Ryan and I (OK, entirely Ryan) finally got around to bringing a long-discussed project to fruition.
We built a deck in our side yard!
So, to preface this. Yes, we rent. Ryan and I don’t see home ownership in our immediate future (we’re both federal government employees and are in no way capable of buying a home in Flagstaff, where prices start at like, $500k for a two bed, one bath) but, we’re also in our 30s and want to enjoy the things we’d be enjoying if home ownership was within reach.
Like… drinking morning coffee on a deck.
Our apartment is really unique in that it’s ground-level and has a little teeny tiny side yard. When we both first moved here, we started brainstorming ideas for our yard. (A garden? A dining set? Storage?) One of the ideas we tossed around was a high-end inflatable/ foam hot tub, and to do that, we knew we’d need a platform of some kind.
The platform idea kind of evolved over time, and next thing I knew, Ryan had his measuring tape out.
His parents came over a few days ago, and Ryan and his dad made a few trips to Home Depot and our local building supply stores to buy lumber and footings.
Because — like I said — we rent, Ryan built the entire deck as a free-standing entity that can be deconstructed and removed once our lease ends.
I was a little unsure of the idea when Ryan pitched it (so much work and money for a rental!) but now that our deck is in place… I LOVE it!
It’s made our small yard feel so much bigger. Instead of rocks and weeds, we have a usable platform that makes our side yard’s footprint so much bigger.
And… WE CAN SEE THE PEAKS!
Our apartment has a wonderful view of the San Francisco Peaks from our front porch.
Unfortunately, our side yard is surrounded on all sides by a six-plus-foot wooden fence — so while we were able to enjoy the view of the mountains from our front porch and living room window, we couldn’t enjoy it from our side yard.
But, now thanks to our deck, we can sit down and still see the peaks from our yard.
We broke it in right away by hanging a projector screen on the side of our apartment and hosting movie night with some friends over the weekend.
SO fun!
Now that our deck is in place, we’re trying to figure out how to best use it. While we’d originally planned on using it as a platform for a hot tub, I’ve kind of fallen in love with using it for morning yoga.
We also really enjoyed movie night with our friends, and Ryan and I now spend evenings out here reading, dining and talking.
Plus, a hot tub would sit lower than a couch, so we wouldn’t be able to see the peaks from it.
So, I’m kind of leaning away from hot tub and more toward outdoor sectional? Or a dining set?
Give us your opinions! We would probably get more use out of an outdoor sectional, but the hot tub would be usable year-round. And, considering Ryan is gone most of every summer for fire assignments, he would probably get more use out of a hot tub.
Regardless of what we go with, we’re still working on improving our little side yard! Our garden is taking off, and we’ll be getting more seating and astro-turf out here, as well as some fun decorations and plants.
I can’t wait to spend more summer nights out here!
