Deck Building – One board at a time.

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I live in a house built in the 80’s.  After that long things just start falling apart.  There were several projects that I just looked at for years thinking there is no way that I would ever have enough money at one time to have someone do it for me.  The most glaring one was a second story deck.  It was wobbly.  Nail heads were sticking out of the wood and it was rarely used.  It was probably dangerous.  I have a friend who is a master carpenter.  I was talking with him about it one day and he said.  “We can do it.”  His response came as a bit of a shock since my thinking had to that point been centered around all the reasons why it could not be done.  We figured that I could pay him a couple days a week and buy the materials.  If I helped then we could have it done in a couple weekends for a fraction of what it would cost to have a contractor do it.  Well, that was somewhere in September . . .

Having 2500 lbs of wobbly wood hanging 12 feet in the air attached to your house is one thing.  Getting it on the ground without killing yourself is another.  Looking at it was kinda like thinking about all of the projects hanging over my head.  I just did not know where to start.  My friend did though.  When I asked him how to get it down he said, “Just like it went up, one board at the time.”  So we started board by board and with the help of a saws-all and a big hammer got it down with only minor injuries and one near miss.

That is the extent of my back yard.  All of the houses in the area are built on the peak of the little ridges running through.  I was only used to store firewood under the deck.  It was a waste of space and never really considered inhabitable.  But now we had a blank slate.  So how does one hang 2500 lbs of wood 12 feet in the air on the side of a hill with no scaffolding?  He said, “One board at a time.”

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You see smart people know how to do things.  It was exactly opposite of what I thought to do.  I would have attempted to do.  My thought was to somehow square and level 16 foot 6×6″ posts then build the structure around it.  That would have been crazy hard especially for two guys on eight foot ladders balanced on the side of a hill.  What he did was build a frame of 2×12,” get it level and square then attach the huge posts to it.

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Still kinda scary but we got it done.  Those two things were the hardest.  Once the foundation was solid the rest is just putting the thing together.

We became regulars at Home Depot.

Putting on the decking.

My eldest showed up to help.

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Done.  Well at least I thought I was.

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I built a table out of some scrap lumber.  I could not stop.  I made it a planter table to grow some herbs in for the kitchen in the spring.

I liked what we had done but was not satisfied.  Something was missing or I had become addicted to the sawdust from treated lumber.  I’m still not sure.

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That space just seemed empty and unused.  There is a bottom bed room there to the right.  It had two windows that looked out into the trees.  The new upper deck was more spacious than the old and made the space now more inviting.  Now in a full fledged building addiction I started talking to my friend about building a deck down here.  I was musing to him about how I wished there was a door.  He looked at me like I was “special” and said “Make one if you want.”

It is funny how one minute I found myself feeling overwhelmed or wishing when my only obstacle was lack of vision.  Seems like smart people don’t waste much time thinking of obstacles if but rather of how it can be done.  I realize now it was just a matter of my ignorance of what might be possible.  How is generally not the problem.  Figuring it out comes only after deciding.  It really was not that hard once it was decided.  The whole project was like that.  I sat and avoided it for years when it ended up being some thing well within my means and fun.

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See.

So with some extra rope I had in the garage we began taking a thought and making it solid here on this material plane.

Then we just repeated the process.  Same basic skills I had learned before except this time no ladders.

It is actually very simple.  You find a level line, attach a board to the house, then make a box.

Because the sidewalk was graded to fall downhill there were a few creative solutions we needed to come up with but that was part of the fun.

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Much better!

I like this part.  Maybe because by this time I am on my own finishing it.

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Look at all that new space we can use.  And I still have a place for my firewood but now my feet don’t get muddy.  I even built a 4×4″ rack to keep the wood off the ground.

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Now it is feeling done.

The view out of the new door.

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Had an old swing from the house before this one.  It was raggedy too.

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So guess what?  This time I said “You can do it.”

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Just measured and cut and screwed it together one board at a time.

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This one will last another thirty years.  Am I through?  No not really.  I still need to seal the whole thing when it warms up.  Will need to spot sand the deck in places and a good deal of the swing before that.  And now that I have the lower deck I realized there is no electricity out there.  But it’s ok.  I talked to another smart person yesterday and he showed me how to add a new breaker to the main box then run the wire.  Next weekend I will have a new plug inside the garage, an outside plug for the lower deck as well as an outdoor ceiling fan and light.  Will just be some drilling and screwing and flipping of a couple switches.  Black on black, white on white, its really not that hard.  I guess most things are like that.  It is interesting how my thinking has changed about this stuff.  The only real difficult part is deciding.  Figuring it out just kinda happens after that.  And if you get stuck there are always smart people that will help you.

56 thoughts on “Deck Building – One board at a time.”

