I finally remembered to pick up some concrete, so that I could pour the final footing, in the front right corner of the playhouse. This hardly warrants its own post, but I just wanted to show that there is actually some progress!
Should stay put!
A little. Most exciting is that our neighbors (thanks, Brooks & Marcia!) did give us all their old cedar, so we’ve got a huge stash of 10′ pieces. While some are in really bad shape, most are salvageable. I have a little electric hand planer, and you can see how great the cedar looks after I removed the weathered layers.
I’ve got 3 posts installed, as well as two of the joists. As always, I’m slightly unsatisfied with the way I decided to build it. I thought the pier blocks would save some time and allow for easier positioning, but they kind of end up being a pain in the butt as I need to fine-tune their positions. Next time I will put the time in up front to lay out precise string lines and use a plumb bob to pour footings and set my own anchors. Of course, then I’m sure I’ll be cursing that method and wishing I had used pier blocks 
One funny thing happened along the way…on Sunday night I noticed that two of my bags of concrete were too close to one of the leaks in our patio roof, and the torrential rain was getting them wet. Not wanting to waste them, I went out in the rain to do an emergency mix and add the concrete to one of my pier blocks. Also, I had had to temporarily disconnect the pipe that diverts our patio roof runoff, so it had dumped a ton of water into my footing hole. I was actually displacing the water as I added concrete to the hole. I can’t remember being in a wetter of muddier situation, but I just couldn’t let $5 worth of concrete go to waste, could I?
View from the patio
View if hanging out the dining room window
Our stash
Good as new!
Yesterday I dug holes and placed the pier block footings. I think I got them all placed well, but I always find this kind of work challenging. Not only is there no existing point-of- reference, but it’s on ground that slopes in two dimensions. I will add concrete around the pier blocks once I’ve added the posts and ensure that my footings are set correctly. I also had to relocate some plants to make room for the playhouse, but the great thing is that our landscaping now looks much more complete!
Pier blocks set into holes
Arrows showing footing locations
