Building a Deck

Three good friends helped me build another section of the deck that is growing in my back yard.  Yesterday we got the lumber and hauled it into the yard.  This was the hardest part of the project.  Today was the fun part. 

The treated lumber for today's project.

The before photo.

Beth Rogers (57) planning the blocking between the beams.

Chris Fondi (58) & Elaine Fuller (69) stand up to rest their backs.

Me (61) cutting a fancy shape with my lovely saber saw.

Our progress by lunchtime.

Screwing down the decking.

 

Relaxing on our finished product.

We were so tired and sweaty that we poured glasses of ice water over our heads and spoke fondly about our bath tubs!  The next section of the deck will extend from the portion that we built today to the brick wall in the back.  I don't know if it will happen this year.  It depends on how my various other projects are progressing.  It was a fun day and we all got some exercise.  The deck is now large enough that I can host a dinner party on it.  That will happen soon.

A Day at Lillian St. Studio

The studio is almost ready for the machinery to be moved in.  While Elaine Fuller and I were off having fun at summer camp Beth Rogers was pushing progress at the studio.  She built a vertical lumber rack that immediately got filled in a with lumber to recycle into shop improvements and projects.  It won't take much to get it sorted out so that fresh lumber can be stored there also.

She built a wheeled cart for the chop saw.  A nice feature of this cart is the lumber supports on either side of the saw.  This makes it easier for one person to cut long pieces of wood.

One of the things I did today was start a couple foot stools made of recycled lumber.  I took them home to make some patchwork upholstery tops.  One will end up in my home and the other will be in the upstairs lounge at the studio. 

Beth realized that we needed a mirror the other day when she got some saw dust in her eye.  She hung a beveled mirror in the lounge.

Beth Rogers lounging in the lounge.

We installed an air conditioner and it made an enormous difference in the temperature.  It doesn't look like much but it's got it where it counts.

Meanwhile, down in the kitchen area Elaine Fuller was painting.  The bench and table are almost ready for use.  I will celebrate the first time we eat on the table.  We couldn't today because the paint on the bench was still wet. 

The cabinet that was hidden behind a wall has been repaired and painted.  It looks fabulous!  The microwave is in place.  Soon we will set up a mini fridge in the lower left.

The wall to the left has turned into Elaine's patchwork quilt in drywall scraps and paint.  I'm curious to see how she will detail it.

I am so happy to have this studio!  I want to spend a lot of time working in it.  The couch will be my first serious project.

Studio Construction

This sequence of photos shows the construction of the studio kitchenette.  The first photo is the most current.  This sequence of photos moves backwards through time to the "before" photo.  Think of it as a blog post time machine.  The work in these photos took place over several weeks. 

All the kitchenette needs now is a little more paint and the services of an electrician.  The microwave, refrigerator and electric kettle are ready to set up when we have power.  The water source is in the next room which is the only room that has heat in the winter.  Frozen water pipes are not part of the plan!  The hot water heater heats water on demand and does not keep a big tank of water hot at all times.  This is a great energy saving device.

Beth Rogers and I built this structure.  Elaine Fuller applied the water vapor barrier to the foundation and painted it all. 

The unpainted wood on the face of the structure is a recycled 2x4 from the interior walls that we removed.  This photo is by Beth Rogers, all the others are mine. 

The back and floor were painted before the counter and shelves were added so that the work could be done with good ergonomics.  We are all women over the age of fifty so we have to do everything carefully. 

Plywood walls are partially completed and the framework for the counter is in place.  Notice the mortises in the recycled front rail.  This is a beautiful piece of rough cut lumber with carefully cut mortises.  I'm glad we found a place to showcase this bit of the building's construction history.

The vapor barrier is applied and the framing is in place.

This is the before photo of the raw foundation under the stairs. 

Lillian St Studio Update

The structure has been buttoned up for winter and the facade looks great.  It's a tiny house in the urban hills of Pittsburgh that is going to be a fun studio. Notice the building permit. 

The interior is a construction project.  Walls have been removed and replaced with a laminated beam. 

The push right now is to get everything ready for the electrician to do the wiring.  After that it can be insulated and dry walled.  Tuesday was a workday for Beth Rogers and myself.  Our task was to deal with holes in the floor.

The holes are in the area of a former bathroom.  It was a cold day, with temperatures in the 20s, but with a couple Envi Heaters and vigorous work we were warm enough to work an entire day.  Patching the floor was time consuming because we had to attach wood to all the beams so that our patches didn't fall through to the lower level. 

We got the job done and the floor is solid.  It was a great work out.  This is my favorite form of exercise!    I have visions of playing with a band saw and drill press by next summer.  

Beth is in her 50"s and I turned 60 this past summer.  Part of the fun of this project is demonstrating that older women can handle projects like this one.  As an occupational therapist (my day job) I can report that an important element of how we work is the application of the principles of energy conservation and good body mechanics/ergonomics.