Jayson's Deck - Up She Goes (Slowly)

[Spelunx]

Well, day one of Operation: Deck Construction is over and done with, and we got a fair bit done. Today we marked out the holes for footings, then I dug the holes while my builder mate prepared the Bush Poles for going upright. He cut a notch in the bottom of each pole, then attached the post anchor to each one.

It doesn't sound like much, but I am pleased so far with the progress.

It took an hour or two for Reg to get a picture in his head of what the deck was going to look like, but once he was 'keyed in', the work-rate really picked up.

Tomorrow will be spent by myself, filling the bottom of the footings with concrete. I need to race into town tomorrow morning and pick up a load of sand and 12 bags of cement, so hopefully I will be well underway by lunch-time.

Thursday the bush poles will go up, and hopefully most, if not all of the bearers.

I can't promise to post a picture here every night, but I will see what I can do...

Cheers

Jayson.

[UteMad]

Hi Spelunx

Keep the photo's coming thick and fast.....


cheers utemad

www.dialadeck.com.au (http://www.dialadeck.com.au)

[Spelunx]

I have been working flat out, but nothing has changed from the first photo!

Yesterday was spent putting the footings down, which was a big job to do. Then I had to race into town to organise flashing, as we pulled off some of the fibro in front, and realised that there was already a bearer in place. It is almost as if the people that built this place had a deck in mind at some stage.

Anyway, the flashing is arriving tomorrow morning, so that will be sweet.

Today was spent pulling the rest of the fibro off the front, and removing nails and old bolts from the previous deck. Then we took a heap of levels from the deck and the footings.

Most of the afternoon was spent marking and cutting the rebates for the bearers.

I never realised that using bush poles would create so much more work for us.

Anyway, the blokes are comming tomorrow with a front-end loader to lift the poles into position, all the bearers are ready to go, so the mainf frame of the deck will be up by tomorrow night. That will be worth taking a photo of!!!

It looks as though it is going to rain here over the weekend, but hopefully I can find enough clear weather to get the joists up, and the decking started, but we shall see...

[johnmurrell]

I never realised that using bush poles would create so much more work for us.



G'day Jayson
you gotta luv the out of the ordinary, it's going to be worth it when you sit back and admire your work every afternoon.:D

[UteMad]

Bet you never would have believed the builder if you got a quote before you started....Happens to us every day when customers get creative.....

Good luck with it and keep the photo's coming

cheers utemad

www.dialadeck.com.au (http://www.dialadeck.com.au)

[Spelunx]

Bet you never would have believed the builder if you got a quote before you started....Happens to us every day when customers get creative.....

Good luck with it and keep the photo's coming

cheers utemad

www.dialadeck.com.au (http://www.dialadeck.com.au)


Actually, I got a rough quote from a bloke I play hockey with, who is a builder. He reckoned a second story deck, with bush poles, around 50sqm, he would charge around $30k.

So far I have spent $8k on wood and fixings. And the building 'advisor' will end up costing me around $1200, maybe $1500, depends on how long the roof takes to put on.

The skill that Reg has shown over the last few days has been amazing. He took levels off the house, then levels off the footings, measured up the pole and cut the rebate for the bearer at the desired point, whilst the pole was on the ground. Four of the posts have gone up, and the bearers just bolt straight into place.

Hopefully his job will be finished on Monday, and I can start to nail down all the joists, then start on the decking.

Will post a pic later today.

[Spelunx]

Heave, Ho, and up she rises!


Well, I thought I had better post a pic, seeing as how it actually looks as though we have done some work now!

You can see by the pic that the first four of ten posts are up, they are going to support the 'wings' of the deck along the front of the house. The other six will support the centre of the deck, which will come out from the house six metres.

The posts look bloody massive now that they are up. We have had to leave it for the weekend, which is a bit disapointing, as the work did not progress as fast as we would have liked on Friday. An hours more day-light and I would have been able to nail down the joists on the front deck over the weekend, oh well, that is the way jobs like this go I suppose.

For the really observant, you will be glad to know we put some more bracing up before we left it over the weekend, so it is nice and secure, I wouldn't want one of those poles coming down on my house!

We are getting the guys in the digger back to prop up the outside four posts, but the middle two will only be to deck height, we are planning to lift them into position ourselves.

I am glad the flashing is in place, the weather is supposed to be storms or showers tomorrow, which would have been interesting...

Anyway, better head off now, I will keep the pics coming over the next week.

Cheers

[Spelunx]

Well, pretty much all the posts are up, and the deck is taking shape nicely. We only have the middle two to go, and we will be all done.

