Backyard #10 - Adirondack Chairs & Creek

This post isn't on anything specific - I just took a break from yard work to take some pictures.

I built a couple of adirondack chairs a few years ago, and I moved them down by the fire pit earlier this week. They have weathered to a silver gray and are actually fairly comfortable. We have been spending a lot evenings out here since the weather warmed up.


I took some pictures of the creek this morning, while I was mowing the adjacent field. This sits below our house, about 40 yards away. The kids spend quite a bit of time down here in the summers. I put a big rope swing in a tree that allows them to swing out over the water.


This picture was take from the creek looking back up at the house. One of our challenges is to do something with the hill besides letting the weeds and grass grow. I am thinking English Ivy, is it chokes out everything in its path, but it can get hard to control.


I like the way the new patio cover fits between the two decks.

The deck on the left, our main one, will get a also cover next summer. It's going to come out as a gable-end and cover about 200 square feet (half the deck area). Unlike the one I am working on now, this one is going to require formal drawings and permits, since it's on a second story and cuts into the existing roof. The building department told me I could draw these myself, and I am looking forward to figuring out all the details and requirements.

This is conceptually what it will look like...

Backyard #9 - Rippin' Hardiplank

I spent a little time working on the patio cover this afternoon. I cut and installed the hardiplank fiber cement boards into the sides of the posts...


I like the results, but ripping the hardiplank to width was not a lot of fun.

I tried a carbide blade, which lasted for three boards and then gave out. I switched to an abrasive masonry blade, and it worked OK, but the cutting was slow. Also, I am not very comfortable with all the cement dust on my table saw - it can't be very good for it (or me). These post-sides are the only things I need to rip, so it's not too bad.

I used my coil nail gun to fasten then it place (1.25 inch roofing nails), which worked well.

Backyard #8 - Patio Cover Posts

Today I worked on the wooden posts that sit on the stone bases for the patio cover. I wrapped the existing 4x4's to make them 8x8, which gives them the correct proportions...

I have tried to keep the "green" ethic through all of my remodeling. In this case it meant using up many of the left over 2x4's and 2x6 pieces to enlarge the post to accept the final exterior pieces.


The next few photos show how I'm protecting the posts from water damage over time. The wood here is kept about 1/2" off of the cap.


Here is the first piece of flashing between the masonry base and the wood post. The main function of this is as a capillary break, which stops water on the stone cap from wicking up into the exterior wood. Even though the wood is rated for ground contact, I think that water could still cause some damage over a number of years. Flashing 4 posts cost under $5 and took less than 30 minutes to install - a good investment (especially in western Oregon)


The corners have overlapping metal...


The posts sit tight to the flashing, so it's not very noticeable:


This picture shows the detail I decided on for the top of the posts. The beams and sides of the posts will get covered with Hardiplank.


I chose not to do the typical detail with a trim cap that sits under the beam, but rather run the boards all the way up to the top of the beam. This basically matches the detail on both the decks on either side of the porch.

backyard #7 - Patio Cover Roof and Gable Ends

I completed roofing the patio cover just in time to avoid a huge downpour. It was a perfect day to work on the roof - cloudy and 70 degrees.

It took me about 6 hours to flash, paint the trim and roof. This is not fast by any means, but everything went smoothly with no mistakes on my part. Here is a picture of the top flashing nailed up to the house. This will get covered over by a trim board under the window.


What really made the job go easy was using my coil nailer. I bought this a couple of years ago from Harbor Freight for about $70. I have used it for a number of projects, and it's always worked very well. I plan on using it again on the house siding and my upcoming garage project.


We decided to do an open design on the gable ends...


These give the patio cover more of a craftsman look, and they will allow for good airflow on hotter days. I had to individually fit the uprights, toe-screwing them into the ceiling beam. I still need to add a 2x8 to the hotizontal beam on the inside, and then wrap it in hartiplank.


Details like this usually cost almost no extra money ($10 for wood), but take quite a bit more time. If you are not on a tight schedule, I recommend taking the opportunity to add things like this when possible.

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Roofing Costs: It cost about $260 to flash, paper just under 200 square feet of roof, with 30year architectural asphalt shingles.
- $180 for the roofing
- $20 for 200 sq ft of 30# roofing paper
- $40 for metal flashing
- $10 for asphalt / rubber flashing tape

DIY Resource: Building Science Corporation

Building Science Corporation is a great resource for serious DIY'ers. It has a large library of construction articles and reviews.

My current project, a patio cover, needs to be connected to the house properly to ensure we don't get water problems leading to rot (especially in western Oregon). I referred to a number of articles on siding and flashing to make sure I did it correctly, and that it would compatible with a "rain screen" design that I will be adding later.

Here are a couple of images from an article on water management I used:


The picture above shows basic drainage plane design, while the one below is how to flash a window to ensure any water that gets in drains back out again with no damage. In this case, my patio cover roof connects to the house right under a window, and I wanted to make sure the roof flashing would connect properly to the window pan flashing.



Disclaimer: The main focus of this blog is documenting my own DIY projects. When I do feature a site, it's one I have personally used, find useful, and is not sponsored.

Backyard #6 - Stone Posts Done

I finally finished the stone post bases for the patio cover. It took a few extra weeks (it always takes a few extra weeks!) due to travel and family activities. Anyway, I am pretty happy with the results...


I ended up laying about 50 feet of stone on both of these, and used up all the large corner pieces I had. The large corners give the posts a more substantial feeling.

The tumbled stone pavers made nice post caps, and cost significantly less than cap pieces from the stone yard. Once I filled the joints, I cleaned off the pavers with a water and vinegar solution to remove the mortar stains.


I am going to look at my stone pile and see if I have enough of this mix to lay veneer across the back of the house to match. If I need to buy a few more boxes, I'll keep a look out on Craig's List and buy some leftovers cheap.

I also had time to get the rake and fascia boards installed. I used 2x fir and my DW painted it form me before we attached it.


I really like the look of the 4x6 beams, now that they are in place. Our house is built with 2x4 trusses, that have rafter tails that extend 29 inches. I am considering fabricating and boxing these in with faux tails that will give them the look of 4x6's.