Yes, it is much brighter from all the sun the tree is no longer blocking (kind of hot from that aspect) and from the new lighter floor -which I love.

I really prefer softscapes (the tree) to hardscapes (the wooden deck) but the tree was just too close to everything. The people we bought the house from planted it over 15 years ago. It was their Christmas tree one year.

Now I'm trying to talk Richard into getting a little hot tub for the concrete area below the new deck. It's nice and private there so it would be perfect.