July 3 (post-dated to order display on page)

Today after work we managed to size, assemble and install the ledger for the deck. The materials arrived in the afternoon and after dinner and our evening walk (letting things cool down from near 100-degree heat), Jamie and I assembled and installed the ledger.

I used treated lumber for the ledger and cut it down to size. Given the two rim joists (outer joists) will be attached to the ends of the ledger, I cut it 3 inches short of the 14-foot length (allowing 1 1/2 inch for the width of each rim joist to total 14 feet).

Jamie helped nail on the metal joist hangers which will hold the floor joists.

We finished assembly by inserting the 6-inch lag bolts in an up/down pattern (building codes) between every other joist. It is much easier to prepare flat and then attach to the wall.

We tacked the ledger to the wall, using a nail, below the new slider leaving room for flashing and decking. We then made sure it was level and tacked the other end before securing the ledger’s lag bolts. NOTE: Find a friend with an electric impact drill and save about an hour. I used a small ratchet to secure the 6-inch lag bolts through the siding, sheeting and sil plate - very tough.

We made sure to have the work inspected. Given Jamie’s career is in Radiology, she insists on CAT Scans for every remodeling project.

The ledger is complete and secured to the house. Tomorrow (4th of July) I can finish framing out the deck and set the concrete deck pads and beam to support the load. We’re finishing our concrete prep during the weekend and next week should have new concrete patio, sidewalk to garage and will decide on decking and railing.

(No Ratings Yet)

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 at 10:14 pm and is filed under Knowledge, My Projects. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. This post has been viewed 506 times.