Log Home Living: New Deck and Patio

Old vs new

I needed a new front deck. Upon purchasing the home, one of the things I knew I would need to replace was the front deck. It was 30 years old and in a state of deterioration. 

I did my research and decided on 3 things for the replacement deck. (1) Use of composite decking material to fiend off the infamous PacNw wet weather and make it a low maintenance affair; (2) Log railing to compliment the house; (3) Pour a concrete pad underneath, complete with walkway to the side door and a concrete planter box to add to the continuous look of the back of the cabin. I designed a new landing, and stairway. I simply didn't like how the old stairs jutted out into the drive. Instead, I had them wrap around and come down to the garage underneath the cabin, out onto the concrete pad. Additionally, I used 2 colors of decking. It is amazing what they can do with composite wood decks these days. Not only does it look like wood, but you can choose your colors. I designed the deck with a lighter color for the main walk areas and trimmed in a darker (think walnut). Although, I don;t have pics showing this, it came out really, really nice. On the first landing a I designed it so that access to the back is easy by making it a pass through to the back of the house.

The composite decking and log railings don't come cheap. But in the end, I think it added more than just purpose and convenience. It also added aesthetic value that one cannot put a price tag on. 

Main Deck demolished and the new framing installed

Setting up forms for the concrete pour.

Here we see them spreading the concrete in front of the garage

That's right, make it nice and smooth

Let it cure a bit, and then add sugar on top so that they can exposed the aggregate.

Concrete work done!

Finish the decking and added the railings.

NICE!!

Looks much better than the old shown here....

Next on the list. Ad faux rock around the foundation. Give it that rustic feel and hide the unsightly concrete foundation.

Until next time...

Exploring Washington State: Weekend Moto Camp in Conconully

Spring time in Washington means dusting off the bikes and exercising them a bit.
Even better when the North Cascades Highway opens and the temps are in the 70's. 

A road trip was in order.
Destination: Conconully Wa. Pop 210 people.

Leaving home we take the long way up... The Mountain Loop Highway

Looksha Lori and her new steed.

North Cascades Highway and Lori's bike she named Jethro

Great weather and great views

GrizzLee and Dazee (an F650GS Dakar)

Looking good... The bike that is.

The happy biker couple

Along the way, a 1936 Indian appears out of nowhere. A classic.

We rented a cabin at Conconully State Park

Lori putting the bikes to bed and tucking them in

Heading up to the Canadian Boarder we meet a big obstacle

Lori deems it unsafe

GrizzLee attempts to hold the boulder so that riders can pass safely

There, that's better, pushed it up and out of the way. Now motorists can safely pass.

Palmer lake just south of Loomis, Wa

More Palmer Lake

Return ride home... more snow in the passes

Looksha looking good. Say that 5 times really fast

We wanted to try out the new soft luggage from Wolfman. It all worked better than expected. It even made the bikes look more aggressive for the off road.

Out time was too short.. a weekend is not enough to explore this area. As it was, we wanted to explore more of the Washington Back Country Discover route. But severe fires from the past 2 years have made the roads un-passable at the moment with downed trees from the burns. Also, the good snow pack we got this year still had much of the route snowed it. As it was, we were able to ride some of the northern route up to the Canadian border. However, we vow to return with more time and clear roads in the near future.  

Until next time.... Keep the shiny side up.