You can call this "day 1" if you don't count the day I spent removing five trash cans full of plants and the time I have spent drawing diagrams of the deck and visiting Dixieline Lumber to talk to people about wood and construction methods. But since I purchased some concrete forms today and got to work moving dirt then I considered this Day 1.
I need to grade the ground prior to digging holes for the concrete footings. We live on a slope and I need to make sure water won't pool under the deck. I pounded some survey stakes into the ground and ran string around to verify how far the deck will sit off the ground once complete. The west side will be 20 inches off the ground and the east side will be 6 inches above grade.
