We were busy bees this weekend. As some of you noticed in yesterday’s post, we’d already begun clearing out liriope, weeds, and overgrown bushes where our future deck will go. It felt good to finally make real progress on that corner of the yard.

We started by calling Miss Utility to confirm that digging wouldn’t risk hitting electrical lines, water pipes, or anything else buried beneath the soil. They gave us the all-clear, so we went ahead and transplanted the large bush that had been hugging the side of the house. We moved it to the left side yard, which was in desperate need of greenery. For now it looks a little lonely, but that spot matches a line of the same Gold Dust bushes along the bedroom addition, so we’re optimistic it will fit in once it has some planting companions.

Next up was the less-glamorous task of digging up the liriope. While it’s not our favorite job, at least we had an enthusiastic observer: Burger, who watched with what can only be described as the “glad I’m not the one digging” expression. With Clara napping inside and the monitor set up by the door, we spent a little over an hour pulling up the grass and clearing the area from its former state into a much cleaner, more level space. We piled the dug-up liriope in the side yard in hopes that some of it will take root and fill in—this plant is incredibly hardy and often bounces back.

Beneath the balcony we found several pallets that we’ll remove when we demo that structure. The clearing job didn’t stop at plants. We also tackled a curious arrangement of bricks, random weeds, and lawn ornaments that we have jokingly referred to as “the AC shrine.” Located directly in front of the air-conditioning unit, the little stone pagoda and the evenly spaced bricks created an oddly intentional pattern. We never did determine whether it had any real purpose beyond finding a use for leftover bricks, but it was time for it to go.

As we dug up the brick layout we discovered the bricks were set in two layers, which meant more work than we had expected. After removing roughly 160 bricks and several wheelbarrow loads later, everything was cleared and moved to our brick stockpile near the carport. Those pavers in the background are leftover supplies from the patio project; we’ve been storing them there and plan to use them at some point down the road—possibly during a future conversion of the carport into a garage.

With the bricks out of the way, a bit more digging took care of the remaining weeds, and the whole area now feels significantly more deck-ready than it did last weekend. We still need to relocate our paver collection, demo the existing balcony, and remove the pallets that were tucked underneath it, but the major clearing work is done and the space is finally beginning to look intentional.

Here are the next steps on our list:

• Compare pros and cons of different decking materials (we’ll share details once we choose).
• Get material estimates and final pricing.
• Take care of the permit process.

And then, of course: actually build the deck. We’ll keep you posted through every step of the process.

We also called the power company to be sure the electrical meters on the side of the house won’t interfere with the deck. In some areas meters must be at a certain height for ease of reading, which can limit deck placement. Fortunately, our utility company said they’re fine with the meters being slightly lower; one meter is no longer active and the other will sit about 2.5 feet above the bottom of the deck. Since most readings are done remotely now, the remaining meter only needs to be accessible for service, which they confirmed will not be an issue. We plan to paint and camouflage the meter area to blend it in, similar to what we did at our previous house.

Have you been clearing or digging anywhere around your home lately? It’s always fun to find little relics when you dig—at our first house we once uncovered an old milk bottle cap that we kept and later added to our gallery wall as a small memento of that discovery. If you’ve ever dug up something great—a box of coins, a neat artifact, or even a fossil—tell us about it. We’re still hoping to find a treasure chest in the yard someday, but for now we’ll settle for progress on the deck.

Psst—quick update: we had one of our fastest giveaway entries ever and reached 10,000 entries within six hours, so we’ve already announced this week’s winner. Thanks for participating!