The construction phase of the ground level deck is complete. After the initial construction was done we realized that the step off the deck was too high, particularly close to the main deck due to the grade. So we needed a railing to prevent accidents. We also needed a step down to ground level. The dogs decided that the gap around the egress window was too large and that they should be able to catch mice if they just tried to dig through the deck boards.
I started the process by building a step from the corner of the deck down to the yard. I built forms and then poured a concrete base. The first picture in the gallery shows Willow’s footprints through the wet concrete. Not a big deal because I placed large pavers on the base.
Once the steps were roughed in I then built a railing using a couple posts bolted to the frame, railings and balusters like the main deck.
Once the railing was done then I finished the paver step by putting smaller pavers along the concrete base to dress it up.
Then it was time to deal with the egress window. I used a simple frame around the window to close the gap. There is still air movement but now the dogs ignore the window.
The final step was to put the skirt boards around the base of the framing just to dress it up.
The only left to do is the staining and landscaping around the deck.
Update 9/5: The deck has been stained.