Now that is is up, I have realised what a huge task I have ahead, nailing down the decking. Not looking forward to the sore hands. Although I have bought myself some knee-pads, so at least one part of my anatomy will be well protected!

Hopefully I will have the two posts up, the bearers bolted on and most, if not all of the joists in place by tonight, then I can start on the decking tomorrow morning.

I have attached a couple of pics, taken this morning, so the light is not that good. Although it is better than last night, as by the time we had finished, we were packing up by the light of the security light at the front of the house!

Anyway, better get to it.

Cheers

Jayson.

[UteMad]

Yeah from the looks of your photo's i'd say your quote estimate was probably pretty close ..... Maybe more like 25 but then it depends on flooring and handrails.......I had a guy do 20k on handrails alone and there wasn't much handrail getting done.....We did the deck and he contracted a stainless guy to fab and polish it all on site..... So features are where the cost is ..Like your poles they may not cost a lot but they slow the job down and cost money because of it........Looks like you got a bargain with your builder friend i'd look after him and keep him a secret ......

Keep the photo's comin


cheers utemad

[manoftalent]

:2tsup: looking good mate

[Spelunx]

Yeah from the looks of your photo's i'd say your quote estimate was probably pretty close ..... Maybe more like 25 but then it depends on flooring and handrails.......I had a guy do 20k on handrails alone and there wasn't much handrail getting done.....We did the deck and he contracted a stainless guy to fab and polish it all on site..... So features are where the cost is ..Like your poles they may not cost a lot but they slow the job down and cost money because of it........Looks like you got a bargain with your builder friend i'd look after him and keep him a secret ......

Keep the photo's comin


cheers utemad

Yeah, the Jarrah decking certainly added to the price, that's for sure!

My mate Reg is a bit of a local legend. He told me today that he could be working 8 days a week, jsut doing odd jobs. All the builders in the SW of WA are flat out with the big jobs, and there is no-one to take on the odd jobs. Which is where blokes like Reg come in. He has pretty much seen it all in 67 years, and doesn't fear any job. Lucky for me he is milimetre perfect. Would you beleive that over this entire job, with bush poles that vary from 220cm to 175, beams and bearers out of whack, and a 30 year old house that is out of plumb, he has managed to deliver a deck that is only 10mm out? And he only used his sprit level a few times. He kept saying that it is no use making the deck perfect if the house is skewed behind it, so there was a lot of walking back and taking a sight-line off the house. I only hope I can take full advantage of all his hard work and get the joists and decking down square ad straight!

The only problem with the photo's is that I am too buggered after each working day to take them and post them up. I will endeavour to do my best though.

Once a few decking boards go on I will post one from the top, to give everyone an idea of how big it is!

Cheers

Jayson.

[Spelunx]

Well, once again I have been flat out and it looks as though nothing has changed!

Friday was spent straightening the joists (bloody treated pine). I had a fairly good method going using a sash clamp and a piece of rope. I attached the clamp onto the joist, then wrenched it down unit it was level with the other joists, which then meant the offending joist was straight up and down. Then I tied the end of the sash clamp down, which gave me two hands to nail down the piece of timber to keep it in place. Of the 28 joists, I reckon that 8 were severally twisted, and another 5 or 6 were twisted enough to need correcting. I was pretty annoyed by this, but most people recon that it is par for the course.

Anyway, I managed to nail down a strip of decking on Friday, but it was slow going, as I had to work on the ground level, and there were a few check-outs around the posts to do. Friday afternoon was spent cementing in the footings, as I needed to go to Perth on Saturday to pick up a new second-hand pram we bought on ebay the other week. (Expecting the second little woodworker to arrive in late July) Anyway, that meant a day off for the footings to set properly.

I had to play Hockey last night, so I am stiff and sore this morning, but determined to get some more decking done. I went at it for a couple of hours, and am pleased at the result. The Jarrah looks amazing, the colours are better than I had hoped for, and by jeeze it is hard wood!

You can see by the pic that there is still a heap of work to do, but I am hoping that I can rip into it tomorrow. Once I get enough decking up there to form a work platform, I can get my saw and stuff up on deck level, the work will progress quickly from there. It is really frustrating at the moment having to go up, measure, then come back down to cut. If I had another pair of hands it would have been a lot quicker.

Stand by for more pics into the future, hopefully the deck will look somewhat different tomorrow night, as long as the weather stays good.

The Eagles vs Carlton game is starting soon, so I had better shut up and get out of here!

Cheers

Jayson.

[Bloss]

Jayson - I reckon the posts are a bit puny - couldn't ya get any bigger ones around your area?:U

Now you have the post and beam stuff down pat all you need to do is set in a few more around the back, new roof over the top, bit of a mezzanine and you will have twice the house in a flash.

