When we saw the house for the first time we thought that the deck had to go. After our rainy summer it was slick with goop and obviously very rickety.
The second time we went the deck had dried out a little and it wasn't as slippery so we were hoping we could get by with a pressure washing, a few spot repairs and then some fancy new deck paint.
Nope. We heard from some experts and the deck has go to go!
In fact the deck is the main culprit behind all the water in the kitchen and the terrible siding. Not only is this deck not flashy but it also has no flashing. That means that water hits the deck and splashes onto the siding or drips down the side of the house where it soaks into the unprotected wood and everything behind it. Totally gross.
You guys know that the kitchen is tore up from the floor up but before we can make it the gorgeous centerpiece I want it to be (or you know, usable) we have to do some repairs to that mess you see above. This means tearing off the siding, replacing the sill and repairing any interior damage and rebuilding everything the right way.
It also means that the deck needs to be pulled off of the house so that you can get to the wall to fix it. We are keeping as many deck boards as we can salvage to build a new deck and possibly using the old boards for raised beds. The boards are pressure treated which means they are a no-no for food gardening. It's true that the elements have probably washed a lot of the crud away over the last 30 or so years it's better to be safe than sorry.
While the deck demo was underway we had a bonfire to take care of some of the excess wood in the yard. Downed tree branches, old wood piles and other odds and ends got taken care of the old fashioned way. It was a beautiful fall day. Perfect for a bonfire...sadly none of us had time to sit around and tell ghost stories.
Our good friend Aaron came over to help the boys take the deck apart. Aaron and his wife Melanie bought our old old house from us as a FSBO and we've been friends ever since!
Since we're hoping to save the old boards and trying to not have nails all over the place the demolition work was slow going.
They found a date on the deck...can you believe it was built in 1981? We kept the compass rose that was carved in the deck to use in a future project.
After a few hours the boys reached a good stopping point for the day. We really appreciate Aaron coming out and working hard!
Watch your step!
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