This is a before pic (sort of) of the back part of the house before I added the deck. I say it's "sort of" a before pic because I added the fenced area for our dogs to "potty" a few years ago. There is a patio there also which we thought originally would be nice for sitting outside - but the height of the fence made you feel too closed in so the dogs just took it over. (you can sort of see them in the pic) There was a large, out of control, lilac bush there when we bought the house. I also installed the retainer blocks. A little over a year ago the time came to rip all of this out and put a deck on. We were somewhat limited with the size since the driveway wraps around.

Here is the completed deck. I'm pretty proud of it since it was completed designed by me and completely installed by me and my "favorite cousin" (the "favorite cousin" is a joke thing my cousin and I have going on - I'll refer to her as FC) Anyway - FC is a great help - she is willing to help out with anything. She works harder than most of the male friends I have and is always my first choice when looking for help. Plus she is cheap - a good mexican meal is about all she requires in return! You can't see it in the pic but the steps are now positioned so they come down by the garage door. It made more sense to move them there. I also had to redo the retaining wall since the orginal layout had them in a circular pattern. The dogs still have access to "potty" under the deck which is great.
The is a view sitting on the sofa looking towards the back yard. We spent alot of time out here this past Summer and I am really looking forward to Spring getting here. The dogs especially like to lay in the sun. This side of the house gets morning and early afternoon sun so the evenings are shaded which is ideal in the Summer. At some point I'd like to have an awning made for over the deck since we have to remember to cover the furniture when we arent using it since the cushions are fabric.