Day 1 resulted in quite a surprise, as one of the stairway support posts had failed completely and provided exactly zero support:
Stairway support pole at lower deck level.
I chuckled when I saw the brick (photo above). It reminded me of the Roman mosaics we saw in Cyprus, many years ago. No doubt that, at some point, a brick walkway was present at poolside in the early days after the house was built; then the lower deck must have been installed, over 35 years ago.
The contractor removed the entire lower deck in just a few hours — a chain saw proves a very useful tool in this case:
Lower deck removed.
The first load going to the sanitary dump, loaded and ready to go:
Lower deck debris load headed to the dump.
What remains of the landing on the stairway, still attached to one of the poles that will be replaced:
Lower deck stairway attachment.
The wood did not appear to be cedar; and the heft and color reminded me more of redwood. I could be wrong; just in case, I saved some of the best pieces, to recycle them into outdoor furniture:
I saved some of the better boards.
Today: Delivery of materials, including pavers, lumber, fasteners, joist hangers, rock, and sand.
— Al Navas
About Al Navas
That’s Redwood definitely. I spent my holiday weekend demoing a patio table that collapsed under our heavy snow and milling it up to make Adirondack chairs so I know of what I speak. It looked just like your pile pictured above but by the time I was done planing it, it was a thing of beauty.
Shannon,
I am sure glad you agree with me, as I would love to make something for use on the new patio. It will be our sentimental piece. By the time I finish (in a couple of years), I will have removed about 3,500 square feet of this same lumber