After my dad’s surgery, while he attempted to read a magazine, he told me to build a home. I sat at his bedside in the hospital, nodded my head, rose from my chair and gave him a kiss on his bandaged bald head. I then sat down. After he went home to Lake Bluff and we all knew he wouldn’t make a recovery I, for the first time in my life, decided to take his advice. Upon my return to Alaska I began looking at property.
Today I bought a piece of land. Next year we’ll begin construction.
Not much going on lately.
Put the lights up and installed the firepit today. Put some cobblestones under the copper fire bowl and sixty pounds of sand inside it. Now I’ve got a nice little fire going.
After two hard days, the deck is finished.
Finally got all of my lovely pieces assembled for the deck foundation. After each work day (Monday through Thursday) I stopped at Lowes down the street from my house on the way home from work. In my nice/acceptable suits I would load up a cart with two 4x4x8 beams plus four 12″x8″x12″ concrete piers and four adjustable U brackets and then stow them carefully in my car.
On Saturday I finally had all of the pieces in the backyard and had duck all of the foundation holes for the piers. Using my trusty seven-foot level I was able to line-up the pier height with the existing deck beams. I then went pier by pier adjusting the piers so that they were level with the existing deck supports. After many shovels of dirt and gravel plus tamping the ground down with my handy 10″x10″ metal tamper I lined-up all of the piers and made sure everything was level.
I back-filled all of the piers. Measured and double/tripled checked levels. I then nailed into the beams, through the U brackets, securing the beams. I then checked level again. All was good.
The following day it had rained nearly 1/2 inch. Again I checked level across all the beams and with the existing deck structure. All was still good. I then ordered the lumber for the joists and the decking material. It should arrive at my house on Wednesday.
I got the deck addition laid-out. It’s 14 x 16 and will be joist on beam with no posts. Right now I’m digging the 16 holes for the piers. Hopefully be able to put in the piers by the end of the week. Next weekend start on the joists followed by the decking.
I had to remove the old dog kennel and two trees before this started. It took some time but the trees and kennel were finally removed this week.
alaska, anchorage, home | operator101 | 
Friday 16 July 2010 6:47 pm | 
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