Stuology

Day 119: The New Deck

Apr 28th, 2008By: Mellystu Comments 3

Day 119: The New Deck

Here is the start of the new deck. For reference, here is the Old Deck of Falling Down. When we bought the house, they said, “You just need to pressure wash it and stain and seal it.” However, when I looked at it, the wood was rotting. It was pulling apart from the house. It needed more than just that. The previous owners definitely didn’t take care of the deck.

I had dreams of rebuilding the deck, and wrapping it around the side of the house, so that is what we did. Ada is really clumsy, so I’m a tad nervous having her walk down those 8 steps to get to the yard. Now she only has to go down 2 less steep steps. If she tumbles, she hopefully won’t break anything. Also, wow, big deck! Now, M, I have room for a smoker

Yesterday, I set to work staining and sealing the deck. I had a horrible headache. It got to the point where I couldn’t stand noise, and I just wanted to yell at the fighting neighbors two houses behind us to shut up, the neighbor to the side of me that was sawing to shut up, and the birds who were tweeping and enjoying spring to shut up. I couldn’t listen to my iPod either. I got all the inside of the rails done, the floor done and the outside of the rails that didn’t require a ladder done. I’m taking off this afternoon to work on the rest of it. Then we can move the grill and planters back on the deck, and the rest of the work can be done around that stuff.

In my haste to get my deck UV protected and the fog my mind always sits in with my bad headaches, I forgot to UV protect myself. My face is only slightly pink, but my arms are bright red and hurting. Yippee, cancer all in the name of my deck.

Mac put down some more grass seed, and I’m hoping that it will take in the bare spot in front of the deck. That was some weird triangle of dead, crappy landscaping that we ripped out last summer.

My next big project: painting the house. Maybe a different color just to spite Google Street View^*.

*I have nothing against Google Street View. Actually, I wish delivery drivers would use it so they don’t have to always call us to ask for directions to our house.