Tag: red cedar without knots

Building a patio (7 of 7).

Post author By Stanley
Post date 1 November 2021

We have arrived at the last article in the “ Building a patio ” series. The photo above shows the two-tiered flower box as well as the three-step staircase that has been completely redone. The last step must be cut at an angle to follow the pronounced drop in the ground at this point, under the patio.

A general view of the railing and of the black metal fence to the left of the photo which has been sawn and set back in cement.

Red cedar siding under the patio and support post.

Above is a view of the red cedar siding built under the patio. I kept an access to the hose and didn’t block out all of the light entering in the basement window. Another fixture has also been reactivated.

Close-up of the red cedar siding under the patio.

The photo above shows a close-up of the siding under the patio. We can see a metal pole near the watering can which seems to support the terrace: its practical function is null; it is only there for appearance (all the siding is firmly fixed from the top).

Overview of the terrace.

Another overview of the patio. This time, I took the picture in HDR, meaning five pictures were taken with a different aperture and compiled on a computer to achieve a result that fights the highlights in the background. When you shoot westward with the sun going down, that’s what it looks like: you have to correct the photo in order to see something. The terrain looks larger than it actually is: this is due to the effect of the wide-angle lens.

The last photo is of a squirrel and a blue jay who regularly invite each other for a peanut meal on the patio. If you want to see some close-up photos of these blue jays, click on these pages of my site: Blue Jay in Autumn and Blue Jay and Russian Mountain Ash.

I hope this series on renovation and on building a patio has been helpful to you.

Tags Blue Jay, building a patio, building a terrace, Canon wide angle lens, design, flower box, HDR Photography, metal fence, patio construction, Photography projects, project management, Québec, railing, red cedar without knots, renovation, renovation and advices, staircase, terrace construction

Renovation

Building a patio (6 of 7)

Post author By Stanley
Post date 24 October 2021

Planning and execution errors forced me to redo some work, including a staircase and the base that will receive this staircase. Renovation is also about going back (but as little as possible!). The cost of additional materials is negligible, but it will take time. It is now necessary to build a staircase with three steps sitting on a very solid base.

Digging to prepare the foundation of the stairs.

This time, I dig a foot deep, and add 0-3 / 4 rock and stone dust, followed by a few slabs that will receive the stair stringers.

Rocks and stone dust and slabs to receive the staircase.

Here is the final result. Nothing will move.

Cutting the stairs in a 2X12 piece of wood.

From 2X12 spruce boards, the four stringers are cut.

Installation of the four stairs stringers.

The four stringers rest securely on the slabs and are covered with a red Resisto waterproof membrane: this will prevent rot from settling on the stringers. An additional board is needed to accommodate the stringers and it should be placed under the contour beam.

The photo above shows the final result, just before the stain is applied.

General view of the first section of the wooden deck.

Above is an overview of part of the new terrace, with the new three-step staircase. The grass in front of the steps is badly damaged, having suffered the effects of construction for an extended period. But next spring, everything will be back to normal.

This is the final look of the new staircase the following spring, after the wood stain has been applied and the fixtures have been reinstalled one by one around the patio. Fortunately, not all of the electrical wires were cut by the mechanical shovel, which made their reinstallation easier.

Continued in the next article: “Building a patio (7 of 7)”.

Tags building a patio, building a terrace, design, material costs, patio construction, Photography projects, project management, Québec, red cedar without knots, renovation, renovation advice, renovation errors, stair stringers, staircase, terrace construction

Renovation

Building a patio (5 of 7)

Post author By Stanley
Post date 16 October 2021

The third staircase and the ramp are under construction. The vertical posts and steps are made of spruce and the rest will be red cedar.

Construction of the railing has started. Initially, we thought of a metal railing with glass panels. We investigated the available models and it seemed to us that the appearance was a bit too modern for the age of the house. We thought that continuing with the same materials as the terrace would be a better idea. I drew up railing plans and had family members vote on which model to use.

Installation of horizontal red cedar posts.

One at a time, the horizontal bars of red cedar are installed between the vertical posts. Spirit level and measuring gallon ensure that the appearance will be as correct as possible. The flaws are easy to see when a railing of this length is built, with so many separate pieces inside.

This is the final effect, when the thirty-six pieces of wood have been cut and laid.

The sections of metal fence to cut and reinstall.

The black metal fence that stood right next to the patio was partially dismantled during the installation of the new French drain. The cement bases of the fence posts were damaged by machinery. It was now necessary to get this old cement out of the ground, regroove, cut off five centimeters from the fence, re-weld the parts of the fence together, recast cement and replant the metal posts.

