Man v. Deck, Continued

I made a lot of progress on the deck over the weekend. In fact, I was able to pull up a chair and sit on it Saturday. There's still some aesthetic work to be done: filling in the holes in the ground around it, staining it, and modifying the garden so that the deck feels like it's been there a while. I used pressure treated wood and read online that I need to wait 1-2 months before staining it.

Other than digging the hole - which I could have skipped altogether (and probably will next time!) - this was an easy project. I'm glad I discovered concrete deck piers because using them made all the difference.

I'll probably avoid most other outdoor projects until the weather cools. It's crazy that in ten minutes time outside working on this I was covered in sweat. I do have a small roofing job I want to do at one of the properties. I've never replaced shingles but I'm looking forward to learning how.

Here's a breakdown of my deck project:

• Materials: $248.42 (doesn't include staining or landscaping)
• Time spent digging hole: 40+ hours
• Time spent constructing deck: ~10 hours