Area51- Mike's House & Backyard Repairs 2016 :

The summer to-do list for 2016 started with painting all our exterior doors. One was burgundy, one was green and a couple were bare white.

Sandra chose the color and I was away to the races so to speak. I removed all the door hardware and taped off the edges to ensure a nice clean finish. The paint used was an exterior grade BEHR product as recommended by the paint store.

Next on the list was a couple stair/step repairs. I had a two soft treads on the front steps, and all four basement treads were in need of replacement.

Once the new 2x10 Pressure Treated boards dried out for a couple weeks, the stairs and landing were re-stained with BEHR deck over in a Coffee colour.

The small section of fence between the house and garage cracked off last winter in a pretty severe windstorm. One side was attached only to the deck, the other used a 4x4" post which didn't hold up to Torbay winds and cracked clean off.

I dug two post holes and planted two 6x6" posts three feet deep backfilling with large rocks and three bags of Quickcrete in each hole.

I rebuilt the fence with recycled palings from my reserves, they aren't very old and were in great shape.

Next on the list was a partial rebuild of the rear 10x20' deck. I started with the stairs as they were in hard shape. The previous owner rested the bottom step, stringers and post on bare ground and it simply rotted away.

I cut the stringers off level, deleted the old bottom stair and poured a 24"x48" concrete pad to replace the bottom step.  I incorporated a saddle to hold the bottom handrail post for a nice sturdy job. I used six bags of Quickcrete which is rated at 37mpa and should resist weathering well. I did a steel trowel, then a brushed finish then used an edger for a nice clean picture framed rounded edge.

Next I was on to the deck railings. The deck surface and structure was in decent shape but the rails and palings were well rotted out.

I removed all the rotten wood leaving the posts as they were in great shape and were one continuous piece from the ground to the rail.

The old deck boards were hastily installed and were very uneven.

With the railings out of the way I trimmed the boards with my skill saw then capped the ends with a 4" 5/4 board for a nice, much cleaner look.

The old rails were pretty low, they met code but didn't offer much privacy. I raised them 12" so when we sit down we have complete privacy. I notched each post and each post extension with a 6" overlap and adhered with PL'd and six screws for a very secure finish. The rails were built by topping the posts with a flat 2x4, another 2x4 was used on its edge (screwed together to the flat 2x4) on which I'll attach the palings. Finally a 6" wide 5/4 deck board capped the entire rail for a nice, strong stepped finished product. 

The stain I used was BEHR Deck Over which I first used on our front deck and is holding up very well. I chose a two tone effect using Coffee for the framing which is highlighted by the lighter Tugboat color on the palings.

One side done, the fence was finished with a 2x6" top plate and a 4" 5/4 board on its edge for a decorative finish.

With the patio finished it was on to replacing the gate. I made up a frame from 2x4 on its edge for maximum surface area for PL to stick in the corners and to keep the gate thin. The X-brace was made from 4" 5/4 board notched on the overlap while the ends overlap the horizontal and vertical frame in each corner. The whole works was PL glued and screwed together.

The gate was finished with more recycled palings cut in a curve to match the back gate. The last construction project was to cap the hand rail of the basement stairs with a 6" 5/4 board to match the fence and patio.

The deck and fence was looking great but the landscaping was starting to look ratty with grass creeping over into the crushed stone. I used a string line, axe, pick and shovel to trim the sod square then installed a PVC garden edger to help prevent the grass from creeping back in.

I leveled the existing stone and will add another 2-3" soon to bring it up level with the driveway and grass.

In September Johnny Tucker stopped by to supply and install new laminate flooring in our master bedroom. This replaced the ten year old gross carpet that was in the room when we purchased the house.

Bassan and I helped where we could but mostly stayed out of Johnny's way!

The new floor is absolutely beautiful. It's a great product, easier to clean and Johnny did a fantastic job installing it.

Cheers, MIKE