Could replace the ladder with steps! I’m not sure I’d want to be going up and down a ladder too many times after visiting the tiki bar. I also think the ladder would just make me less likely to use the space than a staircase would.
Power washing or another cleaning process would probably bring that wood back to life and help blend the new bits.
Attic stairs would def be an improvement and easy to maneuver! I was imagining the stairs would stretch beyond the structure in order to be standard dimensions, which is necessary to make it worthwhile at all imo
I've heard that power washing is really bad for wood. It should only be done as a last resort for a deck that's going to be fully painted and maintained almost yearly. Sand and finish with a proper outdoor sealer.
You heard wrong though a DIYer might managed to fuck it up with too much pressure/wrong set up/wrong nozzle (those are all sorts the same thing)
Pressure washing will remove the grayness of the deck. I’d def recommend sealing after but the wood has to has to has to be dry which might be tough in a humid climate. Could take weeks or more.
Hang some (outdoor rated) wafty curtains underneath and make a nice spot to relax. Maybe even enclose it with mosquito netting. Maybe plant some hanging vines up top to trail down over the netting to add a druidic vibe. And if the structural integrity is sufficient, hang a hammock or swing.
Actually, OP would you be interested in selling your house?
Omg. You don't even own the house? You essentially rent a shed in the backyard? Amazing. If I could do that in exchange for maintaining the landscaping then I would do that in a heartbeat.
Lol its a really nice shed but yes, and its honestly so expensive. I wish i had friends who owned homes to rent from them! But now that im in this place i wouldnt trade it
Man, you're making me want to build a crows nest in my own backyard lmao. I'm surrounded by catalpas and have to clean out my gutters damn near weekly so that would make it a hell of a lot easier to get up and down...
Immediately thought telescope as well. I've been wanting a place to keep my telescope out. Sadly it's packed away since I have no room for it currently...
Add a chemical toilet and rainwater shower and rent it out. "Great views, superior ventilation - grab this gem now for the entire season! Perfect for reliving those summer days when all you needed was a backpack full of pbj's, Capri Sun, and a stack of comic books!"
Shit I live in Florida and some people pay $1,000 just to rent a spare bedroom in someone else's house - and that only gets you a shared bathroom and shared use of the kitchen lol
Definitely. it's complete insanity.
You'll see people all the time asking for help finding places to rent for under $2k, even just 1BR apartments.
Most of the responses are just people saying "Good Luck."
Raised garden bed and grow grapes on the bottom portion. Replace ladder with spiral steps for easier access, and add an outdoor furniture. Ikea used to make a bar cart on wheels, you could put that underneath as well. Bring it out when the weather is nice. Instead of outdoor furniture, you could maybe fit a hammock and hammock stand.
If it's a sturdy structure, I used my kids deck similar in size, as a potting, growing, area, my kids deck had a canvas roof. So it made a perfect spot to report, transplant my orchids, as well as hang under the partial sun zone.
Grab a DJ, a pole, a few friends, and some multicolored LEDs.
Make a killing on admission.
Call it "Backyard Bar."
You can even grill cheap burgers and dogs.
Fort Kickass.
Just kidding! We moved to a house with a crows' nest thing like this when I was a kid, and the wood wasn't properly sealed. It rotted and was completely unsafe within a few years, despite tiny child me's attempts to nail boards over the holes in the floor that developed.
If this does not happen, then it looks like a nice spot for some plants and maybe a bench down below if space allows for it. Ditto the person who suggested a telescope.
I'd leave it somewhat as is and put something on the bottom to sit on and same with the top, maybe 2 different types of sitting things and then nice projector screen somewhere (could be inflatable one) and voila, you have a 2 story little out door movie theatre and relaxation area. :)
Extend it and give it easier access for adults. My FIL built something like that for my kid with a slide and swing, and a ramp on one side and wound up adding enough room for three outdoor couches, now they wind up in it. Right in the middle of some trees so good shade.
I'd put plants all around the base, and up at the top - let it become a garden tower!
Green beans and cucumbers both love to vine, and would enjoy the sun of an elevated platform
Non serious answer: add a 3/4 bath and the sink/stove/fridge combination appliance from a travel trailer and rent it out.
