Well Saturday was a write off as I had a work do in the corporate box at Ascot, so when I got up this morning I knew I had some catching up to do. First task was to cut the remaining joists to size and put them in place. I didn't attach these to the frame as the decking boards will hold them in place. Once cut, I painted the exposed ends with Ronseal Decking End Grain Preserver - this will help prevent rotting of the wood on the exposed ends. Let's hope it does exactly what it says on the tin.
With these in place I was ready to start cutting the decking boards to size and putting them in place (having painted the ends with the Ronseal preserver). Couldn't have done this without the mitre saw I'd borrowed from a neighbour. The reject decking I'd bought from edecks.co.uk came in good sized lengths so most of the boards could go down in one piece. For the one's that couldn't I'd placed 2 joists right next to each other so I'd have plenty of joist to screw the meeting ends in place.
I used galvanized decking screws from edecks - and screwed them in using my drill with a screwdriver bit. I was very please with how sturdy the platform was when I got on top to put the last few boards in place. Once all the boards were in place on top - I placed two more boards on the front and side to cover up the joists. One of the reject decking boards had a bad crack - so I used that one as it wouldn't have to support any weight.
With all the decking done - I decided to carry on and build some steps. I had 2 2*4 joists left over and the off cuts from the ones I used. I needed to join the steps to the platform at a very wide angle - wider than the mitre saw would cut, so I had to get out my traditional saw and do it by hand. I only had to cut two boards - but it made me appreciate the mitre saw even more. With the two uprights cut I attached 4 steps checking the were level using my spirit level (painting all the cut ends with Ronseal). I had to pop to Wickes to get longer screws for this - 100mm exterior wood screws.
All done - platform, decking and steps - Bobby seemed impressed anyway..
I've just ordered a load of 2*2 joists for the rails and next weekend I'll head to Champion timber to get some large sheets of MDF or something to make the house to go on top... below is the updated plan..
I am extremely impressed on two counts, firstly that it there are no polish builders on the site and you actually sound like you are building it yourself. You can hear the pain in your blog. Secondly, it genuinely looks like a good job. Well done you. Bobby should be very proud as he doesn't yet understand just how far away this sort of project is from the top of your list of favourite things to do at the weekend. I will follow with envy as t don't have a garden big enough for a proper tree let alone a tree house. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeletePs. Did you negotiate a discount for all the product placement?