We hit a very EXCITING milestone on Labor Day weekend..... we built the first new part of our house! The DECK. We have a great southern exposure in our back yard so having the ability to have a nice deck to enjoy the sunshine and view was a big reason we liked this house.
 |
| Getting Started |
Lots of wood was delivered on Friday so we got to work first thing Saturday morning. Tool belt in place, Mark was ready to go. The first order of business was getting the outside edges (I am sure they have some special name but it's just a box to me!) in place then we would put up the joists (how's that for a building term - those are the boards that go under the deck surface that we walk on from the house to the outside edge). My brother, Tim, was again an invaluable part of our team. Also joining us was Randy Thompson and Art Felgate (you may have seen him in the fireplace removal post). There is no way we could have built this deck without their help. Thanks, guys!
 |
| The outside frame is done |
We had our little helpers, too. Bennett and Gavin had a great day playing in our yard with Dixie and Lucy (the neighbor dog).
 |
| Bennett being adorable in an outfit that used to be Matt's |
 |
| Gavin showing how strong he is hanging on the tree stump
|
Our poor neighbors had to listen to the "boys" hammer all day long but a ton of progress was made.
 |
| End of day 1- the lower level is done |
 |
| End of day 1 - all the section 1 joists are in |
 |
| End of day 1 - keeping the tree |
Sunday we got back at it to build the stepped up part of the deck. Inside the house the dining room is a step up from the living room so the deck will mirror this same pattern. Today's job is to build the stepped up part of the deck that will be outside the dining room and kitchen.
 |
| Starting the stepped up part |
 |
| Many, many, many hours later.... |
While Mark, Tim and I built the deck, Gavin and Bennett discovered that they could bang on the cut logs like drums and they would make different sounds.... A homemade xylophone
 |
| Making music |
 |
| Showing how strong he is |
 |
Gavin discovered that he could use another log to make music too!
|
 |
| Viewing their work at the end of the day |
 |
| Both of the sections on the bottom deck |
We worked a long day on Sunday to get most of the second section done before Tim left. There were a couple more joists to hang and many nails to pound into the joist hangers to make them complete. Mark and I finished that work today (Labor Day) since we could do it without the help of another set of hand.
WOW! What a weekend. It was a huge amount of work but the entire frame is done for the lower deck. It was awesome that the weather cooperated so we were not cooking and dripping in sweat all weekend long.
Next we will dig holes for the posts, get them inspected and then put the posts in. We discovered today that we have to remove a stump that is right in the way of the steps before we can build them so we will tackle that too. Also at the top of the list will be removing widows (to finish filling our 4th dumpster) and building headers for new windows and doors. More building, that's what I like. We are getting ever closer to siding the house.
No comments:
Post a Comment