Custom built cupola (by my buddy Evan who I haven’t yet convinced to get on Nostr) with the weathervane from Good Directions. It’s a thing, and it spins, so that’s a win. #Handyman #SkilledTrades #GrowNostr #HugeDeckChronicles

What a day. Didn’t get as far as I wanted but I have a functional winch now, set up on quick-connects for power and ground. I did manage to clean up the wiring for the passenger side fog light, so that’s cool. #Carstr #OffRoadstr #GrowNostr #ShadeTreeMechanickin #Handyman #SkilledTrades #Toolstr

Spent a few hours on the bumper this afternoon, it’s finally all coming together. Got some details to fanangle tomorrow and hoping to wire up the turn signals and fog lights properly and hopefully wire up the winch. Got a couple more recovery points to add at a later date also. It’s all coming together now. #Handyman #SkilledTrades #OffRoadstr #Carstr #GrowNostr

Youngin woke up and chowing down on some eggs and ham. She actually seems to be picking out the ham and playing with the egg, which normally she loves eggs. I ain’t mad though, she’s my little carnivore lol can’t forget the raw goat milk to wash it all down either lol #GrowNostr #RiseAndShine #BoDaddyMornings

Ah, the joys of standing in line for hours to ask the crown for its permission to use my personal property on the crown’s pathways… #RegistrationIsBullshit #GrowNostr

Let’s give this a try on this rainy Monday off. Had a good solid week of work and money making, time to enjoy a day or two of rain and see what I can get caught up around the house. Maybe even get my front bumper finished and the winch mounted so I can run some wires. #Smokestr #GrowNostr #Cigar #Tobacco #Handyman #SkilledTrades #BigPlansLittleTime

Well, I suck at daily updates here recently lol. Anyway, Thursday, took inventory of all our materials and what we were gonna need to finish the #HugeDeck, and then did what we could with what materials we had on hand (the color Trex we’re using has to be ordered). Also, my trusty Kobalt 35ft tape measure gave up the ghost, I was sad to see it go. I’ve had it probably 5 years or better, and Kobalt discontinued the model. Spent several days after noticing the break starting trying to find a suitable replacement (options are slim in 35ft) and decided on the Hart “Pro Grade” because it has the fractions labeled and had some good reviews. We’ll see. Tapes are a thing where I’m a bit contrarian, I’m not a fan of the Stanley Fat Max, which seems to be the go-to. I’ve had several (my boss in the commercial gig liked them) and they seem to only last me 9 months to a year. Friday, went to another client’s house to finish caulking their rear windows, driveway, swap out light fixture in their laundry closet, and hang some rope lights on a tree. Came home to put my spare tire on my 5x8 trailer only to find out the spare I been carrying around since I bought the trailer was the wrong rim and was missing a valve….sometimes you just need to stop and look at things y’all lol. I’m probably gonna go ahead and bump up to 5.30-12 tires, Amazon has 2 for $120, and then I’ll keep the best 4.80-12 that’s currently on it as a spare. Since each wheel is on a free spinning hub the different size spare shouldn’t hurt anything in “just get it home” situation. I’ll probably swap the axle to be mounted under the leaf springs when I do that wheel swap also. That brings us to today; gotta start out by picking up an 8ft 4x4 and a few bags of concrete, then we get to dig holes…again. There’s about 8ft or so between the gazebo and the perimeter fence, and we gotta fill that gap so the silly dogs don’t make an escape. #SkilledTrades #Handyman #HugeDeckChronicles #GrowNostr #Toolstr

