So our J&W Lumber order arrived today. Cesar used the forklift to drop the lumber on the curb by our house.
The next step was to move the lumber to the backyard. I used our wagon to carry the lattice down the side walkway to the back gate. Once there, I carried the lattice into the backyard two boards at a time. The 4x6 posts and 2x6 joists were carried one at a time. Michelle helped me stack the wood along the fence.
Carrying heavy wood gives you time to think...and the first thought that crossed my mind was whether or not the existing posts could hold the load. I didn't have an appreciation for the weight of wood until I carried the last board in. I immediately walked over to the two remaining original posts. I dug down and realized the bottoms of them were dry rotted.
I want to build a pergola that lasts for 20+ years so I decided to play it safe and replace them. Michelle and I drove over to Home Depot and purchase two additional 10 foot 4x6 posts. We also picked up a sample can of paint that we plan to use on the beams and joists. We based the color off of the existing color used for the posts and the trim on our house. The post/trim color is below.
The color is a dark brown/black. See below for some renderings of what the pergola may look like when we are finished.
Michelle and I prepped the two beams and four posts for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will primer the wood in preparation for the final coat of paint. This will give us an opportunity to test our "beam" color out and see if we like how it looks.
