Outdoor Renovations - Year one

Since we bought our home in France five years ago we have neglected our yard and our deck.  There just wasn't any energy or time to deal with them.  Now that we are retired, we have begun a three year plan of our outdoor renovations.

So far, the gutters have been replaced, the back fence facing the road has been replaced, and work on the new deck is well on its way.

In fact, the new deck has been an ongoing project for a month now.  The demolition of the old deck, the disposal of the wood (still not all gone) and the new construction have me on pins and needles.  I can't wait for it to be over and I cannot believe it has taken this long.

Old deck demolition, railing already ripped out.

My two men hard at it.

Our boy D. is a conscientious worker. 

Making holes for the deck supports

A lot of clay in the foreground from the hole digging.  See the
huge pile of wood from the deck and the back fence?

Back yard faces south

Having said that, our carpenter Andres is an real artisan, a man who works slowly but steadily and especially, meticulously.  What a gift it is to hire someone who works really well!   Will give you another update next weekend and then we'll be off to France for 10 weeks!

More on the new deck to come!

Bonne journée,

Stella