Since we are building novices, we decided to work on our skills with a small side project before we try contributing to the house. Ultimately, we plan to have little paths leading to benches, greenhouses, decks, guest houses, swings, and other fun little hideaways hidden across the property so a deck seemed like a good place to start. The spot we chose is south of the house- out of sight but not far. It's on a pretty sleep slope so we will eventually terrace the whole area in some fashion (raised planters, flat terraces, decks, rock walls or some combination of these things depending on how it evolves).

We are chipping away at the project slowly but surely. So far, we have dug 6 holes, poured concrete in the top row of 3, and mounted the first beam. The first beam is made of two 2x8" pieces of lumber, glued and nailed together. It is mounted directly onto fixtures in the concrete piers.

We decided to skip some steps with the second beam and we bought a 4x8" instead. It cost about twice as much for the bigger lumber but saves steps- pros and cons- we're learning as we go. That beam will be mounted on top of posts which will sit at a much lower elevation. But first, we need to pour the concrete in the lower set of holes.