More Progress on the Deck

Today was one of those days where you work all day and then strep back and say, "that's all I got done today?"

The posts were installed with 1/2 inch carriage bolts that were 10 inches long. When we rebuilt B & G's deck, G told us he had bought all his carriage bolts at Tractor Supply Company because they were cheaper. So when it came time to buy our carriage bolts and assorted washers and nuts we went to TSC. At TSC when you buy hardware it is weighed and not price individually. So here's the run down...(8) 1/2 inch 10 inch long carriage bolts with 8 washers and 8 nuts totaled $8.23 or $1.04 for (1) bolt, washer, and nut. I noticed at Home Depot that the carriage bolts alone were $2.87 a piece. So next time you need carriage bolts, think TSC.

We also used little L bracket underneath any boards that were joined with two 45 degree cuts. This helps to keep the boards from separating when they start aging.The top rails were also installed today, leaving the spindles and top board (hand rail) needing installation. The spindles are your basic 2 X 2 with a angle cut on one end. But they need to be cut to length and I want to cut the very tip of the angle off. We will also install these spindle with screws that are countersunk so that we can add a wood button to hide the screw head.The posts appear kind of close on the little landing but on the long runs on the back of the house they will be spaced 6 feet apart.