Deck Rebuild Project 2003-2004
Last shot of the old deck. Always some kid getting a splinter in their foot. Well used, but not cared for by prior owners, so it was falling apart.
I started ripping up boards on September 14, 2003. It was a lot harder to pry off the old boards that I thought. Plus, I took the time to remove all nails for safety. The nails were rusty and each board was a struggle.
September 20. Serious back ache this day..
September 21. Can't wait to go to work tomorrow and sit all day..
September 25. Whew! All boards removed! Phase 1 complete. Next time I think I'll just burn down the house and start fresh. Ugh those contractors did a crap job. Frame is crooked and the boards are spaced by as much as 20 inches in places. I doubt if it even met code.
October 5. Laying the Trex. It is a plastic/wood board that requires little to no maintenance! That's my kind of deck! The only problem is they are heavy as hell. That 18V DeWalt drill was well worth the money.
October 12 (Morning). Board laying is going at a steady pace now. Each board is secured under the previous one, so no screw heads show. I hope I never need to remove a board!
October 12 (Evening). Nancy comes to visit. She lent me hand on many days to ease the suffering of a long tedious job.
October 18. UGH! I miss-calculated and didn't order enough Trex. So, why is it that they can't mold plastic to exactly 6 inches? If it's not 6 inches, why do they call it a 5/4 x 6" board?
November 16th. Trex laid and excess cut. Stairs have been replaced with a longer nicer set of stairs.
November 23rd. Nancy and I put up the lattice to hide the ugliness under the deck, and then a cedar trim covers the old edge boards. It's starting to come together now! Unfortunately, Winter is upon us.
February 29, 2004. First set of days over 40Deg F that will be dry long enough to stain the trim. I hate winter!
March 6th. The railing posts go up.
March 13th. Rail posts are cut to height and I put on the first cross bar.
March 27th. I see the light at the end of the tunnel! I used a router from Nancy's dad's shop to cut grooves in the posts to hold the bottom rail. I used my basement shop to cut all the short posts to exactly the right size.
April 3, 2004. New deck has arrived! I think it's beautiful if I dare say so myself! In the fall I'll stain it after the wood dries a little and it will be perfect.
August 15, 2004. Deck stained and complete! Ahhh.