Once again, I am forever grateful for the handyman skills of my father-in-law. Whenever there is some sort of project that Sam (or I) want to do, he is able to see the finished product in his head. Nothing is impossible and even though there always seems to be a hiccup or two, the project always turns out fantastic.

Recently, we decided to lay down new deck boards on our side porch. We also put up new columns, as the old ones were dry rotted. It’s been a project, but the hard part is finally complete. I know I have shared some of the before pictures….

The missing post in the above picture is what led to the rest.

Then we had issues with the boards. Ours had no groove in the middle, so we had to make adjustments.

New posts went up first and some of the deck board, but there was much more to do.

The above is where we left off a week or so ago. These boards, while not in the best shape, were going to take some work to get up. Despite having some minor surgery earlier in the week, and me telling him we could wait another week, my father-in-law said he was coming over Sunday to work on the porch.

So, on Sunday morning, I brought out all of the tools we needed for the day. I had the air compressor, nail gun, impact drill, hammers, pry bars, table saws, jigsaws, miter saws, and another bag of various tools ready to go. He was there at 10am sharp and we got right to work.

The first thing we did was start laying boards where we left off. We worked right up to where the post was and then ripped the rest of the old boards out. Around the posts we had to cut notches so the boards would fit. We did some creative cuts when we got to the end and against the house. Then we had to go to the other end and finish a couple boards there.

Once the deck boards all down and in place, my father in law took some excess wood and made some decorative boots for around the tops and bottoms of the posts. I learned that my table saw can be adjusted to cut at a 45 degree angle! Who knew!?

I thought the boots looked very cool on the posts.

All I need to do now is paint the posts and figure out whether or not to stain or paint the deck boards. The finished product…

It was a long day. I spent a lot of time bending over and on my knees. My back and knees are a bit sore today. It was worth it … and the countless ibuprofen pills I have been popping all day!

Thanks again for your help, Dad!