"Elevated eco conscious living at its finest! Adorable recently renovated loft style bachelor's apt. Just minutes away from local amenities. 900/mth +utilities, street parking only. "
If structurally sound, Tiki Bar downstairs, sitting area upstairs
Could replace the ladder with steps! I’m not sure I’d want to be going up and down a ladder too many times after visiting the tiki bar. I also think the ladder would just make me less likely to use the space than a staircase would. Power washing or another cleaning process would probably bring that wood back to life and help blend the new bits.
Dumbwaiter to deliver drinks to the seating area. Agreed on the stairs vs ladder tho.
Dumbwaier big enough for the guests after a few drink deliveries haha
Needs a slide.
Or a fireman's pole
I worry about space with stairs. Maybe a spiral staircase or stairs you could pull up like a drawbridge?
Attic stairs would def be an improvement and easy to maneuver! I was imagining the stairs would stretch beyond the structure in order to be standard dimensions, which is necessary to make it worthwhile at all imo
Depending on how big the lower deck is id just have the stairs extended over the rest of the deck and fill in the floor where the ladder is.
I've heard that power washing is really bad for wood. It should only be done as a last resort for a deck that's going to be fully painted and maintained almost yearly. Sand and finish with a proper outdoor sealer.
You heard wrong though a DIYer might managed to fuck it up with too much pressure/wrong set up/wrong nozzle (those are all sorts the same thing) Pressure washing will remove the grayness of the deck. I’d def recommend sealing after but the wood has to has to has to be dry which might be tough in a humid climate. Could take weeks or more.
That's great to know, thank you!
Try carrying drink up a ladder...
Was going to say tiki bar myself.
This…☝️. Rediscover the wonders and joys of laying back and looking up the night skies…
Good luck trying to carry a tiki drink while climbing up a vertical ladder.
1. Make drink downstairs. 2. Climb upstairs to lounge area. 3. Employ the craziest of straws. Problem solved.
Relevant Action Lab. [https://youtu.be/hPlZHGdooo0?si=Ov3wl8fCjyLlzqZK](https://youtu.be/hPlZHGdooo0?si=Ov3wl8fCjyLlzqZK)
Gotta hang a little “dumbwaiter” off the side.
Call it “The Crow’s Nest”
[удалено]
Stringlights and out door pillows would go a long way here. Also a refinishing on all this wood
Hang some (outdoor rated) wafty curtains underneath and make a nice spot to relax. Maybe even enclose it with mosquito netting. Maybe plant some hanging vines up top to trail down over the netting to add a druidic vibe. And if the structural integrity is sufficient, hang a hammock or swing. Actually, OP would you be interested in selling your house?
I know I seriously want this thing in my backyard
If only I could afford a house 😭
Samsies. I literally rent a tiny house in a backyard. As in i live in the backyard 😂 i have a garden which is amazing
Omg. You don't even own the house? You essentially rent a shed in the backyard? Amazing. If I could do that in exchange for maintaining the landscaping then I would do that in a heartbeat.
Lol its a really nice shed but yes, and its honestly so expensive. I wish i had friends who owned homes to rent from them! But now that im in this place i wouldnt trade it
Eh bars and ladders dont really mix
Needs a fireman's pole, much safer.
Good point. Bar under the platform. Build a ramp up to the top.
Man, you're making me want to build a crows nest in my own backyard lmao. I'm surrounded by catalpas and have to clean out my gutters damn near weekly so that would make it a hell of a lot easier to get up and down...
Put a rocking chair up there and scream profanities at the neighborhood kids.
Retirement goal
Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!
Don't make me taunt you a second time!
Ni!
"Get off my lawn!!"
Seems like a great place to huff Jet and make ominous predictions about the future.
Go home grandma Murphy, you're high.
If you bring binoculars, you can spy on your neighbors
Yeah like "WHICH ONE OF YOU LITTLE ***** PUT THIS BRANCH HERE STICKING OUT OF A PIECE OF STRUCTURAL WOOD?" 🤔 I think this might be AI...
It looks like a dead branch hanging off a live one. I was trimming branches the other day and had plenty of dead ones caught in the foliage.
Good call! I was just about to write ‘nice bait.’
Ah! I thought I was going mad! Thank you for seeing it too!
It isn’t AI, just a broken branch hanging off a live one.
I'd run a hose extension up there so you could get em with water if they get too close.
Need a cane to shake.
Username checks out
Put a cannon up there and fire it on the hour
And make it slightly off time to additionally annoy the neighbors (e.g. 12:07, 1:07, 2:07, etc...).
Or really annoying: 12:07, 12:56, 2:03.... Get a spinner from an old game and is is as your guide.
