DIY Ground Level Deck
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We have this space off of our front porch that is usually just a weed patch. I’ve been wanting to build a deck for this space where we could add some cute patio furniture and add some curb appeal to our front yard at the same time. I wanted this to be an inexpensive project but with lumber prices where they are right now it ended up costing more than I’d planned on. But ,with that being said, it was still cheaper than hiring someone for this project and it turned out better than I’d hoped. Best part? We did it all in one weekend. The total cost was just over $500.
This was just a big dirt pile. We started by smoothing out the dirt and removing any big rocks. Then we fastened down some fabric weed barrier we found on Amazon. https://amzn.to/36LIV9v We built the frame in two sections on our driveway since it was a flat surface. We spaced our joints roughly 16 inches apart. Give or take an inch or two here and there.
Once the frames were built we carried them over to their new home. We used #2 Ground Contact Hem Fir Pressure Treated Lumber from Home Depot. It’s not only weather resistant but termite resistant as well so it’s a perfect choice for a ground level deck. Once we had the frames set in place we leveled it all out by adding “feet” wherever needed. We made the feet using leftover cutoffs from our lumber. We used 3 inch bugle head wood screws square #2 drive for this entire project.
For the top of the deck we used 2 x 6 x 8 Common Redwood Board. We used some small pieces of scrap wood about 1/8 inch thick to space the boards evenly apart. We didn’t want them to sit too close together.
We also added a piece of Redwood to the front to give the deck a more finished look. I’ll be adding some landscaping to the front as well. Maybe some decorative gravel and a few plants. But that’s a project for another day.
I stained the deck using Minwax Exterior Stain in Dark Walnut and then went over it with Olympic WaterGuard Transparent Wood Stain and Sealer in Maple Brown. Both from Home Depot.
I absolutely love how this project turned out. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up enough that we can actually sit outside and enjoy this space. The flowers and trees I added to this space are faux. I cannot for the life of me keep real plants alive. It’s funny, my grandpa had the most amazing yard and gardens, unfortunately I did not inherit any of his gardening skills.
