Progress On The Deck

First let me say I enjoy doing construction. I have many extensive home improvement projects under my belt, most of which I did on my previous house which was an small cape built in 1950. I stripped and refinished the hardwood floors, stripped and replaced the roof, rebuilt the front porch, did the bathroom twice (because the tile we put in the tub the first time did not hold up, and got replaced with acrylic walls), kitchen renovation and expansion (the floor and cabinets were done by contractor, I did everything else), second floor renovation (except the W-W carpet install), stripped and repaired the exterior in preparation for vinyl siding, plus several other smaller projects. In my current house, I built and plumbed my wife's stainless steel dog washing tub, built my chicken coop and pen like you would build a house (which is why it is still there and rock solid after 14 years), did all the demo work when we replaced the 1st floor carpet with bamboo hardwood, and did the demo and plumbing when we put in the quartz kitchen countertops. The reason I don't do it for a living is because I am S-L-O-O-O-O-O-W and would never be able to make money at it. I also don't have an equipped truck full of tools and supplies, so I am constantly having to stop and run out to get what I need.

 

Tuesday the 3rd, I got the stairs in. It was a royal pain in the ass setting the base concrete blocks for the stringers to rest on.

The four new deck boards are for continuing the overhang where the railing used to be.

Once the stairs were in I cut back the railing to match where the edge of the new wider steps are. That was it for the day because the bright sun of earlier became clouds and then rain.

Yesterday I worked on the railings, but didn't get too far. Remember when I said I don't have a truck full of everything I need? Yeah. I thought the screws holding the structure together were 3" #10 exterior deck screws. Nope... those are too long and would have poked out the backside of whatever boards I was screwing together. I cut out the two angled 2 x 6 pieces for the stair railings and called it quits to go back to Lowe's to exchange the #10 3" screws I had bought for #10 2 1/2". When I got home I got the left half of the stair railing partially in place, and then my wife called to say she was on her way home from work. QUITTING TIME!! We had one more "Hello Fresh" meal in the fridge so it was my job to get dinner cooked. I not only know my way around a circular saw, but a kitchen as well. Dinner was Beef Bulgogi Meatballs and delicious.

The Hello Fresh meal recipe card. Detailed instructions for prep, cooking, and serving are on the rear.

 

It is an Asian inspired dish. The Bulgogi BBQ Sauce is labeled as Korean, and we like our food spicy so I dumped in the entire packet of Sriracha Sauce for maximum heat. It was quite flavorful and I washed mine down with a Sam Adams Porch Rocker.

Southern New England has been stuck under a stationary front the past couple of days, and the rain has been on and off. Today has been one of those days mostly wet and damp, so no progress until tomorrow. It is supposed to be warm and sunny for just one day, then back to unsettled. I'm not sure how much I will actually get done tomorrow, because I could get a phone call to go for a ride on "The Beast" for which I will have to take action on.