The Deck, part 3

May 14th was a busy day. Other than being my Brother's birthday (Happy 18th, Ben!), it was also the day we got the okay from the inspector with his poking stick to begin pouring concrete for our footers. The holes we dug ranged from 8 to 18 inches in depth and had to be at least 16"X16" wide. We got to mixing, and continued to build the temporary frame bit by bit. Here is a shell of the walkway, which will lead to the backdoor and fix all of th e problems we've had since moving here! It's a dream come true! (We know it won't solve ALL of the problems, but let us have our joy, will ya?)

Again, the walkway from another angle. We are so excited to have this to reduce the amount of dirt, mud, and wet dog prints in the bathroom and kitchen.

The temporary framing is up, and the holes are covered after a few bags of concrete each. Pouring concrete is a dirty, messy, heavy job.

Here you can see the carriage bolts securing the ledgerboard to the bandboard of the house. Poor Matt had to crawl under with his N95 respirator mask and tighten all the washers and nuts on the other side where the creepy crawlies live. At least Nico went with him and kept him company.


And here's Daryl, making it all happen. We are so appreciative to have such a knowledgeable friend helping us out with this and making our 3 year dream come true! He's wearing his uniform, with screws in the front shirt pocket, a speed square in one back pocket, a cordless drill hanging off his belt and a pencil behind his ear. I don't understand how his pants stay up with all that equipment...

And next, allow the concrete to cure before drilling holes to place the posts with galvanized bases. The posts will begin to hold the weight of the temporary frame and make it seem even more like a deck.