Deck day 3 – new footings

The contractor and his assistant dug holes for the new footers, and poured concrete:

New footers are in place.

Dave believes this might be an early-1900s cement mixer – quiet as a mouse, the “spokes” on the drive wheel have been welded to the rim more than once. It worked so well that it earned a place in my future tool kit:

Concrete made easy - vintage mixer?

Today: Install support poles, to allow removal of the rest of the stairway landing at the upper deck; make the form for a 20-inch tall retaining wall, and pour; install 5/8-inch diameter bolts for the pole support brackets; install temporary support poles to allow use of the hydraulic jacks to level the upper deck; install joist brackets and lag bolts…I am sure I missed something, but will update later.

Thanks to Dave and his assistant doing all this work, I have been able to catch up with some work in the shop. More on this in a future article.

— Al Navas