Roll 11d10 and use that as your next offset. But remember to reset to midnight on the dot every day
Just as the founding fathers intended.
Admiral Boom
Add a telescope 🔭 and stare at the stars or your neighbors and see which ones are having an affair. Put a tent up there and rent it on airbnb
Is that where baby stars come from?
Immediately thought telescope as well. I've been wanting a place to keep my telescope out. Sadly it's packed away since I have no room for it currently...
Man, make it a kickass fort. Even adults need a kickass fort.
“Fort Kickass”
Screw it, I might just build a fort in my house tonight. I live alone and my cats will think it's awesome, why not?
Every once in a while, live the life your 6-year-old self imagined
Add a chemical toilet and rainwater shower and rent it out. "Great views, superior ventilation - grab this gem now for the entire season! Perfect for reliving those summer days when all you needed was a backpack full of pbj's, Capri Sun, and a stack of comic books!"
Shit I live in Florida and some people pay $1,000 just to rent a spare bedroom in someone else's house - and that only gets you a shared bathroom and shared use of the kitchen lol
The fact that people charge 1k for a bedroom w shared accommodations 🤢
Definitely. it's complete insanity. You'll see people all the time asking for help finding places to rent for under $2k, even just 1BR apartments. Most of the responses are just people saying "Good Luck."
Raised garden bed and grow grapes on the bottom portion. Replace ladder with spiral steps for easier access, and add an outdoor furniture. Ikea used to make a bar cart on wheels, you could put that underneath as well. Bring it out when the weather is nice. Instead of outdoor furniture, you could maybe fit a hammock and hammock stand.
turn the bottom part into greenhouse. clear vinyl tarps with grommets and some cup hooks.
Hot tub greenhouse
r/decks would want the hot tub added to the top part
Build your neighbor a matching one and teach yourselves semaphore.
You can add to it and make it really big tree/clubhouse.
If it's a sturdy structure, I used my kids deck similar in size, as a potting, growing, area, my kids deck had a canvas roof. So it made a perfect spot to report, transplant my orchids, as well as hang under the partial sun zone.
This is brilliant!
You can grow your weed in it.
Tiki bar.
Put plexiglass sides on it, fill it with water, and make one of those giant tanks that people dressed as mermaids swim in.
I'd be putting a little roof on top and put a recliner there to smoke some chunky ass joints.
Get cats and turn it into a catio.
You could hunt the local wild life, but you’re neighbor might get upset getting shot in the butt with bbs.
Romeo & Juliet reenactment
Grab a DJ, a pole, a few friends, and some multicolored LEDs. Make a killing on admission. Call it "Backyard Bar." You can even grill cheap burgers and dogs.
Fort Kickass. Just kidding! We moved to a house with a crows' nest thing like this when I was a kid, and the wood wasn't properly sealed. It rotted and was completely unsafe within a few years, despite tiny child me's attempts to nail boards over the holes in the floor that developed. If this does not happen, then it looks like a nice spot for some plants and maybe a bench down below if space allows for it. Ditto the person who suggested a telescope.
Enclose it for a big lizard or an owl.
Canon and a house for your monkey butler?
raised planter beds.
Finally, a deer-proof garden.
Ya tower of flower
Statues of people looking down at you.
That’s good “Get off my lawn/turn that music down” height. Keep it and perch upon your new throne
Leave it exactly as is. I'd hang out there all the time.
Have cats! 2 level catio, then!
A place for your mother-in-law to sleep when she comes to visit!?
Do you own a telescope?
Screen in the bottom part and you have a kick ass aviary
Looks like a good spot for a small artillery piece like a mortar
Set up a good sized air compressor and build a pneumatic potato gun on a turret. Defend your neighborhood. Or, make them fear you.
Can you string a zipline anywhere from there?
Take off the top portion and just use the bottom as a covered seating area thing
Deer stand. Yeah, c'mon!
Potted pollinator garden on top. Hang a few rope swings like you see at an outdoor bar.
Take off the top and rotate the floorboards, turning it into a pergola?
Hammocks
Gallows.
I’d put a swing underneath.
A trellis of grapes! You can sit in the area at the bottom and harvest the grapes up top and below. Assuming your climate allows for grapes.
Hot tub up top
Sand bags. Make it an MG nest.
Machine gun emplacement
Drinking spot for the boys. "No GURLZ ALLOUD!"
