Oh, the pressure (washer)

Next door neighbor (Sid) rented a pressure washer for his deck and let me use it.
It took 5.5 hours to wash the entire deck (approx 1000 sq ft)

WOW!

Edge of board facing north!

Board along flower bed (next to sprinkler head)

DeckLift Phase IV - the second pour (part 2)

After further investigation of the posts at both ends of this section, I decided to build another pier at one end and add some concrete around the post at the other end.

Right-End Post - Before and after jacking to level the deck

Critter Count Update

A few days ago, I saw a raccoon foraging around the backyard of my next door neighbor (the murderer) in the middle of the day. Usually, they only forage at night, so I am pretty certain she is feeding the critters.

So... I borrowed Sid's small animal trap again. The next morning, I found this...

Not a happy camper .

As usual, I loaded the trap into the car, drove to an undeveloped area a couple miles away, and release the varmit.

Current tally...
Squirrels : 11 hits, 7 confirmed kills, 2 maimed (never found)
Raccoons :2 captured and relocated
Possums :1 captured and relocated
Rats:0
Birds:1 caught (in squirrel trap) and released
1 blue jay caught in the rat trap (dead)

DeckLift Phase IV - the second pour

The form for the pier, in place.


It took almost 2 bags of Sakrete to fill the pier.

This pour will set the pier on top of the footing

DeckLift Phase III - the first pour

Dug 2 NEW holes for 2 new supports to the deck and poured a footing of concrete.

Home-made scaffolding


Crappy old post - actually a garden timber

Deck Sinking - the cause

As I started to dig under the post to make room for pouring a concrete footing, I discovered the cause of the deck sinkage.
The post was seated atop a rotting piece of old railroad tie buried under about 4 inches of dirt. The post was not even a 4x4 post. It was a garden timber (smaller, rounded sides).
Even worse, there was hardly any concrete around the post - about a half inch on one side and none under the post.

UNBELIEVABLE! I cannot believe that someone could be so stupid to build a deck support this way!

DeckLift Phase II - lift the deck

Used 2 jacks (1 from my suv, 1 from Lowes) to lift the deck.

Before and after

The joist used to rest on this chunk of wood

Deck slope:

After and Before (the level is "level")

Just call me Bob (Villa)

So I got 3 estimates for "lifting" the deck. They came in a range of $550 - $800. As I talked to each of the contractors, I got a sense that there was not much to it other than a little common sense, a few new tools, some building materials, and a lot of heavy manual labor (concrete).

So.... to save $500+ ... I think I will try it myself.... (oh boy!)

I would rather buy meals and beer (even the expensive stuff) for friends, than line the pockets of another dumbass contractor who will most likely do a half-ass job. (Did I say that out loud?)

It was a dumbass contractor that built the deck wrong in the first place. Why trust another one to do it right.

Adventure Race: Spread Your Wings

Video on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he-jZbCp1-o

DeckLift Phase I - fill in the holes

Temporary brace (jammed under the main joist)

Trench formed by simply compressing the dirt that was level with the top of the railroad tie.

Stuff in a few concrete blocks for large filler

Top with large gravel for main filler

Ran out of gravel at this point. Will resume later....

Here is a view of the affected deck area from the rear.

My deck is sinking

The back left part of it, anyway.

After the last week of rain, I noticed that the soil between the deck and the retaining wall had sunk in a little. When I stepped on it, it sunk in a lot. Also, visually, something did not look right - the concrete blocks under some 4x4 supports were sinking as well.


This part of the deck was always sagging a bit, but it seems to be worse now. Measuring the back part of deck, it drops 4" in 8'. In the pics below, the level is "level".

The railing is leaning out also -this is as it was when I bought the house. I knew it would need work.

The problem.... the new soil was never compressed when the new retaining wall was put in last summer. Now its starting to compress....

And it gets worse... there is actually AIR SPACE under the top foot of so of soil. Its as if they dumped in a lot of soil and lightly packed the top of it for looks. Over the last 8-10 months, time and elements took over.

Wanted: Dead or Alive

Here is an old article that Pierre had on file. Good enough justification to me!

Squirrel Entertainment

Maybe I should get one of these:

http://www.squirrelstuff.com/index.php?cPath=37

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydLiasdJeoo

Critter Count

The battle against the critters continues

I forgot to remove the rat trap this morning (set near the bird feeder at night). Later in the morning, I heard a lot of birds squawking around the deck, so I went to check it out. There were 4 blue jays in the shrubs making a racket. Then I noticed one blue jay in the rat trap. Oops - that was definitely unintentional.

Later, while eating lunch, I noticed a lot of squirrels out and about. I walked outside (with gun) to check it out. Immedittely, one squirrel started chattering at me from his perch. I knock him down with one shot. After hitting him, I turned to see 2 squirrels on the deck running right toward me, as if they were charging me. So I went back into the house, to my improvised hunting blind, and shot one of them - it was just sitting on the railing. This all happened within 5 minutes time. Sad thing is, they were both incapacitated but neither died right away, so when I came back later for body retrieval, I had to secretly take the gun to the river bank to finish them off. One crawled back along the river bank into a large clump of poison ivy, so I am leaving him there.

I think I will take a break for a while. Hopefully, the herds have been thinned.

Current tally...
Squirrels: 11 hits, 7 confirmed kills, 2 maimed (never found)
Raccoons:2 captured and relocated
Rats:0
Birds:1 caught (in squirrel trap) and released
1 blue jay caught in the rat trap (dead)

Newsflash : Stocks bounce after Lowe's posts a profit surprise

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090518/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

That's no surprise to me. I'm pretty certain I am a major source of their profits.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Fallen Tree Cleanup)

DONE!

Got to love a chainsaw!

This is what is left...