May 1, 201015 yr This has been an albatross of sorts for me professionally. I started it back in late July last year, but with all the rain last summer, a few months off for winter, minor surgery, and other jobs tossed into the mix, I did not finish construction on this until yesterday. It was fraught with unknowns. Tho the plans were done up by an architect, he never shot a single elevation, and ultimately 25 yards of dirt had to be removed. Tho he spec'd the upright posts as cedar- he never spec'd the horizontal wall slats as anything. They turned out to be cedar, too, and the material costs ballooned. All the thinner horizontals had to be ripped- you cannot get 3" wide cedar planks. The shorter walls' posts were 3x3"s- there too; they were sawn down from 4x4s. A materials list would've been nice. Plan called for an insane 19 Sonotubes to be sunk, and with the rain and the sheer number/proximity of the tubes, I had to hire a concrete pumper truck to deliver the 'rete- that alone was $950. Let's not forget moving the pool fence (posts set & re-set in concrete), saw-cutting the concrete pool deck, planting 3 trees, renting the mini-excavator... My brother (an excavator) was hired for 4 days, and I had another 4 days from 2 other guys when decking it- otherwise I built the whole thing by myself. Still need to bring in some dirt & decorative stone, and tweak one gate's set-up. And sand the existing deck again. But I am immensely relieved this one is 'in the book'. Specs: 732 square feet, 2 levels, 60-ft of walls, 2 gates, what may well be over 10,000 screws, and VIOLA: a $30K deck (should've been more, IMO). BEFORE~ AFTER~
May 1, 201015 yr Wow... a job well done. There's nothing like seeing the result of a ton of blood & sweat.
May 3, 201015 yr Author Camino ~ >>"This the one you told me about?"<< Yep! No more decks for a while, I hope! Thanks for the kind words- it is appreciated.
May 12, 201015 yr Wow, balthazar ... I like that. Very nice. Congrats! Cort | 36.m.IL | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker * NoreastrTrekRT=Aug2010 * MCs.Caprice | models.HO.legos.CHD.RadioShows | RTs.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort "I'm looking forward to tomorrow" ... Luce ... 'Good Day'
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