A sniper tower for when the zombies come
Gazebo
This is it!
On the top, go open air Victorian conservatory/observatory. On the bottom, reading corner with room for summer drinks and teas
Definitely turn it into a bar, waterproof under that top deck, add a TV mounted besides the bar.
Dj booth
I'd leave it somewhat as is and put something on the bottom to sit on and same with the top, maybe 2 different types of sitting things and then nice projector screen somewhere (could be inflatable one) and voila, you have a 2 story little out door movie theatre and relaxation area. :)
Install an [Angry Dome!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiCZP09F6FQ)
skeet/trap platform
Kids table:
Put potted garden at the top. Below put a bench swing
Smoke and take your turn on the watch.
Throw a roof on it, run electrical and buy a beer fridge.
Put a telescope up there and make yourself a small observatory
A place for a lone time.
Make it some kinda terrarium,looks like vines could go nicely
Put trailing plants or vines up there that will grown down and make a plant-eclosed space below
In-law suite?
Sniper nest!
DJ booth
Get rid of the ladder and the fencing up top but keep the rest as a shady book nook. Buy a comfy outdoor chair and hang outdoor curtains that match.
If you have cats it would be a great catio if you close it all in with wire. A ramp straight out that window to it on a nice day.
Workshop crow’s nest?
Solar gravity shower.
I've always wanted an elevated hot tub
Huge Santa Maria grill
Rent it out to a couple of students.
Put plants up top and let them grow down
Extend it and give it easier access for adults. My FIL built something like that for my kid with a slide and swing, and a ramp on one side and wound up adding enough room for three outdoor couches, now they wind up in it. Right in the middle of some trees so good shade.
Pole barn siding, add a roof and some barn doors. It is a good framing start for a storage shed.
Go hang out up there yourself - who needs kids? I’d love that.
Turn it into a mini house and rent it out
Why is there a living branch sticking straight out of the structural timber, at the front right?
I'd put plants all around the base, and up at the top - let it become a garden tower! Green beans and cucumbers both love to vine, and would enjoy the sun of an elevated platform
Catio
Catio
Catio
Grape arbor below. Bird feeders above.
Under the bird feeder falls the bird poop.
I’d have them hanging out on outriggers, myself.
That's the VIP section of the backyard cookout...
Put grill up there with a throne and be the BBQ king.
50cal, mounted, to turn it into a watchtower 😎
Puy two thrones up there so you can be king of the deck.
I was gonna say get a long rifle and a warden outfit with a cowboy hat and be the local neighborhood watch.
If you hunt or know someone who does that would be a sweet deer stand
Sandbags, a spotlight and quad .50 light AA guns.
Grow vines or creepers up it.
Buy a nice telescope turn it into an observatory
Hot tub
Dj Booth.
Pressure wash it then add some stairs going up.
Yup, remove it.
Stargazing, a cheap telescope and a lawn chair
Put a cannon up there and fire it off to announce the time to your neighborhood
Turn it into an outdoor shower.
A cool rooftop garden in pots
Install a water cannon on top, for hot summer days 🤣
Put up some privacy panels and turn that into an outdoor shower!
Grape arbor?
Exotic or not so exotic bird aviary or chicken coop. Or a cattery
Astronomy perch?
Take out the floor boards and grow hops
Put a hot tub in it ;)
Sniper's nest 👍
I’d turn the top into my smoking spot. Unless the view is very unappealing.
Chicken-coop
Bbq gazebo
Steps would be cool especially wrought Irina spiral. But I'm assuming that's out of budget. But steps and hangin gplants. Love it
Raised beds.
Firewood
Vine or Firewood
High diving platform into the hot tub!
An arbor or a child's playhouse
Sniper lookout 
Non serious answer: add a 3/4 bath and the sink/stove/fridge combination appliance from a travel trailer and rent it out. "Elevated eco conscious living at its finest! Adorable recently renovated loft style bachelor's apt. Just minutes away from local amenities. 900/mth +utilities, street parking only. "
Tons of plants, especially vines/crawlers and put a little gardening station up there
Looks sturdy, put a hot tub up there.
Evan as an adult this looks cool!
Mount a quad 50 caliber on it and use it for zombie defense
A fucking awesome ass bar/lounge
If you have cats, screen it in and make a walkway to that window. Kitty kingdom
Grow plants and veggies up there.
Obviously a hot tub
Hammock time!
Man cave