I rarely keep my phone with me when I'm outdoors but I'm sure I'll be taking some pics. The guy who I called about getting the stone down and the ground prepped said they can also take down the exisiting garage for me. The original plan was to do it ourselves and salvage as much of the lumber as possible. However I'd have to work on every one else's schedule for a project like that and I want to get this moving along. So unless it's a crazy quote, we'll hire it out. I'll ask if he can throw some of the better beams and stuff to the side for me, but if it's going to impede the speed of the demolition, screw it.
Hey idiots, I was wondering if somebody could give me an idea of how to do a temporary fix on a loose deck post. so our back deck is pretty solid, except the post closest to the door is not at all touching the ground. This makes it wobble, and the deck floor plank closest to the house is lifting up because of it. now, long term, we want to redo the deck, so my main goal is to just make it solid and straight, with an “as even as possible” floor. It basically needs to be straightened up (back toward the deck) and then secured somehow. easy, safe, and cheap is more important than looks. what do you think?
When I did mine, I went under and behind and glued and screwed some 2x6’s in there to thicken things up, and made sure there were supports between the joists. I then went in and glued and lag bolted the fuck out of the posts into the thicker, less forgiving structure.
yeah, I’m trying to figure out how exactly to get underneath it. I don’t give a shit about the trellis, that needs to be treated wood anyway. And it’s obvious that the project realky just requires pushing the post toward the deck and then adding something to get it sturdy. Just not entirely sure how to do it yet.
My deck was raised a good 4' so it was much easier for me. For you? Sounds like you have to rip off the trellis, climb on your back under there, and suck it up buttercup. Either that or go find yourself a 110lbs Mexican that can fit under there.
The other option is to try and pull up a few of the decking boards near the post so you can get at it from the top.
yeah, that might be the way. I’m not exactly at my “shimmy under a deck with 10-12” clearance” weight anymore.
Wanted to add a small gable style roof over our front door like in the attached photo. This isn't my house, just an image that the wife found online. Got a first rough estimate from a local company and the owner didn't think it would be less than $20,000. Note, I have only one step. For that price, I can't do it. I also realized I should have not gone to college and instead gotten a trade. Little late at almost 53 years old, but I really wish I could build this myself yet I have no idea how to do it.
I feel ya. If I could do one thing over, it'd be going to a vocational program they offered through high school for 11th and 12th grade and learned carpentry. You do NOT want me building anything beyond a raised bed for the garden. The guy we're hiring to take down our existing garage and do ground prep for the new one came this morning and told me an Amish crew he hires for some of his exterior building jobs when he's landscaping could do this job for us better, bigger, and cheaper. He made several suggestions about how to go about this which has my head swimming with ideas. What I'm thinking is having them build pretty much what we have now with some modifications so it's a lot like the building we had planned on getting. It'd be mostly gravel floor, which is an improvement over the dirt floor in the garage now, but I have to have a solid floor for the workshop. So I'm drawing up some sketches now while I wait.
I'm a big believer in YouTube University. If something needs to be done, someone has posted a video on how to do it. You just have figure out video creators are full of shit, and which ones are actually showing proper building practices. I also understand how intimidating it can be, opening up your roof, to properly tie the addition into the existing structure. That is definitely a job you don't want to get wrong.
There is exactly zero chance I will watch any amount of Youtube videos showing how to build this. I am at the point in my life that if I can't write a check to have it done (especially when I can't afford it) it just doens't happen. The only debt I have is my mortgage. Any credit card purchase is fully paid off monthly, I am not borrowing money to pay for this either. Just how I roll now. With 2 kids in college (well one graduates in May) most excess money goes towards their education.
I get it. I'm a bit younger and still in my phase where I will do some big home improvement projects. I don't have pay-a-pro money laying around either. If I'm going fix or improve anything around here, I will have to do it myself. I don't how many more years I'll have that in me, but the day I don't is getting closer.
We're still waiting on a number for the demolition and ground prep, but I reached out last night to see if the guy got in touch with the Amish builders. Of course he can't call and leave a message and the two times he's been by they haven't been home. So he's going over this morning, says they're always home on Saturday. We're still on the fence between a pole barn style garage on gravel and the pre-made shed style. If we can get the pole barn style built cheaper and better, as well as not have to wait several months, then we'll go that route. The only issue is the flooring. I have no problem with it being gravel in the garage part, it would actually solve a problem for me. But as I said before, that won't do for the workshop. Which means there will be about a 4" rise between the two. I'm trying to decide wood or cement floor ( wood would be cheaper and easier on my back, so leaning in that direction ) but it's that step up and down between the two floors I'm trying to compensate for. Leaving it wide open space between the two would look ridiculous and likely cause problems, a twisted ankle for example. My idea would be a wall between the two, kind of like I have now, with about a 4' archway for easy passage back and forth. The it's a matter of, where do I put that? I'm trying to Google ideas right now. Edit: I suppose I could just add more gravel to make it all level.