As has been said - looking good! :2tsup:

[Spelunx]

Jayson - I reckon the posts are a bit puny - couldn't ya get any bigger ones around your area?:U

Now you have the post and beam stuff down pat all you need to do is set in a few more around the back, new roof over the top, bit of a mezzanine and you will have twice the house in a flash.

As has been said - looking good! :2tsup:


Yeah, well, we have to leave the really big ones alone to keep the tofu-loving tree huggers at bay. :D :D :D

Actually, we can get bigger, but then we knock 'em down and turn 'em into decking!

Seriously though, the bush poles are from an area that Alcoa are mining anyway, so it's either knock them over and burn them or recycle them into stunning pieces of architecture. :2tsup: (or a deck like mine, as the case may be)

Funny you should say 'twice the house' because when I did a over-head plan for the Shire requirements, the deck is almost as long as the house!

Can't wait for tomorrow, to see how much decking I can get done in a day.

[Justin]

G'day Jayson,

Really enjoying this thread so far, that's some heavy duty construction you've got happening there. One tip, when you're taking pics try and have the sun to your back, or to the side. A few of your shots look a bit under exposed because your camera's compensating for shooting into the sunlight.

Cheers,


Justin.

[Spelunx]

G'day Jayson,

Really enjoying this thread so far, that's some heavy duty construction you've got happening there. One tip, when you're taking pics try and have the sun to your back, or to the side. A few of your shots look a bit under exposed because your camera's compensating for shooting into the sunlight.

Cheers,


Justin.

Cheers for the help, Justin. The problem is not so much one of technical expertise, but one of timing. By the time I finish work the light is so bad that it is difficult to get good photos. With this in mind, I got my wife to take one the other day, so will attach it next.

[Spelunx]

So, the deck construction enters it's final week, and the weather has turned against me. It has been peeing down here for the last two days, especially today, so not much work was completed. I ordered the colorbond today, and took a trip into Bunnings for supplies to put the roof up, and get the hand-rail underway. After many different changes, we have decided on a colour for the roof, hand-rail, baluster and house. Hopefully it will all tie in together well.

Tomorrow I am starting on the roof trusses, and the hand-rail. I am planning to move all my gear into the car-port, and begin work in there. It will be a huge PITA, but the only thing I can do to keep the work going. As it stops raining, I will nip up onto the deck and nail down the last few boards, as well as clean up the edges of the decking and joists.

I am also hoping to put the first coat of paint on the balusters and hand-rail, so that I can start cutting them out, ready to be put up when the rain stops.

As long as the roof trusses are ready for Friday, and the weather is good for putting up roofs, I will be happy.

The picture attached is from ground level, obviously. All the decking is complete, and we have just hauled into place the beams for the roof. No easy task, let me assure you! They look great though!

Can't wait for the roof to go on!

I will take some pics from deck level soon, because it looks twice as good from the second story!

Cheers

Jayson.

[Spelunx]

OK, so I have finished the trusses for the roof. If I never have to cut out another birds-beak in my life, it will be too soon!!

A couple of them look a bit dodgy, as I couldn't get the angle of the cross-beam right, but most of them are OK to go. I am hoping that it comes together OK tomorrow. The beams aren't perfectly parallel anyway, so we can use the slightly wider trusses at the fat end, and work our way out from there.

Back to work on Monday, so I hope I can get the roof on, and perhaps even some of the hand-rail done over the weekend.

The weather report looks excellent for putting on colorbond tomorrow, so it should be all go. Then I will take some more pics, and it will actually look like I have been doing something.

In these pics you can see that the decking is almost finished, just some tidying up to do, and the other is a closer look at the laminated beams up and ready for the trusses to go on tomorrow.

Cheers

Jayson.

[Spelunx]

Well, it bucketed down most of the morning, so no roof over the deck as yet. Instead I spent the day cutting rafters for the two side-bits or "wings" as we are calling them, and then routing the baluster rebate into the handrail. I hope the effort is worth it because it took a fair bit of effort to rebate a 42mm trench into the hand-rail.

There seems to be a world shortage of large, good quality router bits at the moment, because the biggest I could find was 16mm, which meant three passes to get the 42mm trench. All is done now though.

I am hoping for fine weather tomorrow, so I can either get the roof done, ot else get up on the deck and finish off the last of the decking. If it buckets down again I will begin painting the top and bottom rail, as well as the balusters, ready to be cut and put together.

No pics, as nothing has changed from last time.

Cheers

Jayson.

[Spelunx]

Sorry about the lack of updates, but we have been having inter-web problems, and I had to go back to work this week.

