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Entry deck/Bridge replacement

Started by Planman1954, October 30, 2015, 07:30:28 PM

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Planman1954

I thought tonight would be a good time to post some photos of a project I just completed for my home. I began to notice some rot and sagging on the arched entry bridge that leads to my front door. Something had to be done now!
I happened to run across some old photos of the original bridge before I began removing it:

  

 
I began by removing the old bridge, piece by piece, trying to salvage whatever I could to reuse. Here's a photo of the bridge removed:


 
After the bridge was removed, I took the time to place 3 new support piers under the main entry deck which had sagged over time. I used my hydraulic jack and lifted the structure. It was a little nerve racking...watching for snakes and other undesirables! Here's a photo of the piers:


 
As you can see in the photo above of the removed deck, rot had occurred on the area between the deck and the bridge. I removed the old trim board which revealed the rot had entered the support posts! I decided to recess a treated piece into a notched out area in each of the four deck posts. The neat thing about this is that the rot was almost totally eliminated when the notches were cut. Here's a photo of the new 2x8 treated board set into the notched columns:


 
It was now time to set the main support joists for the new bridge/walkway. I used treated lumber to avoid the rot problem from happening again, but wanted to reuse the cypress where I could. Here's a photo of the joists being set:


 
You can see one of the new columns set in place. I notched them to rest flush on the outside joists. This makes them extremely sturdy. I also braced around all four new bridge posts.
Next I placed the decking onto the joists. I reused as many of the original pieces that were not rotted, and made the remainder from the original curved support joists from the bottom of the old bridge. Here's a photo of the decking in place:

 
The final step was to make the railing that needed to match the original arts and crafts design of the deck area. Here's a photo of the final product:


  

 
I'm glad it's finished! I worked off and on over a couple of weeks to do the job, with probably around twenty hours. It took less than $200.00 in materials...nails and treated lumber, to complete it.
I really love not having to walk over that arched area! That got old fast when it was first done years ago. Now I feel safe when my 84 year old mother comes to visit!
Norwood Lumbermate 2000 / Solar Dry Kiln /1943 Ford 9n tractor

pineywoods

 smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup . good job, now back to the millshed ...
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Planman1954

Norwood Lumbermate 2000 / Solar Dry Kiln /1943 Ford 9n tractor

lowpolyjoe

Nice.  I really like the unique looking railing  :)

POSTON WIDEHEAD

The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

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