Outdoor Projects
The New England weather really takes a toll on wood, and carpenter ants don’t help. For this porch, I replaced the decking and the posts on the railing. A few of the beams underneath had been chewed on by carpenter ants, so I removed the damaged wood and reinforced the rest. The risers had been scratched open by a skunk! I found the burrow under the stone step and work paused while the critter was evicted.
A stitch in time saves nine, which is what this shed needed but didn’t get. The roof started to sag as the walls twisted out of square. I added a ridge beam, shored up the walls, added concrete to the foundation, added a loft, and replaced the old windows with salvaged ones. This was a big project, but it’s solid enough now that it could serve as a tiny house.
I often use stain to match weathered wood, helping lower the visibility of repairs. The color doesn’t need to be a precise match, just close enough that it doesn’t scream for attention. Here you can see where I stained a new step when replacing the top two, and how I stained rail caps for an existing fence. I sometimes use a lighter stain so that it matches better and better as it weathers.
Just because the walkway has shifted, that doesn’t mean the steps should be crooked.
It may seem obvious, but every step should be the same height.
