Yesterday, we worked on Phase Two – we worked to fix one of the piers that a column will rest on. Three of the piers were in great shape, and some previous owner had made level surfaces for column support. The fourth pier was in bad shape, it was crumbly and saggy. We couldn’t really see what was going on with the pier until we lifted the roof and pulled out the post that was standing on top of it.
View still blocked!
But we still couldn’t see what was going on with the pier because there was a joist resting on it. We poked around a little, and saw that the brick construction was in bad shape. There was a lot of crumbly stuff. We decided we would cut the joist to give ourselves some work room, but keep the joist long enough so we could still support it on the pier. There will be additional support for the joist later, so the cut is okay.
The mess revealed.
The joist was resting on a rotting piece of wood. The bricks under that wood were a mess. We decided we would clear everything down to a solid base, and build the bricks up again. We started by dry-stacking.
Sort of level.
Brick, then mortar, then more brick. There were some adjustments to be made along the way, but we built a really nice looking pier. It’s just the right height, it’s solid, and it’s beautifully level. The patio block we’ll use as a pillar base sits just right.
Beautiful!
We will let the mortar dry a while before we put the pillar up, but Phase Two is complete! Today, we begin Phase Three – we will strip off the old floor, and work to repair any joists that need attention.
This is so exciting! It’s like watching a reality show in real-time! (Meaning I can’t binge-watch it.) I can’t wait for tomorrow’s episode!
By the way, how are you feeling? Are you well yet or still sick and just powering through it?
I have a lingering cough, but I take medicine for it in the morning and evening. During the day, it doesn’t bother me very much. Maybe the heat or humidity or something. (It’s very hot and humid right now)