I tried to have the work done by Clôture Provinciale, of St-Augustin, because the initial fence had been made by them, according to my drawing. After ten calls, months of waiting and no return calls, I tried to approach other companies to do the work. I was told I would have to wait until next year because all the companies had contracts for months to come. Finally, I found a company in Beauport that bid $ 2700.00 to do the work. But it was a bit expensive.

Cement is poured to secure the fence post.

So I decided to do a lot of the work myself, but still called on Clôture Nordik to pull the old cement bases out of the ground and dig two new holes at least 5 feet deep. I sawed off the metal fence and had the sections welded together. I then poured 700 pounds of cement into the two holes, laid the metal posts and reinstalled the fence. I then applied a coat of black Tremclad paint. Total expenses: $ 700 instead of the $ 2700 proposed by the Beauport company.

Here is the final result for the fence.

Continued in the next article: “Building a patio (6 of 7)”.

Renovation

Building a patio (4 of 7)

Post author By Stanley
Post date 7 October 2021

I had counted on the presence of a carpenter to make the connection between the beams under the white shed and the new terrace. Connecting a 1954 construction with a new, differently designed patio is not that easy, especially for me. What was also not easy was to hire experienced staff to do this part of the job. After multiple calls left and right to find an employee, I resolved to take on the job alone. Everything went well, however, with savings as a bonus.

In the picture above, a red Resisto waterproof membrane is glued to each beam and joist to protect the wood from rot.

The opening into the terrace is still clearly visible. It was closed, after a change of plan. Two joists were added in the middle of the hole for added strength and a few boards were cut and rearranged to complete the floor and close the opening.

A red cedar table (the first table I ever built) was placed where the old opening in the terrace floor was.

During the project, I made the mistake of not supervising the work after hiring an electrician to lay the exterior wiring. The photo above is the very definition of a job poorly done (a better term would be a shitty job). The guy made multiple holes in the brick, not even aligned, and buttered the wall with silicone, after installing a lamp that hangs crooked. That’s why you have to do the work yourself, when possible. But with electricity, we are forced to deal with professionals. In short, the company had to redo the work.

The flooring is now completed on both levels, but I haven’t had time to stain it yet. It also lacks a railing on the second level, a third staircase at the end of the terrace, a ramp, and it is also necessary to resize and reinstall a metal fence that was taken out of the ground during the work of the new drain, in addition to reconnect the wiring of the lampposts that was cut by the mechanical shovel. But the renovations are moving forward …

Continued in the next article: “Building a patio (5 of 7)”.

Renovation

Building a patio (3 of 7)

Post author By Stanley
Post date 22 September 2021

To screw the 2X6 boards I use the CAMO system with screws that do not show, being screwed obliquely to the side of the boards: this improves the overall appearance without compromising on strength. When it comes to tools, I belong to the dinosaurs: only wire equipment, nothing with a battery.

The original plans called for an opening in the patio floor on the first level to allow light to pass through to a basement window. It is also in this opening that I work in the photo above. The plan messed up, with the final aesthetic and positive family comments missing. Project management also involves unforeseen events… I had to apply plan B, that is to say improvise.

The red cedar planks are used in the construction of the railing, the flower box, the handrail and the siding under the terrace. Some are knotless, for the more visible places, and others are with knots. There is naturally a good price difference between the two categories.

Each red cedar plank has a very pale beige color. To give it a darker tone, it must be sanded and stained with two coats of a special oil. It is important to wait a day between layers. In the photo above, six boards that have received the proper treatment are quietly drying outside. This is a process that requires time and proper weather if you don’t have a garage to let it dry out.

Above, the second staircase has just been completed. It has only two steps, because I wanted to rise the terrain a bit and I thought it would eventually reach the threshold of the stairs. Unfortunately, it was a step in the planning that was reviewed the following summer and this two-step staircase was eventually destroyed and redone to contain three steps. I miscalculated the optimal ground elevation and the wrong estimates have consequences. To add to the problem, the winter frost that followed the 2019 construction proved to me that the base of the stairs needed to be redesigned. I should have made a deeper hole in the ground to build a more stable base for the steps. Renovation also means learning and having to correct mistakes …

Above is the two-tiered flower box, made of knotless red cedar. You can see that the patio floor is not stained yet. Once dyed, it will never look exactly the same color as the flower box, as the floor is made of spruce (the good old regular 2X6) while the rest of the construction is usually red cedar. But the colors will be sufficiently alike.

Above, a general view of the work in progress. Everything is still far from over.

Another general view of the first part of the terrace. The floor looks darker than in the previous photo, but this is only due to the effect of the rain.

Continued in the next article: “Building a patio (4 of 7)”.