Their Backyard Looked Like a Parking Lot Until They Built This Deck and Pergola

Most backyard makeovers start with a patch of grass. This one started with what looked more like a parking lot. Imgur user u/ViolinKites transformed a large asphalt pad behind a garage into a raised composite deck with a modern pergola.

Their Backyard Looked Like a Parking Lot Until They Built This Deck and Pergola
@u/ViolinKites

Concrete footings, structural posts, pressure-treated framing, composite decking, oversized steps, pergola beams, and string lights gradually replaced the paved surface. What began as an empty slab with a few patio chairs became a dedicated outdoor space for relaxing around a fire table.

By the end of the project, the former parking pad had become a raised outdoor room with wide steps, a modern pergola, and space to gather around a fire table.

Nothing But Asphalt Occupied the Future Deck Site

Nothing But Asphalt Occupied the Future Deck Site
@u/ViolinKites

A large asphalt surface stretched across much of the backyard behind the garage. More parking pad than outdoor living area, the space offered little definition beyond a small seating arrangement placed in the middle.

Most of the yard functioned as exposed hardscape rather than a destination for gathering. The project would eventually transform nearly the entire paved surface.

Footings Replaced Sections of the Asphalt

Footings Broke Up the Empty Surface
@u/ViolinKites

Circular footing locations appeared across the asphalt as excavation began. Piles of soil and construction markers replaced the furniture.

Each footing would support part of the elevated deck structure. Digging through the existing surface marked the first major step toward transforming the site.

Composite Decking Arrived Before the Frame

Composite Decking Arrived Before the Frame
@u/ViolinKites

Stacks of dark composite deck boards were laid out across the lawn while framing lumber waited nearby. Materials for several stages of the project arrived before assembly started.

The contrast between the dark decking and pressure-treated framing hinted at the finished appearance long before construction reached that stage.

Support Points Marked the Future Deck

Pergola Posts Went Up First
@u/ViolinKites

Pressure-treated beams were positioned across the footing locations while tools and materials filled the work area. Crew members began establishing the deck perimeter.

Support points already showed the future size of the structure. The deck would occupy most of the former asphalt surface.

Pergola Posts Went Up First

Pergola Posts Went Up First

Large black posts were installed before the deck framing was complete. Their height immediately changed the scale of the project.

Rather than building only a platform, the design incorporated an overhead structure that would define the outdoor room.

Four Black Posts Changed the Scale of the Project

Four Structural Columns Changed the Backyard
@u/ViolinKites

Matching black posts stood at each corner of the future deck while framing members remained at ground level.

The vertical elements established the visual framework of the pergola. Even before the deck surface existed, the project had begun to take shape.

Deck Framing Covered the Old Parking Pad

Floor Joists Filled the Structure
@u/ViolinKites

A complete pressure-treated joist system spanned between the beams, creating the structural platform for the deck boards.

Spacing remained consistent throughout the frame, providing support for the composite surface that would follow.

Composite Decking Replaced the Asphalt View

Composite Boards Covered the Frame
@u/ViolinKites

Deck boards began covering the joist structure, replacing the exposed framing with a finished walking surface.

Gray composite decking introduced a cleaner and more contemporary appearance than the asphalt below.

Wide Stair Framing Expanded the Project

Wide Stair Framing Expanded the Project
@u/ViolinKites

Attention shifted from the main platform to a broad staircase extending across much of the deck width.

Instead of a narrow access point, the design created a gradual transition between the lawn and the elevated platform.

Pergola Frame Turned the Deck Into an Outdoor Room

Pergola Frame Turned the Deck Into an Outdoor Room
@u/ViolinKites
Pergola Framed Almost Complet
@u/ViolinKites

Large black beams connected the corner posts and completed the pergola structure above the deck. What had been a raised platform now had walls implied by the framing and a ceiling defined by the overhead members.

All brackets are installed on the pergola
@u/ViolinKites

Additional pergola slats introduced shade, structure, and strong geometric lines across the space. Wide steps, gray composite decking, and the black frame worked together to create a backyard room that looked more like a custom outdoor living area than a simple deck addition.

The Finished Deck Barely Resembled the Backyard They Started With

Pergola and elevated deck with String Lights
@u/ViolinKites

String lights stretched beneath the pergola while the fire table returned to the center of the deck. Daytime photos highlight the clean lines of the structure, while evening lighting reveals how the space functions after sunset.

Finished Deck Barely Resembled the Old Asphalt Pad
@u/ViolinKites

Few traces of the original asphalt surface remain. Wide stairs, composite decking, a full-size pergola, and outdoor lighting transformed what looked like a parking area into a dedicated backyard destination built for gathering around the fire.


Image credits to Imgur user @u/ViolinKites.

The post Their Backyard Looked Like a Parking Lot Until They Built This Deck and Pergola appeared first on Homedit.



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