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Like many plants Steve and I like "partial sun". We built this deck open to the stars at night, but put a nice shade roof over one small section above the outdoor bar area. The fireplace makes for a very cozy evening spot for a sip of wine and some nice music. The antique RR lanters are filled with citronella for any wayward insects.
To the right of the chair in the foreground is the potting table.
Next to the bar, on the right hand side...is that a mirror? With a flower box? I am planning on making something very similar this winter for my Mother. She has a very similar area in her backyard. Very nice patio you have!
It is an antique mirror and in dire need of repair, not sure it will make it another season. It hangs over a brick flower bed about 12'x6'. I put annuals in there each year to change the color scheme unlike my other perennial beds.
haighr, Your open to the sun porch is terrific. I too have one planned for a guest cottage/Carriage House on our property. The stars here are just awesome since we're so far from a town. Do you have your planks resting on pillars to keep the ground moisture away from the planks? I might be able to get away with that kind of lay-out here since we have only 9 inches of annual rainfall. Our plan is is to have a pergola with wisteria over a slightly raise plank deck surrounded by flagstones made of sandstone. The deck portion will be 20-25% of the entire area.
Ours is built on a wood foundation, you could drive a tractor trailer over it without even a shake as it has ample concrete footers even though it is ground level.
weed, that is a fabulous setting, would love to come over some time.
Would love to see the final project photo, sounds very nice for a cottage house. Please be sure to post.
haighr, Even in MD where the rainfall and humidity are twice what I experience ... your deck/patio should last a long, long time. My guess is you used chemically & pressure treated 4X4's laid on a few cement piers that are in each trench spaced a couple feet apart. About the only thing to be a little concerned about might be the top layer of wood planks (2X6's) eventually developing some rot ... 10-15 years with the normal precipitation or over spray from watering. Even then they should be easy to replace. Really well built ... for sure and is so very well built (looks great too). Our sunny spots are a few ;eg. picnic tables w/ umbrellas or in wicker chairs around the fire pit next to the Oak or just off either of the porches. We're mostly concerned with shady spots & wind sheltered locations since the sun shines brightly here 85% of the days and the wind blows here a bit more than the average region. We need porches or awnings ... and pergolas are pretty to hide under. We're not too picky ... just gonna get something more than what we have.
You thought correct phtographer. Believe ours will last a lifetime, at least ours LOL. We have another that our hottub is on and it is equally as well constructed. Many many footers under these decks. It is pressure treated decking boards and they are really tight together. We power wash them about every other year and then treat them with olympic clear coat.
haighr, Your deck will likely last close to 30 years or more given the care you mention. I really love aged wood. Our property has a few really and old dilapidated "out buildings" that are in need of upgrading. I've been using the aged wood that is in some cases just barely hanging on the buildings and replacing the planks with OSB.
We love the old wood as well. We do wood artwork and make a lot of the frames from old barnwood. Thirty years is probably longer than we will be using it! Would love to see some pics of your extra buildings, can you restore any for guest houses or play houses? We don't have anything like that.
