The key difference between yesterday and today was the type of work. I didn't touch a saw once and my step counter had only half the steps that I had yesterday. This is because I spent the entire day on my hands and knees in the front yard and rarely walked to the backyard where are the chop saw was.
I started off by permanently installing the back beam. You can see the metal feet that the post stand on. The back end is totally bulletproof and will not be bothered by water in the future!
The remainder of the day was spent putting together the blocked joists on the sides of the deck. The block design is necessary to support the picture frame deck design we have in mind. Each block was put together with two 4-in timber screws. The job basically involved lining up the joists and making sure the blocks were level with the top, then clamping the joists together and pre-drilling holes through the joist and blocks. We would then come back with an impact hammer and install the timber screws. These things are bulletproof!
if you look carefully, you'll notice an additional joist that is attached to the blocking structure. This is used to support the wood that will be laid perpendicular to the picture frame design. This is called sistering joist and it involves driving large timber screws through both joists at 4-in intervals.
Along the side of the house, we installed one of the center joists. It's not permanently installed, only the bracket that holds it in place are there and we can easily remove it.
We plan to do this to the remaining joists tomorrow. From there, we'll start drawing string across the joists to find the high and low points and either plain down or shimmy up each joist individually. This type of work is necessary to make sure the final deck surface is completely flat.
Michelle had access to our tub of screws, bolts and brackets and would grab the necessary items for me as I was installing them.
Having two people definitely made it easier!