Anyways, I managed to get all the roof trusses done, and Reg reckoned they were spot on, which is a relief, because I was losing sleep over them. No matter what I did, I couldn't cut the middle bit exactly right, and adding to the problem was little twists and bows in the pine.

I have posted a pic of the roof trusses going up. It took us about an hour or so to get the first one up, then the others went up pretty quickly after that. The complicating factor is that we need to lift them up and over the power line coming into the house. The first was the hardest, but the line get's lower as it moves away from the house, so it gets easier as we go.

We also got the two 'wings' on the left and right ready to go. I am hoping to get the rafters up on both sides Sunday morning, yep, even though it is mothers day! SWMBO has decreed that the deck takes precedence over most things, so we are celebrating Mothers Day on Saturday, giving me Sunday to work on the deck. Hopefully I can get the rafters and batons on and nailed down, I say hopefully because I appear to have cracked two ribs at Hockey last week. It will be confirmed tomorrow, but it is F#$%ing painful right now, let me tell you! Still, puting rafters up is pretty light work, it should be fine. If I can't acheive that, I can paint the hand-rail and balusters, that's for sure.

You can see in the photo that the pitch of the roof matches the pitch on the car-port. 25.5 degrees, to be exact! The plan is to remove the colorbond (along with the *lovely* dolphin) and replace it with Hardi-plank type stuff. Then I will do the same in the gable over the deck, and it will (hopefully) look like it matches. We are planning to paint it a blue colour.

Updates will be a bit slower from now on in, as it will only be weekends I get to do any work. I am determined to keep posting though, even if it takes me the rest of the year to finish the damn thing!

Cheers

Jayson

[UteMad]

Lookin good...
Does your initial quote seem fair ....now that your into the project and seeing the work involved ....

Did you mean "Birds Mouth" ? As in where the the rafter meets your wall plates or verandah beam...

Keep up the great work and photo's

cheers Utemad

www.dialadeck.com.au (http://www.dialadeck.com.au)

[Spelunx]

Lookin good...
Does your initial quote seem fair ....now that your into the project and seeing the work involved ....


The original quote was more than fair, let me tell you. It still feels good to be saving money as you work, too!


Did you mean "Birds Mouth" ? As in where the the rafter meets your wall plates or verandah beam...

Yep, that's the ones, if I never see another one of those it will be too soon!



Keep up the great work and photo's

cheers Utemad

www.dialadeck.com.au (http://www.dialadeck.com.au)


Cheers. Hopefully I will get some more done on Sunday, weather and health permitting!

[Spelunx]

The weather broke long enough yesterday to get some work done, and I snapped a couple of pics this morning.

The two side wings of the deck now have a roof over them, and it is starting to look great! I was surprised at how long it took to prepare for the tin to go up, but once everything was square and ready, it went up pretty quick.

I have been busy painting the hand-rail and balistrading, ready to be cut and put up once the roof is on.

The pace has slowed considerably, but I have been trying to do at least a little bit each night.

I have attached a pic of the front of the house, and on from the inside of the deck.

Enjoy!

[DayDreamer]

Hey Jason;

Hats off to you on your effort, it looks sensational! I was interested to know why you went with Jarrah instead of the other wood varieties. Pardon my ignorance, but i don't know much about wood or woodwork, but i do understand that Jarrah is a much more expensive hardwood option than say Merbau or Batu, and lots more than pine.
I'm planning a deck (4mx6m plus a few stairs) and plan to live in the place for atleast the next 10-15 years so i'm all for doing it right, making it look good and making it last.

Was it a colour thing, lquality?

[Spelunx]

Hey Jason;

Hats off to you on your effort, it looks sensational! I was interested to know why you went with Jarrah instead of the other wood varieties. Pardon my ignorance, but i don't know much about wood or woodwork, but i do understand that Jarrah is a much more expensive hardwood option than say Merbau or Batu, and lots more than pine.
I'm planning a deck (4mx6m plus a few stairs) and plan to live in the place for atleast the next 10-15 years so i'm all for doing it right, making it look good and making it last.

Was it a colour thing, lquality?


Thanks for the compliment, DayDreamer.

The reason for Jarrah was a number of things, I live in the SW of WA, so it is a bit of a traditional choice. I really like the colour and feel of Jarrah, and it lasts forever. There is a timbermill about a kilometre away, and they happen to make a bit of decking from time to time, and they delivered for free to me, so the price was right. I ended up paying $4 a metre, which was a little more expensive than Batu or Merbau, but not by much, and we live 35 k's from town, so delivery needs to be added on too. In the end, we both thought that Jarrah was the best choice, given that it was a pretty big area, so it had to look top notch.

