Decking out for comfort

 Here's the second of the side benches I have built on the upstairs deck. When the sun shines like it did today, this is a hot spot!

This bench seat faces south west and is ideal for enjoying afternoon tea in the sunshine.







This one faces south east and is a great spot to enjoy morning coffee.











This is the compacted gravel base for the patio. The next step is to add a layer of sand and then the pavers.

We're still figuring out what to do with the pile of topsoil. A problem many Cortes Islanders would love to have. 

Tonight we enjoyed our first meal of prawns caught in our own trap. Mmmmm:)

Progress on the patio and deck

 On my recent visit to Cortes I got Robbie and his amazing machine to do some excavation for our patio. (see below) And while he was at it, I got him to move some big rocks to add to the line of them along the driveway.







After Robbie did the digging, I had a load of gravel delivered as the base for the paving stone patio. Digging and spreading it around is heavier work than my back wants to handle, so I have a hired a young guy to do the grunt work. After the gravel, we will add an inch of sand and then the pavers. Should be fun!





 The next project was building the railing for the upstairs balcony. I used tempered glass sheets that were recycled from old patio doors and cost $20 each! The wood frame is cedar.





And then I built the wooden deck. This is the view through the upstairs door looking south towards the clearcut and yes, the outhouse:)