A Projest Needing to be Done

We’d been living with a decaying front entry for a long time. It wasn’t gonna repair itself and I wasn’t certain that we were going to be able to do it. Hiring someone might’ve been expedient, but it also would have require money that we don’t have even though the cost of groceries has gone down . . . oh . . . wait . . . the cost of groceries has not gone down!

The deck was rebuilt about ten years ago and over the past five or six years had become less and less usable until it looked pretty damn bad and dangerous. Builder error? Or F L A high humidity and baking sun climate?

We’d talked about removing most of the deck and creating a kind of grotto, but such plans didn’t deal with the obvious problem; entering the house was dangerous. I finally resolved to make some changes when SigO came home after her ACL surgery and had to navigate the the steps and decaying plywood.

One obvious obstacle was getting wood, but eight feet of wood fit in the Corolla and that made it possible to repair the first two steps. Ten feet might also fit and we’d need boards of at least the length to do meaningful repairs. Twelve feet was preferable. A brief impasse.

Did we have “appropriate tools”, as the Clymer Manual often called for when working on the 1967 MG-B in 1968, 69 and ’70, to do the job? Basic stuff? Mostly “Yes”. Big Ol’ Craftsman Circular Saw. Black & Decker corded Drill. Phillips and Torx Head Bits. I figured I’d have to drill pilot holes then change to a screw bit.

But wait!

A few months ago I bought a Ridgid Hammer Drill, Battery and Charger, an old one, an 18 Volt. Like $10. And I left without the Charger! Went back next day an’ the Charger was not there. Argh! The Battery had a bit of a charge so I knew the Drill worked, but . . . The Drill and Battery sat around as a reminder or my mistake. Considered selling them and found that it’d found that they didn’t sell for much and cost a lot to ship because of the weight and batteries have limitations and it was gonna be a frustrating deal so I learned to live with the reminder.

I’d looked for After Market Chargers as I did when wanting to add a bigger Battery (8 amp) and Charger for our DeWalt stuff and it was easy and inexpensive. Getting a second Battery was critical when the DeWalt branded 5 amp Battery began refusing to take a charge. DeWalt replaced the defective Battery. Good timing during an ebay search got us a Used Charger suitable for the old 18V Battery for a little more than $20 delivered. I doubt I’d’ve complete the repair of the Deck if I hadn’t had the Ridgid. Good decision making!

No pilot holes and well controlled power made the screwing almost easy . . . almost.

Removing the old and decayed boards was a combination of unscrewing, also made easier with the Ridgid, and pulling decayed former boards loose. We found a Three-Way Wrecking Bar that made removal and replacing easier. Every home should have one! I'll take a picture of it and add it eventually.

The meaning of all of this is that it’s been satisfying to find that I can still, within well defined limits, do stuff that matters. Know what I mean? The project isn’t completed, but it is functionally done.