I imagine that Jarrah is pretty steap over your way, as it is not a natural timber for your region.

If you are looking for longevity, then using the right materials is a must, so don't skimp on the nails, bolts and finish, as these can fail before the wood does.

Cheers and good luck!

Jayson

[LotteBum]

Nice work Jayson. Jarrah is top notch stuff, so I don't blame you for spending a little extra, even if your price was extraordinarily cheap!

Quick question - what sort of balustrade did you decide on?

Keep the photos coming - I love it! :2tsup:

Lotte

[Spelunx]

Nice work Jayson. Jarrah is top notch stuff, so I don't blame you for spending a little extra, even if your price was extraordinarily cheap!

Quick question - what sort of balustrade did you decide on?

Keep the photos coming - I love it! :2tsup:

Lotte


Cheers mate.. it is going to look even better this weekend, after the roof goes on...


As to the balustrade, I am using 90 by 35mmm structural pine as a top and bottom rail, with 42mm square LOSP pine as balusters. I have rebated roughly 10mm into the top rail, and am planning to cut way around 5 mm to form a ledge in the bottom rail.

The balusters will be 120mm apart, and I need to use some supports along the span.

Cheers

Jayson

[LotteBum]

That sounds really nice.

ANOTHER question: What sort of roofing are you using? We have opted with some gear called Paneltech - it's corrugated iron on top (we're getting Zincalume, but you can get various Colorbond shades), foam filled and flat on the bottom. Simply put, it's insulated and self spanning, so we don't require much in the way of support, which is great. Only downside is that it's expensive - at about $100/m² (inclusive of flashing etc) - I nearly died when I discovered this - AFTER getting our plans together! :doh:

Lotte (no, I don't play football :cool: )

[Spelunx]

That sounds really nice.

ANOTHER question: What sort of roofing are you using? We have opted with some gear called Paneltech - it's corrugated iron on top (we're getting Zincalume, but you can get various Colorbond shades), foam filled and flat on the bottom. Simply put, it's insulated and self spanning, so we don't require much in the way of support, which is great. Only downside is that it's expensive - at about $100/m² (inclusive of flashing etc) - I nearly died when I discovered this - AFTER getting our plans together! :doh:

Lotte (no, I don't play football :cool: )


Just normal corrugated colorbond, it is in a colour called 'surf mist'.

Oddly, it was the roof that had me the most worried, and it has been the easiest to do. I got a couple of quotes from pergola places to put up a steel framed jobbie over the deck, and the average price was $10k. reckon it has cost me about $2500 for the roof, using pine trusses and colorbond. I could have cut a few $$$ out of that by not using such big laminated beams, but I wanted to deck to look solid up top as well, to match the big push poles. The tin cost $1100, delivered.

Since my deck is open to the West, it will cop the full weather in winter, so I didn't really see the point in insulating it, as we won't be out there anyway!

You can always change your plans, you know? Councils can be flexible about this stuff, as long as it is still structurally sound.

[LotteBum]

Just normal corrugated colorbond, it is in a colour called 'surf mist'.

My personal favourite.


Oddly, it was the roof that had me the most worried, and it has been the easiest to do. I got a couple of quotes from pergola places to put up a steel framed jobbie over the deck, and the average price was $10k. reckon it has cost me about $2500 for the roof, using pine trusses and colorbond. I could have cut a few $$$ out of that by not using such big laminated beams, but I wanted to deck to look solid up top as well, to match the big push poles. The tin cost $1100, delivered.

That's not bad at all.


Since my deck is open to the West, it will cop the full weather in winter, so I didn't really see the point in insulating it, as we won't be out there anyway!

Fair enough. We're only really insulating ours for the sake of our pooches.


You can always change your plans, you know? Councils can be flexible about this stuff, as long as it is still structurally sound.

Yeah, the certifier did say it was do-able, but we'd have to lower the deck and that is simply not an option unfortunately. Ah well, it's without doubt more expensive than plain Zincalume, but I guess the supports would start to add up, so I'm not beating myself up about it too hard.

When will your deck be finished? You've been at it for a while...

We're *hoping* to have ours up in the next two (3 day) weekends. It's only low, and the footings are in so it shouldn't be too bad, but I'm sure a lot of people on here will have something to say about my projected timeframe! :C

Lotte

[Spelunx]

When will your deck be finished? You've been at it for a while...

We're *hoping* to have ours up in the next two (3 day) weekends. It's only low, and the footings are in so it shouldn't be too bad, but I'm sure a lot of people on here will have something to say about my projected timeframe! :C


Yep, it seems like ages for me... I had four weeks off work, and got the bulk of it done then, but the F$%^ing bush poles were a riteous PITA, and added at least a week to the project.

