Deck Progress and Dreaming of Outdoor String Lights

Here is an update on our deck progress and our outdoor string of lights.

It’s been a wet spring.

Wet and cold.

The last couple of weeks have brought us a LOT of rain…

We were thankful to have a couple of dryer days early in the week so that our new vinyl deck surface could be applied. Our carpenter was here working on Sunday for 11 hours for a sudden and unexpected rebuild of part of our deck; and then we helped him finish it off by plywooding the surface, all in the hopes it would stay dry enough to apply the vinyl to in the morning.

And then… we woke up to rain. Not a ton, but enough that we had to delay things a day.

It dried up in the afternoon and my husband and father-in-law tarped the deck like it was nobodies business. It seriously looked like a giant blue circus tent. But it worked… and we were able to have our deck surface installers finish their part on Tuesday!

So we now have a safe, beautiful, and waterproof surface on the deck but no railings… those will be next.

Remember how rough it was looking before?? You can also see the part that we added on down at the end, so that it extends full length from our bedroom. The stairs will go off the end on the far side.

And here’s an iPhone snapshot of how it’s looking after this week…

I can’t wait to get the siding and soffits and railings all up and get this space finished off… but since I’ve got a while to wait, I’ve started to plan and dream about the finishing touches for our outdoor DIY projects.

Because why not start dreaming about and planning your outdoor decor and lighting choices when your yard and exterior are a complete construction zone, right?

Last week I shared some beautiful outdoor spaces that are inspiring my fire pit dreams, and I’ve found a few more that have me dreaming about creating a lovely canopy of lighting for the evenings.

I’m hoping that we will have our fire pit area up and functional by the middle of next week so that we can enjoy this area over the May long weekend.

Here’s the look I’m thinking of; tons of outdoor string lights!

Via Brooklyn Limestone

And maybe my all time favourite deck… Via Simple Stylings

Don’t you love the combination of string lights and outdoor lanterns?

The soft glow from above and below? I can’t wait for our fire pit patio to be ready to decorate!

But as I wait, I’ve gathered some beautiful options for outdoor string lights and lanterns for all of us who are looking to add that soft ambiance to our outdoor spaces this summer….