In an area where cheap labor is abundant and construction help is prevalent, it’s quite rare in Northern Virginia to see family and friends come together as we did last weekend at my brother-in-law’s house to build a deck.

Many of the townhouses in his Woodbridge neighborhood feature decks. But almost all of them were built by contractors and day-workers rather than homeowners. Not this one.

My brother-in-law had been organizing this project for months with my father-in-law, who drew the plans and oversaw the project. My other brother-in-law joined us from Philadelphia and a couple of friends lent a hand Sunday to position some of the large beams and columns. Even my wife and baby were on hand to supervise.

This was probably my biggest building project since tech class in high school. And although y role was small compared to my brother-in-law and father-in-law, who worked all week on it, I was happy to pitch in and help.

In our face-paced world where family is too often relegated to a secondary role, it was nice to know that mine is the type willing to sacrifice a weekend by rolling up some sleeves and getting a little dirty. Even more important than building the deck was the opportunity to bond with family. It reminded me of the day in August I spent with my Dad sprucing up our deck with two new ceiling fans. It was hardly glamorous, but highly rewarding.

Not everyone needs to embark on such a large project to have the same kind of fulfilling experience, but I’d highly recommend spending quality time with family and friends on something meaningful like it.