A New Addition To The Compound……

A couple of months ago, Sharon and I stood on our deck, contemplating replacing the flooring and shoring up the 10 year old under structure. We had lived through the pain of power washing and staining it shortly after buying this home, and the task at hand seemed to be an exercise in futility. Sharon, the picture of practical, suggested tearing it out, pouring a concrete patio and erecting a pergola. After all, all things are possible with enough time and money. To save as much wood as possible, we deconstructed the deck, sent the wood to my sister in Warsaw for use by my brother-in-law for various projects, hired a concrete mason and ordered the all aluminum pergola from China, via Costco and, as they say “got her done”.

The rain this spring forced delays in the concrete work, but our masons managed to pour and finish a very nice slab. We brought in a team of finishers from Nixa to stain the concrete and seal it, as well as build a concrete curb transition from the patio to the yard. This project is near the end, as soon as our electricians bring power through the brick walls of the house to the patio.

About the pergola. It is fashionable to slam China when the opportunity presents itself. Such is not the case with this pergola, which is all aluminum with a nice powder coat. (We decided on a maintenance free approach, no exterior wood.) The pergola arrived in 3 large boxes, weighing around 400# each and we scouted about for someone to help with the construction, as we had heard and read the horror stories. We had no luck, dialed up YouTube and tore into the project ourselves. A day later, the pergola is in place. The kit was immaculate, every piece precisely cut and all the hardware arranged in a neat plastic container. We used chairs and bags of mulch to hold up the super structure until we could join it together and set about the tedious work of assembling the fully adjustable louvers. The damned thing is absolutely ingenious with the precision in manufacture apparent. Thank you China and Costco. We could not be happier.

Today is Sharon’s birthday and we are celebrating under the pergola with coffee, an old dog and the satisfaction of having done it ourselves. In all fairness, Sharon is the spark plug in this project cementing her reputation as a finisher on any project. It is best to get out of her way when she pushes the go button or be run down in the process! I obviously out kicked my coverage when we teamed up years ago. This happens when a South Carolina, low country farm kid teams up with a midwestern farmers daughter.

Happy birthday, Kiddo. What’s next, my dear?

Have a great week!

SR