Ever wonder what it’s really like to pull off a huge makeover in just a week and be filmed while you do it? It’s kinda like treading water while juggling. Your brain is torn in a million different directions and you have even more things to DO than think about and then on top of that, you pray that you don’t go into labor until it’s all done. That’s exactly my experience.
So here is our behind-the-scenes look at this deck makeover. I did a behind-the-scenes post about our bathroom makeover and I love looking back and seeing the crazy that really happened so I definitely want to share this again and remember this crazy. If you have no idea what I am talking about, we are not friends because you haven’t been reading the last week about our Rust-Oleum Deck Makeover-palooza. #letsbefriends
We took this weathered and worn deck…
and turned it into a beautiful space ready for entertaining and lounging and perching and yoga and whatever else people do on their decks. See more transformation pictures here.
The reality of doing a deck makeover is that there is a lot to plan. First we had to come up with a design plan and a landscaping plan for the space. I came up with a moodboard and then I also created a pinboard for this particular project. If you don’t follow me on Pinterest, you really should 
I had dedicated a big part of the budget to landscaping…a quarter of the $1000 that we had to create this beautiful oasis. That means smart plant shopping and keeping with plants that would fit well in the part shade that we had going on.
Our very first landscaping purchase though was mulch. Our local Home Depot had it on sale….5 for $10! The boys were super excited because we let them ride down the highway on the trailer. Just checking to see if you were still reading
When it came to the dining set, we ordered it online and then we didn’t know if it would show up in time for filming. It was a crazy crunch time (with my impending due date) and then Jeremy’s grandmother passed away so we had to make a big family trip out of town. That meant that we came up with plan B….buy whatever set was available in the store too and see what the homeowners liked better.
In the end, I found this dark Hampton Bay Fall River set and it was originally $549 marked down to $460. I talked to the store manager and he said that because it was an open box and the last one they had in the store that he would knock the price down to $400. I was ECSTATIC. It fit right into the budget and Karen & Brian both liked this set better than the white version that was in the original plans.
Along with the items I ordered online, there were also some projects I had to tackle….like making pillows. I hit up my favorite discount fabric store to get a remnant for the pillow covers and the inserts.
The pillows turned out super cute and I think they tie in the blue of the slate deck really well.
And did you see that box in the corner? Well I had to build that the day before we left for Chattanooga. I actually built two but the bigger one was a GIANT on the deck and so we just went with the single box.
The craziest thing happened when I was nailing it all together. My mom was over watching the boys for me and everyone happened to be outside (Jeremy, my mom, the three boys and me) and there was tons of noise….the sander, a miter saw, screaming kids….when all of a sudden my mom looked at me and said DON’T MOVE. KATIE DO NOT MOVE A MUSCLE. They were all looking at me and my first thought was…oh no…a snake. But it wasn’t. About six feet behind me was this doe. It just stood there looking at us.
It was so peaceful. It started to move away to the bushes and so my mom gathered up the boys to look at it….Jeremy walked over and snapped this photo….then it walked up to the front yard and nibbled on LJ’s dead tree. I know that this seems weird….but this is the first time and only time since that we have had a deer this close to the house (we even have hostas in the back yard that deer love and they are uneaten!). We see them in the woods all the time and then sometimes at night they scamper through the yards but never during the day and never this near. I call this the GG deer because I truly believe that God sent us this creature to remind us that Jeremy’s Grandmother (who we called GG) is in a better peaceful place. We even used to say that LJ looks like her and she went only to his tree and stood there. Crazy huh?!
Our other DIY crafty project was the nurses cross sign. This piece of artwork needed to be big and I didn’t want to attach anything to the house, so we simply made a leaning piece out of four fence pickets and brad nailed two braces across the backside. I stained it Rust-Oleum’s Kona before we started with the design on the front.
To make the design, Karen and I simply cut out sticks from old Crepe Myrtle trimmings. I adhered them to the pickets with a brad nailer.
We also had to shop for clothing. Since Jeremy needed a shirt without any logos on the front, we hit up Target and The Gap to see if we could find at least two different outfits. We also had to buy multiple of the same shirt because he would sweat in them and so we would have a dry backup. Apparently sweaty armpits aren’t commercial friendly
You may be wondering what we did with the boys when we were doing all this work….well…they come with us.
