Progress on our deck

My husband, Tim, and I took advantage of a full weekend of beautiful weather to make major progress on our front deck project.

My dad came over two weeks ago to help pour the concrete footings. The footings were by far the biggest undertaking of the entire project. Luckily, our local True Value had the equipment we needed for rent. Tim got an auger and cement mixer that made digging the 42-inch holes and filling them with concrete so much easier.

We allowed the footings to dry a full week before taking the next steps in the project. Tim took his time putting the deck posts in place. He wanted to be sure to get the measurements exactly right from the start, so the rest of the project would go as planned.

I am not a carpenter, so I trusted Tim with all of the figuring and cutting. It’s basically what he does for a living at Kinze but with metal instead of wood; however, Tim has never built a deck. Growing up on a farm, he helped his dad build various things. Using the knowledge he gained from those experiences and researching basic deck building strategies, Tim felt he could take on the project himself and not hire a contractor.

Our son and I played supervisors for the first day as he got the very first boards in place. Tim didn’t need much help, but I was there to hold boards in place while he got them squared up before attaching them to brackets. The more Tim accomplished, the more the deck began to take shape.

Tim nearly jumped for joy when he placed his level on each board, and the little bubble was dead center every time. He was so proud of his measurements and cuts being right on the money.

We had the city inspector come check the progress to be sure we were on the right track. The last thing we want to do is to have to rip apart the deck and start over. Mel was great and helpful. He pointed out that Tim had used the wrong screws, he needed specific deck screws — rookie mistake. But at least it was an easy fix.

Everything else seemed to be on the right track. He gave some tips on how to get the steps right, and what to look for when picking out different boards for the joists and deck floor boards. After Tim spoke with Mel, he was excited to get more done. We invited my dad over again to help get the framing done. I didn’t want to make a mistake with my focus split between helping Tim and making sure our son was content. Both Tim and I appreciate my dad’s help with the project. We wouldn’t be this far without him.

By Sunday evening, almost all of the framing was complete. We were short one 2 by 6 board to complete one side. Mel will come back this weekend to check our progress and be sure everything is up to code. With any luck, we will have the deck floor on this weekend, and we will at least be able to walk up to our front door again.

Tim is happy with his progress so far. He told me afterwards he needed to thank his dad. Even though he didn’t have time to come help Tim with the deck, Tim said he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what he did without all of what he taught him over the years. So a big thank you to Tim’s dad for making our deck project possible. I guess as Father’s Day approaches, we will be extra grateful for our dads this year.

Contact Pam Pratt at
pampratt@newtondailynews.com