An exposed drain sitting in the middle of the lower deck was not a look I was happy with. The answer was a wooden drain cover built from project off-cuts — sturdy enough to hold a row of plant pots, but designed so the drain underneath remains accessible when needed.

With enough material left over, a garden ladder shelf came together alongside it — a simple, functional structure for additional plant pots that adds some vertical interest to the deck without taking up much floor space.

Both pieces came entirely from surplus wood. Neither cost anything beyond the time it took to build them.