Deck is in - Sortof

We finally got the end deck in - well sort of.  Yesterday Andrew and Mike demoed the right side and cleared out the old rotted joists etc.  The joists couldn't be installed because I purchased the wrong joist hangers.    Today, with the right hangers, the joists were installed and the planking laid on.   

Then Andrew demoed the left side - (Mike wasn't there today) and had to pull down the door and the entire wall the door was attached to.  We installed the joists and laid the last of the planks - and I screwed up on the number of planks needed.

So most of the deck is complete although the planks need to be screwed down.  The handrails and roof supports are going to need to be designed and replaced.  We found 3 metal support poles in the crap under the deck and are using them  to hold up the roof.  

Our electrician tried to weasel out of coming today but we held firm and he finally showed up.  We now have working outlets throughout the house but strangely, he forgot to install switches on most of the lights.  Equally strangely, there are no lights in the master bedroom and the deck ceiling fans still need to be installed.  Perhaps not so strangely, I unintentionally shorted him on his pay when we settled up at the end of the night by $50.00.   Perhaps he will keep our next appointment for that reason alone.

Notables today is my stepping out on the deck only to have a board rise up and smacke me in the face.  Just like those cartoons where the duck steps on a rake.   I saw stars and I swear little tweety birds circling my head.  I shook it off and checked around - no one saw what happened. 

I also had something crawling around on my glasses and eyebrow, i ignored it as I was trying to see what Andrew was doing on the deck.  Finally I reach up and brush it to the ground and real;ized it was a brown recluse!   I am lucky I wasn't bitten. 

Trying to help Andrew with a stubborn part of the old rotten joists which were attached to the wobbly front deck I took the sawzaw from him and began to attack the rotted wood.   I laid flat on my back on the wobbly front deck and started under cutting the rotten wood.  As I got about half way through the 4x4 i realized i was actually cutting through the wobblyd deck beam which was currently supporting my weight!  I am a complete idiot.   I wasn't able to do much today as I haven't got much energy, but to crash through a deck into a pile of raccoon by-products, muddauber nests and the random snake would have made a hard day into a completely miserable one - assuming I survived.