Thursday, April 21, 2011

A Better Plan

At the last minute our stone/brick patio changed to a deck like our other one with the hot tub. This idea came to us because it just made more sense to build a deck on the slope rather than try and level the slope for a brick patio. And it is more in keeping with the general continuity of our little estate. I sketched out the possible layout and we decided on 16'x12' as our size. The decking comes in 16' lengths, so it was easy to estimate the cost of the surface planks.
 Dave and Mike went off to Lowe's to get the materials and came home with these concrete piers or Dec- Blocks which are used for a floating deck. O No. I was not happy. If this area were the back yard where the earth is hard packed clay, I would probably accept this plan, but this side yard has been filled with something like sand and is loose enough to for me to dig to China. If we used these blocks alone on the earth it wouldn't be long before the floating deck would float right down the hill.
I insisted on poured concrete for the foundations under the Dec-blocks. So back to Lowe's. They completed the concrete work before the rain, and will begin the actual framing today. Nobody likes me anymore, and as project manager, I don't care. In the end the deck will be stable and they will be proud of their work. BTW the plant right in the middle of that frame is a rhododendron and it was saved and transplanted at quitting time.

There is still some leveling to do, no?
To keep my sanity, I knit socks, finishing pair #4 for Laura.

You will notice that there is a new font on the blog today. I am trying it out.



Posted by Picasa

16 comments:

  1. Peg Howard8:40 AM

    Good call project manager-
    it would not have been a floating deck---it would have quickly turned into a slow slider...
    whew..they got the right one in charge--

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are a great project manager. I like the new font.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank, God you are in charge. I was worried when I first saw the photos! I thought it looked like a short lived Jenga game!!

    I like the new font!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very wise decision about the concrete!! We once had a deck that was slowly sliding down a hill and concrete pillars were definitely the way to go to salvage it. Maybe it's just my middle-aged eyes, but I'm finding the new font hard to read.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are right to insist it be done RIGHT.

    And you'll sleep better.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think you were wise to crack the whip and insist on the concrete. I'm with the other Beth--the new font seems cramped to me and hard to read.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ay my eyes-uh! It's kind of hard to read. The pictures are still legible, thank goodness! ;0)

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's a good thing they have a good project manager!!!! What were they thinking???? No sense in putting all that time, effort, and money into a deck that could possibly slide down the hill...DUH!!!! Men....gotta love 'em :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Enjoying seeing all the steps of your projects -- sort of like HGTV in slo-mo, haha! LOVE it! I aim for my blog to be along those lines, but then lose steam. (One blog I love that is like HGTV, with fun before, after and progress pics is Young House Love: http://www.younghouselove.com/ Thought you might enjoy it, too.)

    RE: font... letters look fuzzy and raggedy on my screen... graphic designers call this effect "ratty". You might consider sticking with the TrueType and/or ClearType category of fonts.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Not in love with the new font. My aging eyes are finding it hard to read.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous7:23 PM

    New font hard to read!

    Sue Arnold

    ReplyDelete
  12. I also am finding the new font hard to read. I scrolled down to compare it to the old, only to find that the old had been transformed to the new. (I'm sure that was probably automatic).

    ReplyDelete
  13. Celeste Wegner9:42 PM

    You have such a funny way with words that I just bust out laughing reading your blog--miz project manager.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm still working on my pair of wool knitted socks since early Fall and you keep knitting away. They are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  15. On a DRY day....using a watering can..run a trickle of water down every gap..wait.... until the slab tops are dry...and THEN..brush in your sand cement mix into the gaps...it will not stick to the dry slab tops but will slowly absorb the moisture held in the gaps...use a rounded stick or jointing tool and profile the pointing by dragging it along each line...leave it and it will set perfectly... . When laying slabs it's alway useful to use a stick template to ensure even gaps between the slabs for a more asthetic look..

    Marine decking

    ReplyDelete
  16. You have such a funny way with words that I just bust out laughing reading your blog--miz project manager.

    ReplyDelete

Hello,
So nice of you to drop by. I love your comments, and if you would really like a reply, please email me at fibermania at g mail dot com