During film times, we hired my friend to babysit the three of them at our house and when we weren’t filming (which was the majority of the time) they just tagged along. Thankfully Karen has a big fenced in back yard that they could explore and we would bring different things for them to enjoy….balls, bubbles, trucks, etc. Since a lot of the jobs were one-person things, we would switch off watching the boys and working. It wasn’t as easy as tackling projects at home but overall, they are used to seeing us doing ‘tools’.
Also…you should know this in case you ever want to stage a eating scene….we spent about $25 on the food and flower products for the shoot….salad, lilys, drinks, crackers, cheese, tomatoes, nuts, fruit, etc.
Okay! Filming itself was completely different this time to us. First, we weren’t shocked at the size of the production because we kinda knew what to expect. We worked with Flynnside Out Productions before (we actually recommended them to Rust-Oleum because we loved working with them before) and the crew is just amazing. This is Jen, the makeup and hair artist who is just such a sweetheart….
When the crew came the first day, it was early to set up…
This was the first day of filming and the eating/viewing area got set up in the driveway.
When the crew is filming, the viewing area is great because you can sit and see what they are actually filming at the time….
My bearded wonder on camera….
In actuality, the film crew is doing this on the other side of the house….
The best part of having a separate viewing area is that you can talk while the filming is taking place. You really can’t talk when the cameras are rolling.
This time we got to experience an outdoor shoot which is completely different than indoors because of light and noise. If there was a neighbor mowing the lawn, we would have to wait….or if an airplane was overhead or if the sun peaked out behind the clouds then the whole set up had to be redone. It was very interesting.
Also, on the first day, the client – Rust-Oleum sent Lisa to come represent. It’s so fun to have her all to myself on those days because this lady is a HUGE wealth of information (and she is super funny and has the best stories about her family). I think we all had a hundred different “so what if I had a rusted patio set…” type questions. And she knew exactly what product would work.
So when you see the deck pressure washed, you actually only see about four square feet being pressure washed by Jeremy. It’s funny like that…you see these one second shots all squished together and you think you know exactly what is going on but in actuality it is so different.
We also had a Rust-Oleum rep for the Home Depot’s come out and he was an expert on applying the Restore product. He told us that the problem that so many people have is that they apply this like paint. It’s not paint. It’s ten times thicker than paint and needs to be applied correctly. He really recommended that if any readers are interested in using this product then see an expert at your local Home Depot demonstrate the application. In fact, Jeremy tried to do it and took several tries to roll it on correctly. Crazy huh!?
This particular set up was for one line about the honey-comb roller….
And here is a behind-the-scenes video on how many times it took just for one line….
The very last day was a huge sense of relief. It’s like the last ten feet of a marathon. I was being filmed that day too and I made sure to have a couple different clothing options that were more flattering (learned my lesson last time!).
It was crazy all the things the crew did to make sure that they got the shots…including backing their truck up to the deck!
And in the end, we promised the guys that they could drink the rest of the cold root beers that were in the fridge. I made them do a “band pose” for the photo
Alyssa was our director again for this project and even though we didn’t have matching outfits, I was so excited to get another project picture with her! If you ever see this woman on the streets of Atlanta, tell her she is amazing! I always tell people that if I didn’t have so many babies or this blog, I would want to be her and have her job! Such a kind and sweet lady who is an amazing boss of these boys!
And of course, we got a group shot. I truly hope that these people know how much we appreciate them. I know Jeremy was super nervous to do the lines and have these cameras in his face but having the same crew and having such GOOD personalities really helps calm the nerves and makes the slip ups so much easier. We aren’t professional actors….and memorizing lines is HARD….especially while remembering what to do with your hands and making it all sound natural and happy and slightly cheesy at the same time. It was so good to know that while it’s probably frustrating for them to listen to us over and over, that they didn’t show it!
And of course, a special thank you to Rust-Oleum for allowing us to do this project and to the homeowners Karen and Brian for letting us invade and giving us free reign over the deck! This was a very special opportunity for us (totally our fifteen seconds of fame!) and they made it possible!
So now that the thank yous and the hugs and kisses are all out of the way…..wanna see the commercial!? It’s super cheesy and Jeremy is such a hottie. I do love it! And without further adieu….
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