I have been painting and preparing the hand-rail and balusters, but there is no point puting that up until the roof goes on, as the trusses would have to lift up and over the rail, adding to the degree of difficulty.

For the last four weeks I have only been puting in Saturdays, as I have to play hockey on Sundays, and I need at least one day a week to spend with my 17 month old daughter and wife.

Once the roof goes on tomorrow, I am going to head indoors and paint the nursery, as we have another bub due in six weeks, so that takes priority!

Once that is done, the rest of the hand-rail etc will go up, but I can do that by myself, so I am not relying on Reg to help me out.

Anyway, enough of the excuses (did I mention I cracked two ribs at hockey four weeks ago?), the deck WILL be finished before summer. (Hehe, that gives me heaps of time)

Goodluck with your deck, please post some pics.

Jayson

[LotteBum]

I know exactly what you mean. Although we don't have any kids, I find it hard to stay focused on one thing. We've got a zillion things we've started and haven't quite finished around the house and I'm rather over it. This deck seems to be taking shape very quickly though, but that's because it's only low and the footings were done by the guy who did the restumping, to make life easier for us.

I'll post some photos later in the week (when I have them). Until then, we'll be working every evening after work. I'm glad next weekend is long.

Lotte

[Spelunx]

Thought I had better post a pic, just so you guys didn't think I was slacking off or anything.

I managed to get a bit of work done over the long weekend, the rest of the trusses went up. The last one was a bit of a challenge, as it hangs out over the end of the deck by about 400mm, and we couldn't reach it to skew-nail down. So basically we chucked all the tusses up there, then slid them along the beams until they were in place, then nailed off a couple of battens to keep them there.

The pic is me up the top, screwing in the last of the batten screws.

On the Monday we started putting the tin on, I don't have a pic as yet, but it will be on the way. The wind picked up a fair bit by 2pm, so we didn't get to finish it, too dangerous for this little black duck!

Last weekend I moved inside for the day and put the first coat of paint on the nursery. The pressure is on, because the 'lil apprentice is due in six weeks (Crikey!:o :o ) so the second coat needs to go on tomorrow, then the curtains need to go up, and the (insert needless thing that we really *must* have)......

Anyway, the plan is to paint the nursery tomorrow AM, then leave the house open for as long as possilble, pregnant ladies and smelly paints shouldn't really mix. Then Sunday the rest of the roof is going on.

Once the nursery is finished, I will get back outside and finish the deck....

Until then, enjoy the one picture here, I will post a couple more after the rest of the roof goes one!

Cheers

Jayson

[Spelunx]

Ok, so the second part of the roof went on this Sunday.

I reckong the job looks amazing at the moment, I can finally sit bakc and see how much work I have done!

There is still quite a bit to do, like the handrail, filling in the gable, finishing the deck, etc, but that is all going to have to wait until the baby is born.

At the moment, SWMBO has decreed that the nursery takes precedent over decking..... *bugger* :~

I told her in would need to buy one of those pink cordless drill's that Hitachi are making, as they are specifically designed for putting up curtains, but she reckoned that $500 on a panasonic was enough for one lifetime.:U :U

Anyway, have a look at the pic, and some suitable oooohs and aaaahs wouldn't go astray....

Can't wait to get out there and do the finishing touches, to make it look more like a house with a deck on it, and less like a deck with a house behind it!

Cheers

Jayson.

[Groggy]

Jayson, that's the mother of all decks!

[Spelunx]

Jayson, that's the mother of all decks!


Cheers Groggy!:2tsup: :2tsup:

[Yonnee]

OOOooooooooo... :2tsup:

AAAAaaaaaaaaaahh...:brava


It's the 8th Engineering wonder of the modern world... The Taj-Madeck.



BTW... What did you do for flashing from the centre 'A'-frame roof onto the side wings?

[Spelunx]

OOOooooooooo... :2tsup:

AAAAaaaaaaaaaahh...:brava


It's the 8th Engineering wonder of the modern world... The Taj-Madeck.



BTW... What did you do for flashing from the centre 'A'-frame roof onto the side wings?


Cheers!


I didn't use any flashing, as yet. The pitch naturally over-ran the side-roof, so the water runs down the gable, then onto the 'wings', the wings are angled at 6 degrees, so the water runs off onto the ground below. I do need a little bit of flashing, as there is a small space at the very back, where it reaches the original roof. I am planning to put some clear perspex stuff on the back of the gable, and that will need to be flashed onto the original roof, so I will over-order a bit, and use 20cm or so to flash the top of the gable.

