Lucky week 13 was October 10-16 on the project. Some really beautiful progress – though the delay in windows and doors has kept interior work from progressing. Therefore, for this post I have mostly deck updates plus a few hobby tidbits at the end for my dedicated hobby crowd.
On Monday, deck proceeded on the deck stairs and fascia.
On Monday, our new Weber gas grill was delivered from Home Depot. It’s for natural gas so we can avoid the hassle of propane tanks in the future (though Lynn wants to use both). This is to be mounted on the new gas line on the back deck. We also got a nice drip mat and a cover for it. On Tuesday, Lynn and I put it together with the help of the manual and the Weber app. The process took us just under 4 hours (Weber says it should take 90 minutes – no way), and we worked well together to get it done. That means we are still happily married and no murders occurred or were even contemplated – which can be side effects of joint assembly! Of course, we can’t use it until the gas line is put in for it from the house.
The rest of Tuesday saw work on the stairs to the garage deck and the deck itself.
Wednesday saw more of the same.
Thursday saw a couple of things happen. First, Jonny Victor got a boom truck in and all the blue board got delivered – though work on it can’t start until – yes – windows and doors are in. At least this saves time climbing the new stairs.
The deck and stairs just got more attractive as the week went on.
It was too dark to get a good shot of the total work – but Friday came and the fog, but it looked like this below.
National Grid showed up and added loam and seed to the gas line excavation of last week.
Our plumber was prepping to do some work, and asked about a vanity size. We also needed another solar cap for the deck posts (they are solar and are really cool at night – no pic yet as we needed 1 more). So, off to Home Depot for both and some more shelving for the cellar.
On Saturday, I got to get a shot of the completed work. Not only is it amazing, but the views from it are as well. The deck height is higher than our home’s second story windows.
Now, I mentioned I would add a couple of hobby items. Well, I have a few – three to be exact.
First, I was able to finish writing the update to my Civilizations Collide supplement for Feudal PatrolTM. This is a way to wargame the Spanish Conquest and do it quite historically. I am working on a book of scenarios for that too. When either is available for download, I’ll share that.
Second, as I was working on the supplement, it became clear that I needed to have a way of tracking damage on Cortes’ war wagons, as after enough Aztec slings and arrows and more have hit them, they would disintegrate into scrap lumber. I saw these nice Litko markers and got 4 for my war wagons.
Lastly, I mentioned that we also have gotten shelving from Home Depot and have been assembling them and redoing storage in the cellar. We have put together 3 of these, 1 of these, and 1 of these. The last one replaced an old particle board printer stand that had been used for laundry soap, bleach, etc. It was messed up, and had a storage area under it. In the storage area were a couple of yearbooks from junior high I had not seen in a while, plus under the stand was a big lint-encrusted pewter figure of Marshal Michel Ney, the Bravest of the Brave, that I bought in France in the 1980’s! I was always fascinated by his story. However, I had zero idea how he ended up there.
Buck suggested that he would be a cool giant for a Wars of Ozz game, and Chris Palmer suggested that he could be a moss giant. I thought maybe a lint monster…but no, I’ll clean him up and put on a shelf as is.
Anyways, next week should have even more progress on the project – so thanks for looking and hope you found this interesting. Now I have blogs to read! (likely yours).
Mark A. Morin 
A lot of good progress there, Mark! 🙂 The stairs and deck look really good!
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Thanks John. Originally I think the plan was no have no risers on the stairs (so as to be able to see through), but that would not have been allowed code-wise. Now that we see the white, I’m pretty happy about it. Cheers!
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The new deck and stairs look great Mark, do like the contrast between the white and dark wood colour. Good to hear you have managed some progress for your supplement, and nice find on the wound counters, have to say the model looks furry nice ! Sorry I’ll get my coat.
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Made me chuckle Dave! Cheers!
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More good progress, but surely you aren’t going to let your wife loose with YOUR new grill! Women can’t work barbeques like men can’t work washing machines! (ducks and runs 😁).
Really nice damage counters there Mark, and I see your figure is holding a “lint’lock” musket! (yes! I knew there had to be another awful pun in there somewhere!😉 )
Cheers Roger.
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Hey Roger, I can grill, but my chef wife is far better at it than I am! Same for laundry…I am lucky!
Oooh, lintlock – you win the day!
Best to ya!
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Very impressive Mark- the workman have done a fantastic job.
I’m very much taken with that grill though- my mouth waters at the thought of what could be cooked in it.
Cheers,
Pete.
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Me too!
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Looks great so far Mark – and so does the view from up there! Looks to me like a perfect gaming room as well! 😀
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Thanks! Plus it’s elevated to keep the zombies out!
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That is one dusty Marshall Ney.
The garage is looking great, and speaking from my stomach: the new grill is perfect, probably the number 1 purchase I would have made in such a project.
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Wait until you see the galley…
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Looking great. will you be in for Christmas?
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God willing. The windows should be in place in November, then the final stuff can happen
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Wow Mark, things have progressed well and the build is really looking fantastic! 🙂
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Thanks Dave – looking forward to our chat!
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Its good to see steady progress on the garage and the rulebook. Scenarios for the Aztec setting sound exciting to me! 🙂
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Thanks Kuribo! I hope to get the scenarios book done before the building!
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I can’t believe your national grid added both loam and grass seed for the area on your land they dug up. Pretty sure over here they’d just cover up the hole dug and call it done! The deck and stairs look excellent. That style on a veranda round the house is what I’ll always have in my head as what the typical US house looks like (complete with swinging chair). I don’t think I could live there without a house like that 😁. I’m also still blown away by the size of your ‘garage’. I’m pretty sure it’s bigger than the first few flats I lived in!
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Thanks much. It was nice but I think as asphalt is coming (hopefully) there will still be more landscaping needed in the spring. My wife might be getting her swinging chair at some point – she’s mentioned that she likes them, but we’ll see. For a garage it is tall. The building is only 16’ x 24’ and the deck is 16’ x 16’, and it’s only going to accommodate 1 vehicle, but we did go tall on purpose (it’s taller than our house). I should have a new post that I think you will like in a day – thanks for looking!
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It coming on real well mate!! It might have been the light but I’m sure there is a glint in Lynn eyes say It’s mine All Mine!!! I have never seen a BBQ so big! One has to love the work your boys have put into the build!
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