We were busy bees this weekend. As some of you noticed in yesterday’s post, in the photo where John was pretending to be the deck, we had already started clearing the liriope, weeds, and other shrubs from the future deck area.
You might remember that we started with this:
The first step was to call Miss Utility to make sure digging and building a deck wouldn’t put us or the house at risk by hitting an electrical line, water pipe, or any other unseen hazard below ground. Fortunately, we got the all-clear. We transplanted the large bush that had been hugging the side of the house to a lonely spot on the left side of the house that really needed some greenery. It looks a little solitary for now, but it’s certainly better than nothing. These are Gold Dust bushes—the same variety that lines the bedroom addition and looks great—so we’re optimistic this new location will work well once it settles in and we add more.
Next came digging out the liriope. Joy. Not our favorite task, but at least we had moral support: Burger, who gave the classic “thankful I don’t have to do that” look while supervising.
It took a bit over an hour of digging—while Clara napped inside and we had the monitor by the doorway—before the space transformed from a tangled mess of plants to a clean, workable area. We moved the dug-up liriope to the side yard hoping some of it will take root there; that stuff is incredibly hardy and often spreads on its own. Under the balcony we also found a few pallets we plan to remove when we demo the balcony.
Clearing the liriope revealed another odd feature: a small arrangement of bricks, weeds, and lawn ornaments that we affectionately called “the AC shrine.” The layout didn’t make much practical sense—more like someone had repurposed leftover bricks into a little paved area with a stone pagoda at the center. Because of its curious placement right in front of the air-conditioning unit, and the mini-temple vibe of the stone pagoda, the name “AC shrine” seemed fitting.
There were no sacrificial trinkets to be found, but we did discover the bricks were laid two levels deep. That brought back memories of other times we’ve dug up bricks around the yard. After about 160 bricks were pulled, the area was finally cleared of all that old masonry. You might notice a stack of paver stones in the background; those are leftovers from the patio project and have been hiding there for about a year. We do have plans for them someday, even if we haven’t decided what exactly yet.
After several sweat-inducing wheelbarrow trips to move the bricks to a stockpile beside the carport—future use still undetermined but possibly helpful if we convert the carport into a garage—the area was officially cleared of bricks. A little more digging got most of the weeds out too, leaving the site much more ready for a deck than it was before.
There are still a few steps left before we can build: we need to relocate the paver collection, demo the existing balcony, and remove the pallets it’s currently hiding behind. But with the heavy lifting mostly done, the space feels like a real candidate for a proper deck.
Here’s what’s left on our to-do list:
- Continue weighing the pros and cons of different decking materials. We’ll share a detailed comparison once we decide on a direction.
- Get estimates for materials and labor so we have a clear budget.
- Take care of the permit requirements so the project is above board and safe.
And then the final, slightly terrifying step:
- Build the deck.
We’ll definitely keep you posted as things progress. We also called our power company to confirm that the electrical meters on the side of the house wouldn’t interfere with our deck plans. In some places meters must stay at a certain height so readers don’t have to crouch while accessing them, which can prevent decks from being built right in front of them. Fortunately, our meter readers were fine with crouching and confirmed access would not be an issue. One meter is no longer active, and the other will sit about 2.5 feet above the future deck’s bottom rail. Most meter reading is done remotely now, so as long as the meter can be accessed for service, that height works for us. We plan to paint any exposed meter area to help it blend in, like we did at our previous house.
Have you been clearing or digging areas around your home recently? Did you uncover anything interesting while working outside? At our first house we once found an old milk bottle cap, which we even hung on our gallery wall as a little memento of the find. If you’ve uncovered something more exciting—like a box of coins, gold bars, or a dinosaur bone—do tell.
P.S. In one of our quickest giveaways ever, we hit 10,000 entries within six hours of posting, so we’ve already announced this week’s winner. Thanks to everyone who entered and stayed tuned for future giveaways.