Nail by Nail...

Ripping out the old porch

"Nail by nail and board by board, Daddy gave life to Momma's dream"... well maybe not a dream but definitely a want!  I know I said that I was going to be working on hats all day yesterday.  I know my goal was ten complete hats, I didn't quite get there.

Our front porch has had some serious issues for awhile now, but we work so much anymore that we haven't been home to get much accomplished during daylight hours.  We just kept pushing it off. Limited time for chores and unwinding, limited money to rebuild and neither of us being able to agree on our ultimate goal for the rebuild, led to complete immobility.  We knew it needed to be done, we were frozen in place.

That frozen attitude thawed rapidly the other day.  When one of the boards finally broke, luckily it was in the lowest level and just a slight give under the foot.  It was definitely a call to action. Over twenty years ago Hubby had placed AstroTurf from Busch stadium over the surface of the entire decking.  His mom had loved the idea and the stadium was tossing it as they were going back to real grass. Seemed like a win/win situation I am sure.

Fast forward to 2013 and the treated lumber had rotted so badly that it was a serious safety hazard.

Hubby and I are both strong believers in upcycling and repurposing.  I knew that we had the wood to repair the one broken board when I asked Hubby to fix it yesterday.  In my mind it was another win/win situation.  One broken board, Hubby having free time, and me needing some serious time to crochet.

I am guessing that I don't communicate well or maybe Hubby doesn't always read  between the lines.  Or maybe it was simply that age old communication issue between men and women.  You know both speaking the same language and neither completely understanding.

One board quickly lead to me helping install the whole lower landing.  Desperately crocheting a row or two in between holding boards for cutting and passing screws for assembling.  The whole time praying that the spots we were walking back and forth on would not give.  That they would stay solid and no legs would be broken in the midst of the initial repair.

Slowly it dawned on me that we were going to have to fix those boards at the top, they were simply a step or two away from total collapse themselves. Each step was confirming my greatest fears...

It was a beautiful day, our wonderful neighbors had said that we could have the treated lumber out by the trailer and if nothing else we could go right on top of the damaged stuff to get us through the winter and rebuild in the spring.

Our only fear was that the top rails were what was sunk into the ground. I had a lot of time to look at it while holding boards and helping Hubby by passing screws.  It wasn't connected, in fact it looked like it was added as an afterthought.

Next thing I know, Hubby is ripping up AstroTurf and we are praying the frame was intact, because the decking itself was destroyed.

Fast forward a few hours, with help from our ex-son-in-law and wood from the neighbors, we have most of a new font porch in.  And true to my upcycling heart it was all done with reclaimed supplies and a rebate card from Menards.  The frame was solid, all we needed was to replace the surface.  Today Hubby will rebuild the steps, and build the steps off the other side that he's simply wanted forever.  I no longer have to worry the postman or neighbors are going to fall through the deck and sue us. Not to mention that it looks so nice.  I didn't really share Mom's love of AstroTurf.  Total cost for new porch $5.37.  Yep, I am a happy girl!

I stayed up and crocheted until my fingers and brain couldn't go any longer. Chatting with my son and learning about the universe.  I didn't complete any hats, but I did get the base done for seven.  I will continue to work on them all today.  If I get to goal, I get to goal.  I am sure at some point Hubby is going to need help again today. And as he is working to make me happy, it isn't going to hurt me to push those other things aside and help him. Today I will  cut Hubby's hair, make soap, finish more hats and finally go to work long enough to teach my class.  I wasn't willing to skip that.

I love that Hubby will do the things that make me happy and allow me to feel secure.  I am sure he had other plans for the day, but he loves me enough to take care of what I need... What more can a girl ask for?