A two-hour journey down Highway 1 east, a quick boat ride to an island cottage, great conversation over a lovely meal and scenery that takes your breath away — does this sound like a nice day trip or weekend getaway? Possibly. It was actually a work weekend this past September that won’t soon be forgotten.
During a recent ensuite renovation, my clients mentioned in passing that the top-decking of the higher tier of their cottage deck may need some attention — several of the boards were rotten and feeling spongy. After a brief discussion, we agreed the top-decking should be replaced and decided to tackle the job on the final weekend in September. However, the project would entail one minor obstacle — the lumber would need to be delivered to a private dock just shy of a kilometre from the cabin. And once the materials were on-site near the dock, the client would then take it upon himself to transport the material by boat, conveniently placing the lumber at his cottage over-looking the lake.
On a beautiful Saturday morning, Carole and I made the trek to the West Hawk Lake area, carefully manoeuvring down the winding gravel road that led us to the private dock. The quick boat ride to the cottage was splendid — the lake was calm, the air crisp. It was shaping up to be a beautiful autumn day to work on a deck. And the anticipation of the job itself offered no stress, as it was very straightforward — remove the old top-decking and replace it with new 2x6 boards. It was a workday, but it felt relaxing at the same time.
The rotten boards pried up easily, revealing the old, yet still sound, pressure-treated lumber joisting below. Because the nails that held the old lumber rarely came up with the prying motion, most had to be cut with a reciprocating saw. Unlike my usual approach, only a few rows of boards were removed at a time, allowing new boards to be installed in stages. This minimized the size of the breach, and gave us solid footing while working topside on the deck surface.
Although I would have usually finished the demolition task first, tackling the entire top-decking installation at once, it was prudent to be extra cautious, as we weren’t the only ones at the cottage that weekend.
The work activities flowed very smoothly. While prying boards, Carole tossed the old lumber into a pile away from the work area. And when it was time to begin placing the new top-decking, the lumber was always just an arm’s-length away — Carole made sure of that.
As I tacked the new boards in place, Carole followed behind and secured them at every joist. It wasn’t until nearing the last few boards that I noticed Carole had slipped away momentarily. And I had a pretty good idea why — the scenery was intoxicating, and her desire to snap a few photos overcame her. The sun was at the perfect angle just before dusk and glistened on the lake surface.
The last few boards were cut right on the dock, before bringing them up to the deck — if only this could be my work station at every job site. With the last board secured, it was time to celebrate a job well done. We all sat down to a wonderful meal and took turns sharing out favourite stories. And just before dusk, a short return boat ride brought us back to the private dock, where our truck awaited our return for the ride home.
It never really felt like work that day — more like we just so happened to complete a few lingering tasks while out at the cabin.
We were fortunate the weather was favourable that Saturday. The sun was warm and the wind was mild.
When building outdoors, a pleasant day can make all the difference. In this instance, not only did Mother Nature smile upon us, the beauty of the job-site location, as well as the clients’ graciousness, filled me with tremendous joy.
It was a great day, and I’m so glad Carole decided to come along.
It’s the type of day when clients become friends, and we both look forward to seeing them again.
bossenterprise@outlook.com
