When the Cat's Away...

 
So... long time no posts. I know, bad blogger, but I really needed some 'me time' as my sister would say. With the school year coming to an end and all that entails, -until you teach you will never appreciate summer vacation as much as I do- I was in serious need of some R & R. But alas I return with lots to share!!

As promised way back when, the hus and I have finally started, and almost finished our lovely back deck pergola. Here is the sketch for the project, courtesy of yours truly (Art teacher, remember...):

This is what our deck looked like before on any given blazin' hot Georgia day:

 

{ Don't you just love how many of our neighbor's homes you can see...}

Not only was it murder on your sweat glands, but our bedroom that looks out onto the deck is a good 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house because of the sunlight coming in. A pergola would not only give us a nice chill spot but also a cool nest to sleep in.

Our Pergola How-To

1. Take off railings in order to replace yucky posts with more support and height.

2. Add 8ft. 4x4' posts and reattach railings.

3. Screw backer boards to house, cut decorative ends to beams and attach to posts.

4. Fill in the rest of the beams. Add louvered beams for added privacy and more shade.

Here is what we have at the moment. We are still going to add smaller cross beams to the top and I have 12 yds. of outdoor fabric to create even more privacy. More pictures to come...

But tell me: How do you think the Husband did on his first big carpentry project??

I'm biased but I think it's pretty awesome.