Outdoor Additions During a Pandemic
From the Desk of Brent DeGroot:
“You are going to go work for a deck supply company? That seems stupid.” -Former Boss
“Well, to me, it seems like there are lots of opportunities in that market.”
I was staying in the construction field, but as I did not like working in a construction trailer by myself all day, I wanted to try another facet of construction.
A deck used to be just that. A deck. Fast forward to now. What is it? What isn’t it? This list is not exhaustive, just ways that I have used the deck since COVID-19 has emerged on the global scene and faced lockdown, homeschooling, remote work, etc.:
It was a conference room.
It was a time out area (my contribution as I have four small children, but don’t worry…I sit in time out with them).
It was an at-home candlelight dinner restaurant for date night.
It was a tent camping platform.
It was a game room that has had ski ball (before kids destroyed it), fussball, and lego building contests.
It was a quiet space.
It was a party space (To clarify, Johnny’s three friends came to a safe socially distanced party).
It was a library.
It was a game night gathering space.
It was an ice rink (from unprecedented winter storm this year in Austin).
It was a snowball fight fortress.
It was a study hall.
It was a science lab.
It was a “Nap Zone.”
It was a dance floor.
It was a star gazing platform.
It was a Nerf Battlefield.
It was a teletherapy remote work site.
It was a “When Will This Be Over” Pity-party place.
It was a remote chapel where I watched on my computer to see my sister get married outdoors in a New Jersey grassy area over the web in the middle of a storm.
My dad was supposed to help me build it, but due to COVID-19, I built it alone. But I am grateful that, hopefully right around the corner, he and the rest of my family can come by and enjoy it. Imagine what it can do this year! My wife says we now need real furniture. Time to shop.
Brent DeGroot is the Billing Manager/HR Manager/Inventory Coordinator/Safety Officer/Event Planner/Party Planning Committee/Salesman/Chief Encouragement Officer/Resident “The Office” Expert at Timbertown Austin. Timbertown is an Outdoor Specialty Lumber Yard that specializes in quality building materials.