I did think about guttering, but then I thought: Gutter need cleaning, gutters need down pipes, downpipes need storm water drains, storm water drains need digging, too much like hard work for me!

I hope that makes sense!

[MrFixIt]

Hi

Do you often build things THROUGH the "A" frame/scaffold :D See image.

Though I am not a big fan of the "pole" look, it is a good looking deck :2tsup:

I am curious though. In the other image in post #12...

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showpost.php?p=499316&postcount=12

...there is a pole between each "internal" corner and the external corner at the front of the deck. Why is that pole there? A design choice or a necessary item?

Similarly why is there a pole in the very front middle of the deck? Design choice?

Keep up the good work :2tsup:

[vlv8vic]

It does look as though it runs through the scaffold, if you look more closely though you'll notice the scaffold is behind the frame and there is something of similar colour and shape leaning against the front. Also makes it look as though the pole makes its way through one of the scaffold steps.
Interesting trickery to the eye nonetheless.

[Spelunx]

Hi

Do you often build things THROUGH the "A" frame/scaffold :D See image.

It does look strange, doesn't it? I have posted a pic from a different angle, taken a minute after the first, and you can clearly see that there are two trellis frames, one in front of the other. Nicely spotted though!




Though I am not a big fan of the "pole" look, it is a good looking deck :2tsup:

I am curious though. In the other image in post #12...

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showpost.php?p=499316&postcount=12

...there is a pole between each "internal" corner and the external corner at the front of the deck. Why is that pole there? A design choice or a necessary item?

Similarly why is there a pole in the very front middle of the deck? Design choice?

Keep up the good work :2tsup:

All posts are there for structural reasons. The deck is 5.5m wide, and it is very difficult, if not impossible to span that far with timber, 2.7 is easily done though. Similarly, the posts on the side, in the middle are needed, as the deck is 6m long, so the posts are 3m from the house, and that is about as far as a joist can span. I could have made the deck smaller, but I wanted to make maximum use of the space.

I wasn't sure about running the posts all the way to the roof, but I decided to cantilever the roof-beam, rather than attach it to the house, and I felt that the extra support was a bonus. I ran the front middle post through to hand-rail height, as I think that it looks the best. It also makes the balistrading very sturdy.

[Spelunx]

I thought I would post a quick up-date. I have been trying to snatch a few hours work here and there, between feeding, changing, burping, sleeping, and that is just me :oo::oo:! The Little Apprentice Version II is giving us a hard time, and he is only seven weeks old! Luckily, Little Apprentice Version I (21 months old) is a great kid, so that makes life a little easier for us.

Essentially what I have been doing is painting and preparing the top and bottom rail, and the ballusters. This has taken a long time, and is very frustrating work. I don't know why I decided to cut out my own rebates to make the top and bottom, it has taken a long time, and nearly wrecked my table-saw in the process.

When is hasn't been raining, I have been out finishing the deck off. I have cut the edges of the bearers, joists and decking flush, then put a couple of boards on the front just to finish it off nicely.

I started the hand-rail and balusters on the weekend, what you can see there is about an hour and a half worth of work, so it has progressed a lot quicker than I imagined. I was dreading the job of screwing in each balluster, but it is way easier than I thought.

Hopefully I will get some fine weather and a reflux-free weekend soon, and get my teeth into it properly.

After that, I am ordering in some Hardy-plank and laser-lite for the front and back of the roof, after the mains power has been moved of cause.

Anyway, enjoy the pics, and stand by for some more updates in a week or two!

Cheers

Jayson.

[Burnsy]

Lookin great Jayson:2tsup: Bet your itchin to get it finished before the summer so you can sit up there and suck back a few cold ones:wink:

Are Western Power making you put in a dome and bring in the power underground or are you allowed to relocate the wire?

[Spelunx]

Lookin great Jayson:2tsup: Bet your itchin to get it finished before the summer so you can sit up there and suck back a few cold ones:wink:

You bet! I am planning a huge BBQ as a deck-christening, and the amber fluid shall flow, thats for sure!:D



Are Western Power making you put in a dome and bring in the power underground or are you allowed to relocate the wire?


I don't think so. I had a sparky come round a month or so ago to go through the house and tell me rough costings for things, as I want to move some light fittings and add others, plus wire-in deck lights and the like. He said there is a $250 fee for Western Power to reconnect the power, but he is licenced to do the work.

The power comes in from a pole across the road, so I can't see how they could force me to put my bit underground, or at least I hope not! :?