Finished redoing the staircase, slapped the handrails on and moved all the materials around to the front of the house. Finished the shingles on the gazebo yesterday, waiting on Evan to finish making the cupola to get it mounted and finish the roof. Started on the the step at the back of the gazebo, once that’s built and secured we lay floor, finish handrails and fascia on the ramp and gazebo, and we’re pretty much done until the thing gets wired (not my job on this one lol) #HugeDeckChronicles #Handyman #SkilledTrades #GrowNostr PS, my trusty ol’ reliable Kobalt 35ft tape measure is dying on me. Done got a tear at the 3” mark and it’s already drawn blood like twice. I’ve had that thing for something like 5 or 6 years, if not more. Kobalt no longer has the same model, so I just ordered a Hart “Pro Grade” for $20 and we’ll see how it does. Working for my old boss we used 25ft Stanley FatMax (which seems to be everybody’s go to) and I was unimpressed, I seemed to burn one of them up per year. Anyway, sad that I had a tape I liked and that lasted more than a year and now I’m having to do something different. Hopefully this hart won’t be a bummer. #Toolstr

Been getting up around 0500 for no reason the last few days, so I’m taking advantage of it today (the youngin is also at her grandma’s and it’s better for my wife catching extra sleep if I’m not in the house lol). I’ve had this fancy switch panel on hand for like 2 years now, just haven’t had time to fiddle with it. This will go overhead in the pathfinder so that I can run power to my cell signal booster, gps, and a couple other things without having wires hanging down the middle of my windshield (pet peeve of mine). #Handyman #SkilledTrades #Carstr #GrowNostr

Does anybody else want to step in at some retail joint and handle business when they seem to be struggling to get it done or is that just me? #InefficiencyIsAnnoying #GrowNostr #RandomThoughtOfTheDay

These Humboldt shears are the damn ticket for cutting tar paper, so damn smooth. #Handyman #SkilledTrades #Toolstr #HugeDeckChronicles #GrowNostr

Well, got a shelf built to replace the two cheap plastic units that were in my shop tent…but a thunderstorm was racing me to the finish line, so I didn’t get to organize anything. Had to then go to Home Depot again to restock on screws and get me some foldable sawhorses, and that turned into a short grocery store run and then picking up some breast milk to stockpile for the second youngin, and now it’s nearly time for the 1yo to fall asleep, so maybe I’ll organize tomorrow lol #DIY #Handyman #SkilledTrades #GrowNostr

Well, been productive. Finished out the structure on the gazebo but forgot to take a pic, then did a few other odds and ends to finish out an early day because it’s like 100* heat index and like 90% humidity today. Came home, mowed my yard and the one across the street, starting cleaning out my shop tent (carport tent that we threw up quick and cheap when we first got here) from where we had gotten the ikea bed (lots of cardboard and no room for it in trash can) and where another plastic shelving unit had failed (not meant for use outdoors lol). My solid rubber tires for my handtrucks had come in, so I slapped them on real quick. Noticed earlier this week the wheels on my 10 gallon air compressor had started failing, so I took two of the best pneumatic tires from the Handtruck to put on it…which turned into a whole fabrication job…had to make new axles for the wheels, really needed some 5/8 bar stock but had some 1/2” pipes from the old headrests from the backseats in the pathfinder, so I made that work and damned if it don’t work a treat. From there I remembered that Evan had given a 4 piece set of big casters like 3 years ago, and I was struggling to get my little homemade welding cart to cooperate in the yard and shop tent (just laid some rubber mats for a floor, no leveling or anything, it was a very quick job this shop tent lol) so I swapped those out. Finished the day with some minor cleaning up I’d been putting off. Tomorrow, we test the inflatable birth tub for my wife and have the midwife here for a little pre-planning, and then I’m going to build a shelving unit to go across the back wall, built to account for the difference in the ground so the shelves themselves will be level. Gonna be a great time lol #Handyman #SkilledTrades #CatchingUp #GrowNostr

Progress on the gazebo so far. #HugeDeckChronicles #Handyman #SkilledTrades #GrowNostr

Gettin fancy on this gazebo roof. This here is a hexagon made out of 2x8’s that took me way too long to figure out lol #Handyman #SkilledTradesMaybe #FiatMine #GrowNostr #HugeDeckChronicles

Well, that there is a roof and a couple skylights. Not quite connected to the house the way you’re really supposed to but the owners didn’t want to cut the vinyl siding and I don’t really blame them. It do be what it do be. #HugeDeck #Handyman #SkilledTrades #GrowNostr