The 30 day challenge - May 2015

It's funny how your perspective on time changes from child to adult. As a child a month seemed like an eternity. As an adult a month slips by with a blink of an eye. Challenging yourself to do something, anything really - no matter how big or how small, is always the first step in accomplishing something. Without a deadline though, there's hardly a project, a shopping list, or an appointment that gets made in a timely fashion. It is so easy to let these things slip through the cracks when life gets in the way.

So we were reading something on the internet that put forth the 30 day challenge. Here are the rules:

1) Decide on something you want to accomplish
2) Get it done in 30 days

Pretty simple, right?

There was space and encouragement to post progress on their website (though we never actually got to doing that). Many people were looking to get healthier, exercise more, or some other sort of self improvement. We chose to apply this concept to those things you always talk about but have a hard time starting, and then finishing.

Project #1? Rebuilding the deck outside my bedroom that was taken out in a windstorm 3 years ago.

We started with a foundation of a basic frame but that was about it. I had some reclaimed wood that was in the garage that was intended for this project. First things first though, we needed a to-do list. Using Wanderlist we created a list of the things we needed to do and buy to get this deck built. It's kind of crazy when you really break down each step of the process how intimidating it can be. But the act of crossing things off a list always brings great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Besides, you don't want to forget anything.

We needed material. Measurements were taken and a parts list was made. A parts list that, because we were out and hadn't originally intended to go to the hardware store, got left at home. Luckily, Myko had enough forethought to have already loaded it into the cart at Home Depot (so that we could accurately estimate cost of the project)  so we used the Surface to gather the materials we needed for the project.

So began the process of preparing all of the boards. New deck boards needed to be sanded and stained. Re-purposed deck boards needed to have nails removed, a swipe of a rag to clean off the cobwebs, then sanding and staining. We did all of this portion of the project on the weeknights because we are busy folks. We were actually out of town for 8 of the 30 days (it was actually 9 but there are 31 days in May so I won't count that one) of the duration of this project.

The railings had to be measured, sized, all parts cut and assembled. They also required sanding, putty-ing of nail holes, priming, caulking and painting. Luckily Myko knows his way around a saw and a nail gun. Otherwise this 30 day challenge would've been a 365 day challenge! After the railings were assembled, sanded, puttied and primed, we began to assemble the deck boards on the frame.

Only minor injuries occurred.

The existing two posts needed putty and sanding. 

We continued securing the deck boards to the frame. Cuts had to be made to account for the posts.

Then more sanding, caulking and painting. Neither of us like to paint. But we had a goal and we were determined to meet it. Once the posts were painted, we hit the rails and the posts that hold the entire deck up.

After final cuts were made to the edging of the deck boards, stain was applied.

Myko spent the morning (while Birdy was off watching her kiddo play paintball) putting all of the railings together and securing them to the posts.

A final putty, sand and coat of paint was necessary to finish up the railings while they were in place. We also had to touch up the house paint where the old railings had been ripped off since they didn't match up in the exact same places. To help finish off the final presentation a thorough washing of the slider and outside floodlights was in order.

Last step, clean up all of the dust, make sure everything was just right, and apply a layer of varnish on the deck boards to help coat and protect from the weather, as well as making them shine!

Honestly, there were times we weren't sure our deadline would be met. But we made it. Despite numerous other things taking up our time - time out of town for Birdy's business meetings, countless baseball, soccer & volleyball games/practices/parties, dentist appointments, we ran the Color Run one Sunday, bowling & fun with the kiddos, end of school celebrations, evening work meetings and Logan's birthday - we built an entire deck within 30 days. And we didn't skimp on anything, even when we were both tired and really wanted to skip a step. It always pays off in the long run to do a project right and we stuck to that.

We enjoyed this challenge so much that we intend to have a continuing 30 day challenge every month. Next up: Clean up the outbuildings. Which we actually began upon completion of the deck. (It was only noon on a beautiful Sunday, why wait?!?!?!)