The Deck I Didn’t Know I Needed
Lately, I’ve been staring at our sad little backyard slab—the one we’ve been calling a "deck" for years—and wondering if it’s time to stop pretending it’s fine. It’s fine. (It’s not fine.)
The problem? It’s too small, the wood is perpetually splintering, and last summer, my kid tripped on a warped board and face-planted into a bowl of potato salad. (RIP, picnic.) I started researching deck ideas, but everything online felt either wildly over-the-top or depressingly generic. Then I stumbled on Corbin Restoration’s custom decks page (this one), and suddenly, I had vision.
What caught me:
Built-in seating. No more dragging chairs around.
Multi-level designs. We could actually zone the space—eating area here, lounging there.
Materials that don’t hate Minnesota weather. (Looking at you, warping pine.)
Now I’m sketching ideas in a notebook like some kind of backyard architect. Maybe this summer, we’ll finally have a deck that doesn’t feel like a Tetris fail.
