deck out there. It’s not a big deck but it’s a small space we want to put it. Off the deck we will put down some patio stones but for the wooden part of the deck, it will just be 80 square feet. We will but the same railing on the back deck as we will for the front of the deck. Again it will be provide some privacy while still being a deck. It will be more of an outdoor eating area for us in the evenings. We will put the barbecue out there on it’s own platform (and underneath a barbecue gazebo). It’s a little more private out there and a good place to take in the evenings at Arlington Beach.
The fire pit will remain where it is. It was never designed to be permanent but I bought a washer machine drum for only $8. We dug up some large rocks from the beach, surrounded the fire pit with them and then put some smaller ones in the inside which means that it generates a lot of heat. We have come to rather enjoy it. The plan is to surround it with some crushed rock and then use some patio stones to encircle it all which will give a solid base around it to sit on. It will kind of look like a more random version of this small garden.
The good news is that even with both decks, it isn’t that much wood so it will only take one trip out to the lake to bring it all. The patio stones will come later a couple at a time.
I guess I forget to mention that we are adding the loft into the cabin this summer. It will be 14 by 8 and will be a bedroom for Mark and Oliver. We need to get it installed before we start insulating. It should be fun and will add a couple hundred feet more usable space. I am looking forward to it even if it will be a bit of work.