  1. Wow! I enjoyed watching your beautiful deck unfold ‘one board at a time.’ Inspiring! Reminds me to write one word at a time, place down one brushstroke at a time, turn the burner on the stove one more time, dust the top of a piece of furniture one more time. Throw the same piece of laundry in the washing machine..again and again. Even the things that seem mundane and boring, done one step at a time, work together to create a beautiful life. Can you tell I enjoyed reading your post? I did!

  6. You did an awesome job, very clever solutions. It looks beautiful too. The wood storage is brilliant. Have a beautiful weekend my friend💜 Hugs, Isabella

  7. what a cool deck 🙂
    y’all did a great job…
    I worked many years at home depot, ended up a manager and quit,
    it is an addicting place to work, so many projects not enough time in the world LOLs
    I started in gardening which is a glorified title for lot loader ….you need plants, I see a tropical paradise up there 🙂
    Have a great day
    Take Care…You Matter
    maryrose

    • I love growing thinks especially vegetables. There is a great satisfaction in enjoying the fruits of your labors. I have a little raised bed and some containers. Cant wait till spring to get it planted. Thanks for being here.

  8. Wow, you did a great job! I am retiring in the fall and am determined to learn to build things.. I want to build a chicken coup, and a play house in the woods for my grandchildren… I bet I can do it, if I find some smart people that is! M.

    • Smart people are important. 🙂 I am finding some satisfaction in all this physical creation. I’ve not written much over the last several months but noticed a similar experience around the effort. None of it is brain surgery. The hardest and most important oart is getting the foundation level and square. After that its all pretty straightforward. You only need to learn 5-10 skills and get comfortable with the tools. A hammer, tri-square, tape measure, skill saw, miter chop saw, and i love my 18 volt cordless drill and driver set. Good tools are important but you won’t need top of the line stuff for around the house unless you will use them daily. If you keep an eye out you can find good used stuff or tools in sale. There is a company called Harbor Freight that sells local and online. They have decent tools at sometimes really good prices. I bought a tool there yesterday for $30 to cut out a space for a new outlet. Top of the line tools like that go for around $100. But in that i will only use it a couple times a year it is fine. I like having smart people around cause I can watch them. I learn much better that way. My buddy showed me how to replace windows in the house. It is really very simple. Remove a piece of trim, pull the old window out, replace any rotten pieces, put the new window in, screw it in place, replace the trim. My plan is to do a couple every month starting in the spring. He will order them at his price. Happy building. Post pictures!

  9. Hey, this is groovy! Really beautiful job, you made me want to come and give a hand. I am famous for being slow and precise too, so I am sure that we’d have worked in good harmony. Wishing you love and music and good beers on the rocker. Hugs brother.

    • Hey man! I started as the help but learned a little bit along the way. Wish you woulda been here. Today gonna wire a new circuit from the breaker to an outdoor socket and ceiling fan for the lower deck. Do you jnow about electricity?

      • Maybe there are some differences between US and European circuitry standards, but I’d surely help. Serving coffee from time to time, maybe? 😜 My father was a builder and I learned a lot by watching him on the sites. That’s amongst my sweetest memories and i love using my hands to build or fix things. Such a pity we’re not closer, I’d come without a doubt. Keep on doing such a great job. Cheers, Tony

  11. Awesome 🙂 Nothing is impossible – we had a ferrocement yacht built ‘board by board’ in our back yard for 22 years. At least your build didn’t take that long!

    • Yes sir. I’m gonna wait till it is warmer. Deciding on whether to use a stain or just seal it. You are right about the sealer. Now I get to shop for a sprayer. Need a new pressure washer too. Think Im going to reorganize the garage while I am in the mood. Been looking at different organizing systems to get stuff off the floor. Do you have an opinion?

      • A lot of the sealers look like a stain. If you go with a stain you will still need to seal it. I learned that the hard way. Thompson’s Weather Seal looks a lot like a natural stain and you can paint over it in a year or so. As for the organizing, my wife says I need to improve my technique in that area. I did find some shelves that I hang the wall studs with heavy screws. They attach to long strips that have slots that “ears” on the shelve fit into. They will support me and I’m 200+ most of the time. You might find them at a surplus store. Hope that helps.

  16. Nice rocker! I used to write poems in a white rocker on my porch. The rhyme fit the rocking motion always. : ) I remember pulling a deck apart with nail puller, nail by nail. Then my husband built a flagstone patio instead. Re-finishing a deck is one ofs my least favorite things so I think I’m staying away from owning one from now on, lol. : ) This does look really really nice though, and not much else you can do with a yard at a tilt. I know, I’ve owned a house with a sloping yard. God bless your beautiful abode and your family!

  18. The only real difficult part is deciding. Figuring it out just kind of happens after that. is there a lesson in there somewhere? 🙂 You all did a beautiful job. You make gorgeous poetry with your hands. 🙂 (And I’d LOVE to have that view in my backyard.)

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