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Category Archives: Deck
Just Add Stairs
Oh, I don’t know, the Parkour Method of getting up on the deck helps keep me in shape.
Progress
For three weekends, this was my life. A drill, a driver, a bucket of screws, a clamp, a screw template, two spacers, and a towel to kneel on. And a cat. Always a cat.
20′ Deck Planks
Each plank of decking was 20 feet long. They’re made out of a composite of wood fiber and plastic, and the longer they sit in the sun the more bendy they are. Imagine carrying a spaghetti noodle that weighs about 70 pounds. You get the picture. Just getting them into the shop so I could chop them to length was a challenge. It wasn’t until the deck was almost done that I realized I could have probably just set up my saw outside near the planks.
Saying Goodbye to the Old Deck
It wasn’t hard.
Now we’re cooking with grease!
Composite deck planks are finally going down. It’s not the easy part, but finally get a little satisfaction of seeing what the finished deck may look like. That’s almost enough to walk on up there!
What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is Going On Here?
Inky was really, really good on the joists. She may be an old cat, but she has good balance. Had no compunctions about just stepping out the front door and walking out on them. She probably wonders where the deck went, though.
Deck Joists
I’d say 9 out of 10 are in pretty good shape. I’m sure they’ll hold up. My biggest issue is there aren’t enough of them! These joists are spaced at 24″, and I need 12″ to 16″ spacing for the composite decking. I’ll be adding in new joists in between the existing ones.
MOAR Deck Demolition
So many things are living in my deck that it has its own ecosystem. It’s a biosphere of moss, plants, insects and mold. I barely need that crowbar to pull it apart.
Deck Demolition
Yeah, it’s time.
Everyone on home improvement TV shows loves demolition. It’s so fun. Just swing a sledgehammer and ha ha ha everything’s destroyed! I think it’s a pain in the ass, particularly if you’re trying to save one thing (the deck joists, for example) but want to get rid of everything around it. It’s accident prone, it’s injury prone, and you almost always uncover more things that need to be fixed than you initially thought. And those fricking hot galvanized nails are sticking out of everything.