BACKYARD
Step 1
THE FENCE
Over 400 Linear Feet
The first thing we need to take care of is this fence. It is falling apart. There are weeds growing over top of it and inside it. It was not maintained and it has become an eyesore. The gates don't close and there are missing pickets, so replacing it is necessary - especially to protect our dog Biscotti. We have plans for a pool so we made sure the fence will be "pool compliant" right from the get-go. That means all gates will be self closing and the fence sections will all face the same direction.
We decided to go with a cedar fence rather than pressure treated lumber. Cedar can last 50 years when maintained properly and will look beautiful once stained/sealed. My plan is to let the cedar and posts cure until after the pool is in and then stain the fence with a tinted water seal for cedar.
The fence is over 400 linear feet and turned out great. We wanted to keep the top of the fence level all the way around, so there are some gaps at the bottom where the ground dips a little. This was bound to happen with a fence of this size. We'll have to get some fill dirt and put it in the gaps. Right now there are some pickets screwed in at the bottom in certain areas to close the gap. This will keep the dog from escaping and keep other critters out. When they come to dig the pool we will have plenty of dirt to fill the gaps.
THE FENCE - 6 MONTHS LATER
I've let the fence cure over the last six months and it's now ready to be cleaned and stained.
After a ton of research we decided to use Ready Seal in light oak. It has very light pigmentation, goes on easy and should last a while. Another good thing about this product is that when I'm ready to redcoat in a few years I can just reapply this without stripping the fence.
I bought just one gallon to test it out. I have a professional grade sprayer that I'm going to use for the whole project, but for the test I'm using a small Wagner handheld sprayer.
I'm pretty happy with the result. It's not too dark and has a matte finish so it makes the cedar look like fresh wood - Just like it did in the instal pics.
Next I'll give the cedar a few days to really dry out after it's wash. Plus, this fence is about 3000sqft and I'm going to need 17 gallons of stain. I can't get that much at Home Depot, so I had to order it online. Then I'll be ready to start spraying.
18 gallons of stain later and the entire fence is finished. It turned out really good and looks like a fresh cedar fence. This stain should last quite a few years and when it's ready to be stained again I can apply it directly on top of this coat.
Step 2
THE SHED
One of the first things to do is to install a shed. I need a place to work on the many projects and unfortunately there isn't a garage (yet). Eventually this shed will be turned into the pool equipment house holding all pool supplies, pool rafts, outdoor chair cushions, extra lighting etc... but for now it will be what I wok out of and hold all of my power tools, paint, stain, screws, nails etc..
The shed is 12'x10' and has a loft and built in work bench. This should be enough room for most of the basic projects. Right now I'm just going to run extension cords in order to have power, but when the pool is built we will run power directly to it.
HAVE A VISION
It's not much to look at right now, but you have to have a vision on what it will look like. I make mockups of a lot of my remodeling and this shed is no exception.
The first thing to do is figure out the colors and paint. The landscaping will come much later. I'm going to try and contain myself from buying any plants until the pool is finished because I don't want to plant anything that will have to get torn up later.
The image above is my mockup of the finished shed. The black paint is the same Greenblack from Sherwin Williams that I've already started using on the painted window trim inside. Eventually it will also be the color of the trim and facia on the outside of the main house, so both the shed and house work together. The cedar flower box connects the shed to the cedar fence, and the shake shingles on the house. The small deck is painted the same color as the main deck.
We would love to have natural flagstone pavers to create the pathway. We've always wanted a flagstone path and this seems like the most logical place to install one.
PAINT - SHED
SHERWIN WILLIAMS
Greenblack - Flat Finish Duration
Because we're using this black as the window trim inside the house, it will also be the window trim on the outside. Eventually all of the trim on the outside of the house will be this color, so we wanted the shed to work in unison with that.
PAINT - TRIM
SHERWIN WILLIAMS
Rock Bottom - Flat Finish Duration
We repainted all of the windows, doors and trim, along with the bar this beautiful black from Sherwin Williams. It also matches any of the other painted molding in the house.
For now I'm just running an extension cord for power. Because the future pool pump will be behind the shed, power will need to be run for that and we're planning on running power to the shed at the same time so we don't have to do it twice. At that time I'll add interior and exterior lighting.
I also have a pretty nice work table, but for now we're using it as an island in the kitchen. So a 6' fold out table will be a temporary fix.. Eventually, when we remodel the kitchen, the work table will make its way to the shed.
Fill dirt from digging the pool will be used around the shed to level the yard around it. At that point I will build the small deck under the window. For now, this project is completed as much as it can be.
DEMO
We need to remove the old fireplace/grill. It's falling apart, leaning and is actually a hazard. Besides, it's too close to the house to use and is taking up a lot of space.
Removing this monster will double the usable patio space.
All of these floor bricks will be removed and replaced with the matching pavers used for the pool deck. There will be a pathway from this porch over to the pool.
THE DECK
We love the footprint of the deck, but it is bad shape. Our plan is to remove the railing completely, sure up any wood rot under the deck and put brand new floorboards in. After that's complete, I'll stain the whole thing. Later, once the pool is complete, we will run stairs along the entire length of the deck so you can access it anywhere from the pool area.
We want to completely remove the railing for a couple reasons. It will open up the backyard even more, and if left, it will block the views of the pool from inside the house.
We found a bunch of balls from the previous owners' children under the deck... Luckily no skeletons.
There was only a tiny bit of dry rot under the floorboards. We had to replace just one. Every single board was then flipped so the new floorboards will be screwed into fresh wood.
Almost there...
We will leave the old steps in place for now. Once the pool is finished and the pavers are in place, we will replace these steps with new steps that run the full length of the deck. We don't want to do that now in fear of them getting messed up during pool demo.
One of our little changes are the steps that lead out from the Library doors. The entrance to the crawlspace is under the deck right below where those steps are (Below Pic). The only way to access it before was to remove multiple floorboards of the deck. These new steps are locked in place, but can easily slide out of the way revealing access to the crawlspace under the house.
After letting the pressure treated lumber dry out for a few months it's ready to stain. You must let the wood dry out otherwise the stain won't soak in and you will have a mess on your hands.
I'm using a tintable oil based stain from Benjamin Moore. I want to use oil based for a couple of reasons.
The first and most important is that the oil based stain will soak into the wood. Water based stains sit on top of the wood. This can lead to peeling, especially in this hot Florida climate.
The next reason is fading. All stains fade. That's the nature of stain. Hopefully the oil based stain will fade in more of a uniform fashion compared to water based.
First I pressure washed the deck and made sure to use a tip that wouldn't damage the wood. I had the stain tinted black and I used a deck pad for the tops of the boards and a small paintbrush for the cracks. I worked 2 boards at a time and slowly made my way across from left to right.
It's important to only use one coat and get it correct right from the beginning. The wood can only soak up so much stain. A second coat would not soak in and it would just sit on top of the wood causing mildew and peeling. This is the biggest mistake people make and why so many exterior stains have poor reviews.
Now I'll let it dry and cure for at least 7 days before putting anything on it. This May Florida sun should bake it into the wood nicely.
