sorry for the delay...Ellend..we put a concrete barrier around the edges on the outside recently ... keeps out residual rain...that falls through the deck...we've also gone ahead and put marine plywood up between the joist's to drain the water away..We'd taken away some of the Decks boards up top and put in a 3x4x4 foot tower where the doves...and our new bob white quail roost...this creates an issue with water getting in even though there is a plexiglass top on the roost area...we're working on a suitable resolve for that too...with old rain gutters that will take some of the water away...and our son who makes windows will be installing glass in the tower/roost section ...The birds will be coming in during the winter...this is our first year for this set up...so we want to see how the inside of it will fair...if all goes well next year we'll keep it yr round
Very interesting! What do you do about snow? Here in Cleveland, the snow can drift from one to four feet, from wind, even when we don't get a huge amount. Anything under our raised porch would have to be dug out every time access was needed. Do you access from the deck for food, water, and cleaning?
We just built this...in the late spring early summer...still some kinks to iron out with the rain dripping through the deck. We've sealed it with plywood between the joists but the tower that we put up on the upper portion leaves alot of extra rain and elements come in...We're designating a nice comfy space in our Cellar as our home is a century home and the basement/cellar isnt useable for anything more than storage and space for the canning that we do.The lattice that surrounds the lower portion of the deck does keep out some of the elements...but not all of them...this is why our little feathered friends will be wintering with us..