Should you roof your deck?
Last time we talked about deck flooring and balustrades. With the flooring and balustrades in place your deck is ready to use. But one vital question remains – to roof or not to roof? Installing a roof isn’t just about protecting your deck from the climate. In fact, as long as you’ve properly weatherproofed your […]
Our Natural Swimming Pond Build: Location, Location, Location
We live on 100 acres, so technically, we could have located our swimming pond in a thousand different locations. The reality however was that we needed the pond close to the house. Not all of our children are water safe, so we either swim with them, or stay at the waters edge. My husband and […]
How to build your own natural swimming pond – Part 2
In our earlier post we covered the basics of building a natural swimming pond (NSP). If you didn’t catch the post, you can find it here. As promised, today is all about getting your hands dirty. So let’s move the chooks and the yurt – well maybe not the yurt – and get started… Layout Don’t […]
Our Natural Swimming Pond Build: In The Beginning…
So, what possesses a woman with a three, four and six year old to decide to build a natural swimming pond? Well believe it or not, it was a picture on The Owner Builder Network Facebook page that started the ball rolling. Two of our children have disabilities and “swimming” a.k.a. playing with […]
How to build your own natural swimming pond
We got great feedback when we introduced you to the ultimate swimming pond. If you missed the post, you can read it here. We live in a climate where being able to ‘take a dip’ is almost obligatory. But, if you’ve had a pool previously, you know that it’s not all fun! Pools are expensive to install […]
Deck Flooring and Balustrades: 2 Important Aspects of Deck Building
It’s time to install your deck flooring and balustrades. So far we’ve covered everything from planning right through to your footings and joists. Today we’ll be tackling a challenge involving two important aspects of deck building. Deck Flooring These deck members (the floor slats) are installed on top of the deck joist. Aside from simply […]
Putting Down your Footings and Joists
In the previous post we discussed deck site preparation. Hopefully you’re ready to move forward? Now that your deck site is ready you can begin the construction. The first thing you need to do is establish your footings. These form the support structure of the deck. Regardless of how tight your budget may be, this […]
Preparing your deck site
In our previous posts you’ve had a crash course on the basic construction processes involved in deck building. Now that you’ve got the basics down you can begin the construction of the deck. But before you put your hands on any tools you need to prepare the deck site. Dealing with wood boring Insects Is […]
It’s your deck. Choose your materials…
Now that you’re done designing your deck it’s time to move on to the next stage. You might be thinking that you’re ready for the construction stage but hold your horses there’s still a little more preparation to be done. You first have to determine the materials you want to make your deck from. These […]
Your Deck – Design and Function
In the previous article we talked about the decking checklist. Have you developed your own checklist yet? Why not share it and your thoughts and ideas by commenting below. You’ll be helping others by doing so. Now, let’s move on to the next stage… Now that you know what to consider before starting your […]