The Perfect Porch:
A Deck Of A Story & A Testimonial (At The End)
(Click on each photo for a full-sized version.)
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| #1. This is as close to a "Before" picture as we have. As you can see, the back of this house on Gregory Street needed something off the back of the house. This is the deck frame complete with the decking applied. #2 & 3: Two side views at the same point in time. Each side had a set of stairs. There were eighteen posts dug to the required four foot depth. In one hole we found a huge french drain with a beautiful brick domed top. Another interesting find was a foot thick layer of oyster shells on the way down. |
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| #4: Here is the beginning assembly
of the pergola. The two posts were found in the attic of the
barn and were perfect for our design. #5: Here the railing is
approaching completion and some progress painting has occurred.
Here we're attaching the 2 X 2 components that run across the
top of the pergola rafters. All the pergola components were pre-painted
prior to assembly. #6: At this point we have completed the railings and are working on the lattice work. |
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| #7, 8, 9, 10 (below): These are
the completion photos. I am particularly proud of this project
for several reasons. My customer asked me to generate the design
and construction drawings which I did for a fee. We obtained
approval from the Old and Historic District. The project was
put out to bid and lucky for me I got the job. To design and
build something is incredibly rewarding. I am very grateful to my customer for selecting my company for this project. |
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And in the end, there is no better reference
for Paul Haggett & Company than from those for whom we work.
Here is a testimonial from the owner of the deck in this photo
essay: Its my pleasure to write this reference for Paul Haggett and Company. Paul and his associates have completed several projects for us, including the beautiful deck and pergola pictured on his website. That was our largest project with Paul. I had some ideas of what I wanted, but no idea of the detailed decisions I would have to make to be sure that in the end we got exactly the deck we were looking for. Paul and I worked together to come up with the plans, which he was able to draw for a reasonable fee. His plans and artist rendering of the proposed deck enabled us to fly through the process of getting approval from the Historic District Commission. He helped me select the type of wood to use for the decking, what kind of finish to use on it, what kind of post top and balusters to use, and even made lighting suggestions. While he is the first to admit that he isn't likely to be the lowest bid, he was always sensitive to our limited budget and there were no after the fact surprises. With Paul you get what you pay for. He is a craftsman with enormous pride in the quality of his work. This is reflected every job he has done for us. He takes no shortcuts. After our deck was built we were entertaining one evening. One of our guests suddenly asked "who built this deck?" It was kind of an unusual question in the middle of catching up on the days boating activities. I told him Haggett and Company, and asked why he wanted to know. He told me he had built a deck on his own home and knew what was entailed. He couldn't believe that the edges on every plank in the deck floor had been hand sanded smooth and rounded. He marveled at the pattern of nail angles. I don't know much about nail angles, but our guest promised us ours will last a century the way it was built. It is also important when you have an old house (ours was
built in the 1870's) that you work with people who understand
and respect old houses. I've hired carpenters who say they can
only do a job if they tear everything old out and start from
scratch. Paul will always discuss the pro's and con's first of
keeping or discarding the older features in a home. He used
2 old porch pillars we found in our barn as the main supports
for pergola he built on our deck. This really gives it charm
and helps blend the new with the old. |
The Perfect Porch • The Third Floor • Your Dream Kitchen
Great Big Decks • Miscellaneous Projects • Deck Of Details
Deck Off A Deck