[Rough Sawn]

That is one of the nicest decks I have ever seen!:o You should be proud that's for sure!:2tsup:

[Chumley]

Hey, fantastic work - looks great and I'm sure you feel good about it. I'm starting a gazebo and thought it was a big job - but now I'm reassessing that! Thanks for taking the time to post your progress.
Cheers,
Adam

[Spelunx]

That is one of the nicest decks I have ever seen!:o You should be proud that's for sure!:2tsup:


Cheers Mate. I am pretty proud of the way it's looking now. It is easily the biggest job I have tackled, and hopefuly the biggest I will need to tackle for a while!

[Spelunx]

Hey, fantastic work - looks great and I'm sure you feel good about it. I'm starting a gazebo and thought it was a big job - but now I'm reassessing that! Thanks for taking the time to post your progress.
Cheers,
Adam


Good luck with the Gazebo. Each job has it's own level of difficulty, I reckon. My deck is actually remarkably simple, just the dimensions are bigger. My biggest worry was the roof, but that was actually the easiest bit!


Make sure you post some pics of the Gazebo as it goes up!

Jayson.

[pawnhead]

Fantastic looking deck! I love the poles.

You've got me green with envy. :2tsup:

[GMC]

Great effort thanks for sharing this with us

I appreciate it

GMC

[Spelunx]

Great effort thanks for sharing this with us

I appreciate it

GMC


No worries!:D

I am slowly but surely getting in a few hours here and there, will post a few more pics in a week or so.

[Spelunx]

Ok, so I have been getting a few hours in here and there over the last month or so, and the deck is now child-proof!

I decided to only do the screening on one side of the deck, as it was too costly and was really going to close the deck down. I needed to put the screening on that side because it is too close to the neighbours house.

I am pretty happy with the results thus far, the screening is not quite finished, but hopefully it will be by the end of next weekend.

Cheers, enjoy the pics, I particularly like On Deck 1, it looks like our place is in the middle of a resort!

[oohsam]

That looks great! Good job. That looks like alot of work....I've been monitoring your thread....Great job.
I dont mean to criticise but one of them poles looks "not straight" like it has a bow in it..is that how the pole type beams are or is it just my eyesight?!

(Its the pole in the 3rd pic, the closest pole to the front of the photo if that makes sense!)

[Spelunx]

That looks great! Good job. That looks like alot of work....I've been monitoring your thread....Great job.
I dont mean to criticise but one of them poles looks "not straight" like it has a bow in it..is that how the pole type beams are or is it just my eyesight?!

(Its the pole in the 3rd pic, the closest pole to the front of the photo if that makes sense!)


Mate, those poles are all over the place... they were easily the biggest PITA of the whole job, adding at least a week to the construction time, I reckon.

The pole at the front does look pretty bowed in that photo, I have attached a more front-on pic, you can see it's not that bad!

[patty]

Yes this is a kick ???? deck Jayson well done the posts really do look good I have had plans drawn up for something similar off the back of my house we are also on a two storey ouse and face west but iwas looking to use brick piers instead of the timber posts but i tell ya i am really starting to like the look of it what are the overall dimensions of the deck itself we are trying to incorporate underneath the deck as a carport if you dont mind me asking how much did it cost all up?

[Spelunx]

Yes this is a kick ???? deck Jayson well done the posts really do look good I have had plans drawn up for something similar off the back of my house we are also on a two storey ouse and face west but iwas looking to use brick piers instead of the timber posts but i tell ya i am really starting to like the look of it what are the overall dimensions of the deck itself we are trying to incorporate underneath the deck as a carport if you dont mind me asking how much did it cost all up?


Wow, Patty, you need to take a breath and use some commas or full-stops from time to time!!!:D:D:D


Thanks for the compliment, I reckon the posts look great too!


The overall dimension of the middle bit of decking is 5.5 metres by 6 metres. The 'wings' on either side are 3.5 by 2 metres.

I did 95% of the work myself, so the labour cost was a carton a week.

Roughly speaking, the deck will have cost me about $14,000 by the time it has finished. But I used Jarah decking, which added a fair bit to the cost. The Bush-poles were cheaper than pine, but pine are lighter and definately straighter, so you would save a lot of time.

Cheers

Jayson.

[Spelunx]

Well, well, well, three holes in the ground!

So I have just finished three months long service leave, and the house has changed pretty dramatically from when we bought it.

It is not quite finished yet, I need to finish off the ceiling downstairs, and then paint the interior, plus a few finishing jobs like putting some architrave arounf new windows etc.

All and all I am pretty happy with the way it has turned out. It is great to have a vision in your head, and see it slowly come to fruition!

Please enjoy the before and after pics, and ask any questions you might like too..


Cheers

Jayson.