Home Improvement: Backyard Phase 1

So Phase 1 of my “improve the backyard” project, a project that has been in the works for at LEAST 5 years, is more or less complete. One of the reasons why I took so long was because I had no idea what I could do with it aside from “clear the weeds”. To give you an idea on how the yard looks like, here’s a shot from 2003(!) of the biggest part of the yard.

Imagine all of this being overgrown with 4 years’ worth of weeds. That’s a lot of weeds…

Here’s how it looks today. Note the blue trash cans. I don’t think they’ve moved much…
Eventually, my idea came to “extend the deck”. By doing that, it would more than double the decked space in the yard and remove the weed issue from that part of the yard. There’s a small terrace next to the steps in the center on the right that also has been cleared of weeds that got paver stoned over additional space for chairs, tables, charcoal grills, etc. It kinda works out because it’s twin on the left side is filled with poured concrete and it’s not level and has things growing out of it. That’s the side with the white yard chairs in the first photo.
So after 5 weeks of clearing out the weeds and various things growing in the terraces, I was able to have the work started on the deck. You can see the last bunch of weeds/plants in the middle of the last terrace next to the green can. Imagine all of this being overrun with weeds…

Nothing here but sand and bugs

Here’s the shot when the contractors came in
The contractors had to level out the sand and drill studs into the retaining wall to support the frame that the planks would be put on top of to create the deck.

Halfway there!
This was this morning when they began to lay down planks as well as compact the sand in the terrace above to install the paver stones.

Finally it’s done! More usable space in the backyard AND no more weed worries!

Yes, the new and old decks don’t match. The new decks are made of a composite that’s wood scraps and PET. They’re rot-proof and don’t require weatherproofing. The old deck is rotting out and in a year or so, that entire deck will need to be replaced too. So when the time comes, I will have the planks laid out in the same pattern as the new deck. So it will match then!
Now all I have to do is to figure out what to do with a 25′ X 22′ space. That’s the main part of the yard and that comprises “Phase 2”. Hopefully that won’t take another 5 years.