What are you doing during this non-burn season?

I'm adding on to my existing deck. The original deck was 10' X 12' which was too small to do much of anything on besides use my grill. When it's done it'll end up being about 17' X 18', big enough for some outdoor furniture and maybe a porch swing. I may end up adding a Gazebo at some point too. Before the fall I'm going to enclose the space under the deck, along with the space under the addition of the house, and use it for a workshop on one side and winter wood storage on the other. I'll have to mount some roof panels underneath the deck at a slight pitch to divert any water that comes through. This has been one of those "figure it out as I go" evolving projects.

 

Eric Schamell use Polycarbonate roofing panels and put some PT 2 x 4 through table saw. Works great

 

Thanks, nice setup! That's pretty much what I had in mind. At first I was looking to bend some sheet metal to mount in between the joists but that looked more expensive and more work than I wanted to do. The panels are nice and clean. I'll probably go with white ones since it'll be an enclosed space.

 

Yeah this is open and smoke gray goes limits sun heating on south west side..

 

Nice work folks! I'm one of those guys that doesn't know which end of a screw driver you use to beat the nail in with! All my DIY projects come out like this!

 

the heat sucks but I still have a hundred or more trees to drop. Bet I'm under the 400 pound mark now......I hope. Sweating hard enough to put out a brush fire.

 

Its okay, im used to it...i get it from Ms. buZZsaw on a regular basis.

 

I said to myself, I can beat the heat. So I fired up the Progress and yes I did beat the heat.

 

Nice RB...DIY shower. Must feel good in this heat!

 

I made a work platform for my tractor forks. Its 8' wide and 4' deep. I intend to add removable sides. Should come in handy for cutting limbs, changing flood lights, siding repairs, powerwashing, building a new outbuilding, etc.

 

Remodeled 2 bedrooms. Took them down the studs and subfloor. and moved/shrunk the closets...new windows, wiring, insulation, drywall, hardwood floors. Going to take a break for a week and start on a bathroom.

 

Too hot to split, so I've been hanging a few axe heads. Carpenter's hatchet as a "thank you" gift for the friend who let me take all his oak, a 3.5 lb Michigan that my buddy gave me, and my first double bit. Looking forward to taking a few swings with the double bit!

 

Building a 8' by 30' long wood shed. Getting out on the boat as much as possible, and raising our now 16 wk old lab puppy.

 

Work work work. It's getting ridiculous. Getting very burned out.

 

Weeding! In the mornings, before the sun hits. Lots more to go.

 

Getting ready for the next burn season.
Ill be glad when it cools down again!

 

does the tractor have lock valves in it?...guess not...witnessed a couple clowns with tractor like that....one up on the platform and the other(operator) decided to jump off the tractor and his t-shirt caught the loader handle /control........

 

We have had a couple cooler days, especially in the morning. Just right to hit the woods and cut some dead elm. Cooler days next week so I may get what I cut, split. Just have to get through the weekend. Highs are supposed to be in the 90's.

 

On top of my stressful deck addition project I thought it would be a good time to put up a small above ground pool (18' diameter x 4' deep) that I got for free from a coworker. The spot I was limited to had a slope on one side so I needed a short retaining wall. Every single local mason I called was booked until... indefinitely. That's not going to fly. It's hot NOW. I "acquired" several used railroad ties left to rot and built something that'll (fingers crossed) hopefully work. The edge of the pool will be 3 feet from the wall so I'm not too concerned with the weight of the pool undermining the integrity of it. It SHOULD hold. I drilled 3/4" holes through the first course and pounded 3/4" re-bar through the ties deep into the ground. Added more re-bar on both sides of the wall and secured the re-bar to the sides of the ties with 1/4" thick clamps I machined from solid steel. I think all said and done there's re-bar in 12 spots anchoring it all in place. Not to mention the ties themselves weight 200 something pounds each. I nailed the ties together with 18 spikes, 12" long, 3/8" diameter. Rocks directly behind the wall for drainage. I had one tie kick on me as I nailed it but otherwise it seems very solid. Really the bulk of any force exerted outward from the round pool will be directed at the center of the wall so the ends are more or less inconsequential. Before I back fill with dirt I'll add some landscape fabric so the rocks don't get clogged up. I have a skid steer rented for next Friday so hopefully I can back fill it, level it, bring in the sand, level that too, all in the 24 hours I have the machine. I already have 4 yards of pool sand ready when it's time to level the spot. Then it's the relatively simple matter of assembling the pool and getting water delivered. Ooof. This is pushing my limits as far as things I'm willing to try to do vs. things I'd happily pay someone else to do.