Time to hit the deck

Since I was rather late getting a new post up on my blog last week - in fact, it didn't go up until this week - I'm trying to get one finished early this week. The big news is that we've finally started installing the decking on the front porch and the back deck. Here are a couple of shots of the front porch before and after the workmen left, and I cleaned up a bit.

The deck floor is a composite material made from recycled plastic and sawdust. This selection is called Beach house Gray. The empty spaces under the porch are where two sets of steps will go. The picture below shows the beginnings of the rear deck. The two decks are laid with a system of hidden fasteners, so that there are no screws showing. Some of the boards here still have to be cut to their correct lengths.

When I took this picture, there was no decking behind where I was standing. I had to be careful not to step back in an attempt to get more in my picture. That east end of the deck is framed only around the master bathroom, and a ramp must still be added in order to reach the ground at the back corner of the garage.

Work continues inside, with our three painters still putting a clear finish on the doors and trim. They completed the basement level and have now started on the main floor. After they do that and the loft, they will, I assume, start painting the walls. Outside, they have a lot of Hardie Board and other surfaces to paint.

Also inside, our builder has constructed a divider between the living and dining areas. Behind the divider and in front of the stone wall is the hearth area. Although the wood stove is too dark to show up, it is already in place and can be seen (or at least imagined) behind the top horizontal piece of the divider.

In the picture below, our neighbor and cabinet maker Paul is in the process of building the kitchen cabinets. On his right are several of the base cabinets, on which he is building fronts and will soon be installing doors and drawers. The rest of his workshop is also filled with various other parts of the cabinet system, which he will be installing in about two weeks.

Many things still need to be done to the house; many choices must still be made (bedroom carpets, bathroom vinyl, and light fixtures, for example); and much work remains to be done on contents, both in refurbishing things that survived and replacing things that did not. And, of course, what furnishings we have must be moved into the new house. But I'm confident it will all get done somehow, by someone, sometime.

Take care, and have a good fall. It doesn't start until next weekend, but it feels like it already. It should be good weather for a housewarming.  --oc