Pergola Day 17 - Finish the roof and two of the walls

The first thing I accomplished this morning was finishing the roof. After that, I climbed up on the roof and used my circular saw to trim the boards on the south side of the pergola. Despite my best efforts, I still had variances of a quarter inch or so on the boards. The circular saw helped create a nice clean line.

The next step was taking a trip to Home Depot to purchase some stainless steel screws we plan to use on or "mini-wall" and a footing for a 4x4 post. The post will be used as part of a privacy wall on the south side of the pergola.

The photo below shows the completed roof but you can still look over the fence and see the neighbors.

Here is a photo of the fence from the neighbor's yard. Notice how they can see into our backyard. 

Michelle and I moved some boards over the fence and prepped them in our neighbors yard.

We used the same block and clamp strategy to install the boards but this time we used 1 inch spacers to provide us with a little more privacy. Here is the final product.

While cutting wood, Michelle found a scrap that had a knot that looked like the Virgin Mary. We decided to keep this piece as a souvenir.

The last project of the day involved installing 2 foot boards on the "mini-wall" between the pergola and our bedroom. We used the same two inch spacing on the roof because privacy wasn't really a concern here.

Tomorrow we will work on the final privacy wall on the south side of the pergola. After that, I'll install the low voltage lighting and outdoor speakers. Once this is complete, we can move the furniture back in and hang the plants! I'm hoping we will be finished in a couple of days.

Pergola Day 16 - Start The Lattice

Today I decided to start installing the lattice roof of the pergola. I started off the day as usual laying out my tools. I uncovered the cedar boards we plan to install on the roof and found a cricket chilling in the shade.

The next step was to use my dad's miter saw to cut a few 2 inch blocks. I will use these blocks to space out the boards.

I also set up three ladders evenly spaced across the pergola. I'll use these ladders to access the boards once they are on top. 

The next step involved trimming the boards to size. Each board was 219" long. I usually cut a dozen boards before lifting them up to the roof of the pergola.

Once on top, I used the blocks and clamps to hold three boards together at once.

The next step involved climbing up the first ladder, screwing the boards in, and climbing back down before climbing back up the ladder and repeating the process. I was able to screw in two boards at a time. The pergola needed 42 boards on top so I spend the entire day climbing up and down ladders.

Here are some photos of the pergola roof being installed in phases....

The shadows cast by the boards and joists are beautiful.

It took almost all day to install the majority of the boards. Tomorrow I will install the remaining three boards and begin working on the privacy wall.

Pergola Day 15 - Structure Complete

 Steve and Ryan came over and helped finish the structural elements of the pergola. I started out by cleaning up the area and laying out the tools while Jack supervised.

Once Steve and Ryan arrived we installed the second beam. The next step was to install the joist that goes along the north side of the pergola and provides the support for the floating corner. The corner is held together with timber screws and a L bracket.

After that, we installed one of the posts that will support the joist. 

This turned out to be a little more complicated than I thought. I mis-measured the beams and as a result the joists were sitting on the brick instead of the railroad tie. This wasn't a big deal except for the fact I had planned to screw the base into wood, not brick. I took a trip to OB Hardware to purchase some concrete screws and masonry bits. After some drilling we were able to get the posts installed. 

Once the post was bolted into the joist, Steve decided to strength-test the structure by hanging on it. The structure passed.

The next step was to install the remaining joists. We started on the south side and worked north. The first was held in with timber screws. Two of us would hold the joist up while the third made sure the board lined up with the beams and installed the timber screws.

The joists in the middle were installed using brackets. I would climb up the ladder to install the brackets, then Steve and Ryan would lift the joist up so I could measure the necessary length. The joist was removed, cut to the correct length, and then reinstalled and screwed in.

Once the six joists were installed, we then installed the second post on the mini-wall that supports the floating corner.

I purchased the correct masonry bits from the store so the second time around went a lot faster. At that point we were finished for the day!

For fun, we threw some of the cedar boards up on the pergola so we could experiment with how far apart we wanted the boards spaced. I like how they look 2-3 inches apart.

The next step is to decide upon how far the cedar boards will be spaced and how much we want the boards to overhang from the end. Once we decide that, we will make a run to Home Depot to purchase a box of screws and start screwing the lattice down. I think we are three or four days away from being finished!

Pergola Day 14 - Electricity

 I applied a couple of coats of paint to the last two support posts but other than that I spent the day re-wiring the pergola. I took a trip to Home Depot to purchase some supplies, came home and started re-installing the electrical outlet only to realize I forgot a couple of parts. I had to drive back to Home Depot for a second time today to purchase some brackets .I finally put everything together.

Then I turned on the low voltage lights to test them and immediately started seeing smoke. After examining the situation I realized that by coincidence, one of the screws I used to attach the electrical conduit went through one of the wires that I had installed in the post, shorting it out. So I had to rip the remaining wiring out of the post, re-install new low voltage wiring, and then re-wire the transformer. 

After that I had to apply wood putty to hid the new wiring. 

Obviously I wasn't too stoked about the mistake. Oh well. Tomorrow I'll sand and repaint it.

Pergola Day 13 - Patch, Paint, & Prep

 I spent a couple of hours prepping for the install of the second beam on Saturday. I patched some holes in the beam we installed a few days ago and touched up a few areas. Everything is looking nice!

I also sanded and primed the last two pieces of wood we need to paint. The 4x4 is the last post we will use in our decorative walls. The smaller piece is a "knee joint" we will use to help support the 4x4 beam that connects to our "floating corner". 

While I was in the backyard I noticed a visitor in the avocado tree. I can't remember the last time we saw a squirrel in the backyard. I think he entered our backyard by jumping from our neighbor's garage to our fence where he climbed down and did some exploring.

I enjoy watching the birds (and squirrel) chilling in the yard.