Balcony--Before

One of our most favorite things about this house is the balcony. I have always thought that a balcony would be cool, but the one on this house is really neat. Our house is kind of bizarre in that it doesn't face the street. One of our friends said, "Your house is crooked." Well, we are kinda of crooked, so that is OK. It is different. The front door faces the courtyard and the balcony runs right over the porch. So it is sideways too. See... We love it because it doesn't only let you watch the backyard which is a bit boring. But it is not obvious "Hey, I'm spying on my neighbors"...it is subtle "Hey, I'm spying on my neighbors"...plus you can see the courtyard and backyard. Now that it is fixed, we love to go out and relax. However...that was not always the case. Before they (and by they...I mean the professionals. We had no business in this project) repaired it, there were lots of rotted out boards, boards that were no longer nailed down, and some with actual holes in them. I can't believe I don't have a picture of that, but here is a shot of the condition of the floor.

Toward the front end was some really dicey places. You might can tell from that very first picture that things weren't in tiptop shape.

So they dismantled it. Here it is without the railings...

This next one is a view from the doors...notice that it is missing a key element...the floor! Also notice all of that trash on the ground!

Now it is beautiful. I'll post some after pictures tomorrow.