Building Cabin Deck Time Lapse Video

Wow has it been 4 years? Here’s a throwback to this old post of a  video showing  us building the deck on our cabin. We built it in one long day! Don’t worry I’ll have new posts coming, in the mean time enjoy this video.

Nate and I went up to the cabin aka Camp Taint to build a deck last weekend. I had a rough plan in mind, I drew it with Google Sketchup. I suck at drawing and find it’s much easier for me to transfer my thoughts to a usable plan in 3d with Sketchup. It’s also great for getting an exact materials list. I draw the framing members at the correct size and spacing, every part is to scale and it’s great way to discuss the plan with others.

porch and deck plan

porch and deck plan

We wanted to incorporate some log posts from our property for the porch roof supports and Nate came up with the idea of using the logs to support a section of the front of the deck. We had built one free standing log structure before this using rebar and pier blocks, we learned a few things from it.

We had cut down 12 trees the year before but our property is so sloped that getting them out is hard. And it didn’t help we forgot a rope… Well we went down to the little town 7 miles away and bought the only rope they had, lead line for a crab pot… Let’s give it a try pulling the logs out with the truck. If you have ever handled green wood you know it’s HEAVY. These 9″ 14′ long logs weighed about 200 lbs each. Anyway they pulled out fine and I peeled them with my vintage draw knife I got off ebay.

draw knife

draw knife

The plan was too just frame the deck but we got so much done and were going back to the lumber store to get one more board anyway so we decided to buy the decking too. Earlier I had planned on using my dads’ old cedar decking but it hadn’t been taken off yet and it would have meant 120 extra miles of hauling alot of wood. We worked until midnight on Saturday and got it done. It turned out great and it very strong, no wobbles at all.


You may also like...

2 Responses

  1. We used all pressure treated wood including the top decking so it’s holding up very well.

  2. Margy says:

    I like the natural logs for pillars. Did you seal the deck wood with anything? We’ve been using opaque coloured deck stain on our for several years now and I think it has extended the life of the cedar boards. But pretty soon our 17 year old deck will need replacing. I was wondering if you’ve tried any clear solutions that allow the natural colour of the wood show, but still give it protection. – Margy