The Deck

So, yeah, the deck. It's been pretty sway-ridden and warped lately, as any of you who have been here recently can attest, and so it was time for it to come down. I had a couple of friends look at it, one of whom is a contractor, and the other, a very experienced deck-builder. And both said the posts were fine and the joists, pressure-treated lumber, looked fine. So it should be a question of simply removing the decking and the rails and re-building those to suit on top of the existing infrastructure. So I did this:





Took about a day's work, spread over two. And I found this underneath:




Still running. Casio digital watch - is it yours, Elliot...?

Yesterday I went out to take a closer look at how the deck was bolted to the house. It looked, to me, at first, as if the deck must have been bolted to the concrete foundation of the addition, but it turns out to have been nailed to the beam on top of the foundation. And the deck ledger, as well as the beam behind it, appear to be rotten. I'll have to have someone who knows what they're talking about take a look at it, but it sure as heck looks to me like that beam's going to have to be replaced. So this might end up costing a fair amount.

Further frustration this morning on the puppy front: The litter we had been looking to go see is still sickly. They said to call back at the end of the week - which is what they said last week. And then it was "Call back Monday". I don't blame anyone - hey, if they're sick, they're sick. Nothing they can do about it, other than provide great care, which they've been doing. But it's a roller coaster for us. We want to get the dog in and get as much bonding / training done as possible before the school year starts again, so the sooner, the better.

Well, off to deal with the house issue. I'm going to see if our friend Matt, the contractor, is in the neighborhood working today. If he is, I'll be stopping over with the beverage of his choice to see if he can come take a look. Keep your fingers crossed...