I have several perennials or subshrubs that keep their foliage all winter and don't die back until the new foliage is well established: some of my coral bells/Heuchera, Perennial candytuft/Iberis, cranberry/Vaccinium macrocarpon, periwinkle/Vinca (though I don't know if you would want to put any of that in your garden!), Carex (when the voles don't decimate them), Heath/Erica, and Heather/Calluna. Is creeping rosemary hardy for you or would you be willing to plant it as an early to camouflage the feet of your pedestals? Some of the lower growing lavenders might work also. I also wondered if you have thought about some of the low-growing shrubs like Rhododendron impeditum, 'Ramapo' or 'Purple Gem' or some of the creeping junipers.

Deckbarn, 1)There is no way ONE 'painter' stained ALL the WHITE and ALL the TAN on that deck w two coats(one done before install) in one week.. NOT with a brush...Were you there? Do you see brush marks? I'm calling BS on that....and as I said before, I painted for quite a few years and yes sir I was the 'trim &detail girl' so whether your hand is good or not.... whether you are a fast OR slow brusher- didn't no ONE MAN done do ALL that trim in one week.... PERIOD...... 2)Please post CLOSE UPS of your deck so I can see the seams and how all deck components marry together...neatly?? Gapping?? Any big messy caulk beads? Pine is soft and wet......so ummmm... I'd love CLOSE UP PICS Mr. Puffy. And would love to see your RED Trex decking,top rail,etc. up close so I can see if it's blotchy like it looks in the pics...and I want to see the red Trex top rail and what I assume is face screwed decking.. just to see how what the overall look is.UP CLOSE 3)yeah Deckbarn, i know painters use ladders...I don't know any PAINTER that would want to work on the top of your gazebo. It's an awkward reach.... and on a crazy pitch. 3)My deck cost is $20,000..(thevinyl fence surround on the second floor will put it over $20,000.The RDI Novalign PVC railing is a HUGGGE part of the cost.... I don't want your wood railings.I'm sure you could do my deck for $15,000, but NOT with the material I want to use and YOU ain't doing it anyway.. You would give the job to whoever is the hungriest for work.... PERIOD 4)brace yourself for this Puffy... I live five miles outside Manhattan...People who do 'labor' here get paid more bc it costs more to live here...Are you 30 miles out of Detroit???? Go closer toward the city and it's different.....My house is 120 years old...I am essentially the 'contractor' for all renovations...I research materials before a project starts and then get recommendations from each guy within his specialty. I oversee a master electrician,plumber,and a carpenter.(all three have minimum 30 years experience) I'm sure I could find a guy who only does decks,but it's NJ and what some people call 'straight and finished' is not what I call 's and f'... My carpenter building the deck is highly skilled and you know what??? Money isn't everything... I would rather blow an extra $4000 to be able to sleep at night and know I can make modifications or change materials as we go along....... It's worth it to me... THERE IS NOTHING on my house that is plumb,straight,cookie cutter....I don't want to stain friggin ANYTHING anymore.... I don't want to paint ANYTHING anymore.... PRETEND I'm your customer. You aren't even listening to me.. You are still stuck on promoting a deck the way that is the most profit for you... I know it sux that synthetic railings dip into your profit.....That's life.. But my dear, synthetics are the future on decks.... You should embrace it instead of promoting your BOTTOM line number on building a deck...Someone always pays...and your middle class customer w 3 kids and both working doesn't want to stain or Good Golly have to find someone to stain it in 4 years.....staining railings is a pain in the bum.. YOU know it.. admit it... Have you ever looked at a roof when they smacked it on with a large crew??? The more hands that drop shingles the worse it looks.. I like one hand on my projects... Just a matter of preference....

Thanks for the feedback. The majority of the damage in on the cabinet frame portion between the sink and doors, so putting a skirt with a tension rod inside the cabinet opening isn't going to do much. I realize, the skirt will not prevent damage to the cabinet, but I'm hoping to cover the damaged portion, and possible reduce further damage. I can't see painting it every year. My builder did have the cabinet repainted one year after we moved it, but a year later it needs to be painted again. I'm hoping to do something along the lines of inspiration picture 1. I will put the skirt immediately below the sink so that none of the frame is visible. I hope it will also catch some of the water and then I will wash it periodically. Do you think this will look okay? I need a method of attaching it and a way to creat a little bit of gather. Jak1, I will look into the cable thing.

Aurora, I'm sorry if you interpreted my comments as argumentative.....they were not intended to be so. I have been a participant here for more than 20 years as well as a practicing designer and I do not recall any specific admonitions to not lattice off a deck. It is really a matter of personal choice or individual circumstance.......as many of these issue are :-) I can't see how latticing or not would factor in very substantially one way or the other wrt keeping critters at bay, other than what I stated previously. If determined, they will find a way in, no skirting at all, lattice skirting or even solid skirting. Since a great proportion of landscape design choices are determined by aesthetics - at best a very subjective determinant - that is really the only valid factor. If you like looking at the bare (or sometimes weedy) area under a deck, leave it exposed. If you don't like that look or prefer a more "finished" approach, then screen it off with lattice or anything else you prefer.