In addition to our 1,400 square feet of indoor living space, our house benefits from generous outdoor areas — most notably a large second-story deck off our family room. Living up among the trees has quickly made this deck one of our favorite “rooms,” and this post explains why.
When we bought the house in February it was raining, so we didn’t spend much time on the deck at first. You may remember the “before” photos shared with our exterior update in May, taken before we painted the house, replaced rotten deck boards with Trex, and swapped out the shaky old railings (we linked those updates in the exterior post).
Several old features — like the pergola and the chimney — hid just how large this deck is. Once they were removed to address rot and water leaks, the deck revealed itself as almost the largest “room” in the house. That size brings layout challenges: we wanted the deck to be genuinely useful rather than furnished simply for the sake of filling space.
Before diving into details and low-maintenance tricks, we made a short video walk-through to show the scale and how we’ve created distinct zones. The video has no talking, so you can watch it silently to better sense the space and how it shifts from day to night.
Large outdoor space can be a real bonus, especially in our mild climate where it can be used most of the year (I’m writing this from the outdoor dining table — it’s a comfortable 68 degrees out right now). But experience taught us to be careful: over the last ten years we tended to underuse outdoor areas, turning them into extra maintenance rather than functional living space. One exception was the small backyard at our beach house, where a compact, private setup with carefully chosen functional pieces worked well.
At our previous home an outdoor dining area became more work than enjoyment — cushions that held moisture required constant cleaning and planning before using the space. That taught us a clear lesson: outdoor areas should be easy to use and ready at a moment’s notice. With that in mind, we prioritized function here and avoided spending on pretty-but-impractical items.
So far we’ve set up three intentional zones: (1) a comfortable lounge/conversation area with a simple system to keep the sofa cushions dry, (2) an outdoor dining/game table, and (3) a placeholder zone we’re still deciding on. That placeholder involves some curbside finds — more on that later.
The conversation area centers on an outdoor sofa we brought from Richmond. It’s about seven years old and has held up well with annual pressure washing of the cushions. Because it sits against the house and stays mostly shaded, the cushions didn’t dry as quickly as we wanted, so we devised a simple, low-profile solution to keep them dry.
We use a waterproof sun sail shade as a sofa cover. It’s designed to be stretched over an outdoor area, is listed as waterproof, and comes in a size that covers the cushions without excess fabric. That makes it quick and easy to put on and take off. When not in use it tucks neatly behind the couch, out of sight.
To keep the shade in place we loop two short bungee cords under each end of the couch and hook them to the metal rings sewn into the shade’s corners. When the cover is off we keep the bungees hooked to the bottom of the couch so they’re easy to locate and reuse.
Beyond the sofa we added a coffee table and two woven wood-and-wicker chairs that complement the couch’s weave. The chairs are deep and comfortable, so we added two large 22″ outdoor pillows for extra support. These pillows dry quickly and don’t hold moisture, so they can stay out through light rain without creating a chore.
The dining/game area uses a faux-wood aluminum table chosen specifically to avoid rot. Our old wood table fell apart while moving, so opting for aluminum ensures durability and easy cleaning. Because the deck is shaded much of the day, the table doesn’t get uncomfortably hot in summer.
We chose black molded chairs that aren’t cushioned and have drainage holes so they’re always ready to use. We bought two sets of four so we can host dinners and game nights comfortably. In the last few months this table has been far more used than our previous one — taco night, working with laptops, and family game evenings have all found a home here.
The third area is a temporary, low-cost solution. We had a gap next to the couch and didn’t want to buy something just to fill it, so Sherry salvaged a pair of bistro chairs from the curb. They cost nothing and give the deck a bit more personality while we decide on a long-term function. We’re leaning toward a cushionless double lounge chair for reading and napping, but taking our time means we’ll buy something we truly want.
One of the first purchases for the deck was string lights, and they transformed the space. We used three 50-foot strands and initially hung them back-and-forth from house to trees. After a thunderstorm taught us that trees sway independently of the house, we looped the lights entirely around the trees so they move together. They’re on an automatic schedule controlled by a smart outdoor plug, which makes evenings effortless.
Picturing it is hard to convey in photos, but the deck feels like a peaceful, hidden pocket among the trees. The lights add to the tucked-away feeling and make evenings up there magical, especially when the sunset peeks through the leaves.
If you’re curious about our other outdoor areas — the front porch, side porch, and outdoor shower — we shared those in our exterior before & after post, and we’ve updated the outdoor shower since then. We’re also waiting on a back-ordered hanging daybed for the side porch that we plan to build; Sherry fell in love with one she saw in Costa Rica and we hope to recreate that relaxed vibe.
P.S. You can see all of our Florida house progress in the category dedicated to it — from the interior square footage to outdoor projects and the planning and renovations we handled from afar.
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