Deck Restoration Continued

 Do you remember from my last post the area that we tore out?

 

 Yesterday and today we got the deck built! Yesterday we had just done a couple of things when it started raining. Obviously you can not use power tools in the rain. My mom, brother and SIL were over so they helped us pack up and we hung out for awhile on the porch watching the rain. I figured I should be at least a little productive so Brad and I went to the grocery store to get supplies for his party. When we got home I put him down for a nap then the rain cleared up and the sun came out!

We quickly got our tools back out and hit the deck hard to get as much done as we could. We basically had to build the frame from scratch and reinforce the existing frame on the old deck. Nick also jacked up a corner support for the balcony that had settled into the ground almost 6 inches. We put in a new support beam for the balcony and managed to get most of the joists in before calling it a day.

Today we woke up to cloudy skies but no rain! My brother and SIL came over again to help. We quickly knocked out the last of the joists while Nick screwed down the few pieces of wood we replaced on the old deck. After that we just had to screw down all of the new decking, but with only one drill that took a while!

By that time the sun was out in full force and we got tired quickly so we worked in shifts, alternating between rest, drilling, and assisting. We made a great team! My mom even came back over to keep us company. We also replaced half of the boards on the third lower part of the deck. I am so proud!

It may not look like a very big area in the picture here, but to show how big the area really is, look at Brad in the corner compared to the rest of the deck!

It doesn't move at all when you walk on it, and the top balcony is also much more secure and sturdy than it used to be. We ended up having the perfect amount of wood, and we will be replacing some of the stairs (not pictured) up to the balcony with the left over wood.

There used to be benches in the far corner of the deck that we replaced, but I don't think I'm going to replace those. I think we will just leave that area open for grilling or chairs. I am however going to build some benches for the other part of the deck that is covered b/c we mostly sit there where it is shady.

I think we did a pretty darn good job for building our first deck! Our only teacher was YouTube. Another major project done, another ton of money saved! All we have left for it to be finished is to clean the old deck the restain the whole thing. We probably won't be getting to that until later next week because of our busy schedule.

On a different note, my little boy's birthday party is tomorrow and I am so excited for him! I know of a couple friends and some family that are coming but I really haven't gotten any RSVPs so I am hoping for the best. Either way he will have a blast! I wrapped all of his presents last night and I didn't realize I had gotten him so many! I always do my Christmas/birthday shopping throughout the year, just buying stuff on sale that I see here and there while I am out. Well he has a bunch for tomorrow! I will probably blog about his party tomorrow, then Sunday we are heading out to a cabin at Grand Lake!