I would have done this way differently. First, it would not be in any way structurally sound. Second, it would fall apart the first time someone stood on it. Third, (and most importantly) it would have taken me the better part of a week, and it would still only be half done. Great work Matthias. :)
think i would taken it down burn it leased he be warm in winter ist place he has roof on his house so he should have had slping roof on the deck toosnow on deckover winter without being treated would have rotton the boards over the years the deck looked 20 years old maybe older i love decks but a shitty job is ugly looking
I don't know why anyone would criticize when you are gracious enough to show us how you do things. I, for one, appreciate the real life situations and find them refreshing. Thanks!
You never cease to amaze me, Mr. Wandel. I think I would have given up and come back later when I had a week and a tractor with a power-auger to devote to it, as soon as I saw how the piers under the deck had shifted. Your ingenuity and dedication are inspirational!
These reciprocating saws really are awesome. The roofers we contracted used two battery powered saws like that. It's amazing how quickly these cut even through thick beams. I immediately went and bought one. Not the most precise saw out there, but when you're on a roof and the beam just wont fit, a little rework with that thing is easy.
Holy hell, you did a really good job in that span of time. When it comes to this kind of stuff, the hardest part is always knowing what to do next rather than the actual doing. My solution would've taken way longer and god knows if it would've come out alright. Also, you've got some balls, I'd have been too afraid to wench a deck together sitting underneath it.
That's coz your stupid. At first glance it looked like a simple repair job. That's why you always check it first ask questions investigate have a cup of tea then work out a plan of what to do.
When I watch your videos I always look at the comments and it always amazes me how many people criticize or say what you "should have done." There are do-ers and talk-ers...the talk-ers have absolutely no idea how transparent they are. If I can do something better than you...I wouldn't be watching your videos! I'd be making my own! Lol! Regardless of what is said on occasion I'm pretty sure that everyone watching your videos is amazed by your talents and ability to solve problems outside the box.
Matthias Wandel Well, you do have an odd, funny way of doing things. I wouldn't call it the wrong way, or the right way. It's merely your way. Your way tends to provide a few good laughs. I've noticed you do something people don't do too much on youtube: When you notice another way of doing things, you acknowledge its merits and move on. You also outright admit your failures.
Matthias Wandel Thats just how the internet is... people love to be couch quarterbacks and/or trolls. My advice is to just try and ignore them and continue making cool stuff! :)
Matthias Wandel I'd definitely say that if you had all the time it'd take, you'd have probably made a perfect fix. Unfortunately you didn't have that much time and what you did do looks pretty damned good for a "hack" job. I honestly would have gotten to finding the whole thing was separated off the building and been "well, gotta replace the whole thing now".
+Budzilla Sohoski I agree with you. If the "talkers" were so good at everything we'd all be watching their videos. Personally, I love watching this guy do his thing because he comes up with some really cool ways of doing things. Plus some of his comments are great! (From another video, he said "I came up with an overly complicated way to fix it because I have to show how much smarter I am than everybody." Now that is a funny line! I couldn't have done nearly as good a job on that deck; and even if I could have, I wouldn't need to try and make myself feel better by putting someone else down. Well said, Budzilla! Great job Mattias!
I watch just about every new video that you post and all of the old ones. This is another good one that will help quite a few people with there own repairs. And I would like to thank you for not putting an advertisement before your videos like everyone else seems to be doing on RU-vid.
I admire you for your quick thinking and resolute judgement here. If it had been me, I'd have spent the first day fretting about what to do and in which order, and then needed a second day to accomplish no more than you did!
Good job man. You got it fixed and even left it more stable and therefore safer than before. My kind of fix. I like how so many out there have such deep pockets that they can just build a new deck whenever the mood strikes. Must be nice.
It funny how the smallest jobs always turn into something else. "Oh, I'll just fix the rail". "Oh, i'll just replace the support post", Oh, I'll just move the entire porch back". Nice work, anyone whose done real work knows that sometimes its best to fix it with what you have given the time you can dedicate to project. I'm sure its very usable at this point. I love the cabins, I have looked at most of your videos and your father and you did some sweet work.
Since you're in Canada, you're not too far from myself. I've seen attachments on metal roofs that hold the snow in place. Many stores have them to keep customers from getting bashed by falling snow. Maybe it's a viable option. For a one day job, and considering that it's fully functional, I say, Bravo. Job well done.
Nice job, pretty cool how you keep going regardless the situation on this deck. That's the reason you accomplish the work is because you don't give up.
Frankly, I'm astounded about how much patience you have with that thing. Had it been me, I'd have given up and built a new porch some other time after noticing the rotten tenon joints. That's the first time I heard someone speak German in your videos. Kinde been waiting for that ;).
We all get to the point where we do what we have to so things are functional. One of my old colleagues had a saying "Better is the enemy of the good" , the older I get the more I appreciate that. I recently had to have the decking replaced on a 35 year old 10X12 deck, the frame was PT but the decking was 2X6 hemlock. It survived for over 30 years with regular staining but in the last few years the decking all turned punky. I didn't use PT on the decking when I built it because i couldn't afford it, but 35years is not a bad stretch for decking that regularly has 3-4 ft of snow on it.
I have been following your videos for about three years now and I learn so much with every view. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skill. You are an excellent teacher and craftsman.
I'm glad you had some help getting the big section back in place. Clearly a rescue job, making the best of a nasty mess with minimal materials. Imagine how bad that job would be without key power tools!
Well done! Speed, quality, and cost are three elements to prioritize for any job. And for this job you chose speed and cost. Nothing wrong with that at all.
You did a better job than I could have in part of a weekend. You also used my two favorite tools for this kind of project, a reciprocating saw and a miter saw. Amazing what you can get done with those.
I always like your videos because you do things in the *apparently* most efficient way possible. Had that been me, I would have scrapped the deck and put in a new one. You, however, reused almost everything. Great!
I have no idea why you'd take the time to make and post the video, but it's great that you do. Nice salvage job on a deck with a bit of life left in it.
The first winter after my dad built our cabin, snow slid off the steep A-frame roof and smashed the deck railing to bits. He rebuilt the railing with heavier lumber, but it was smashed again. The last resort was to rebuild the railing in removable sections - every fall we took it apart and stored it under the cabin, then in the spring we assembled it again.
I also like to fix things properly but when you've got limited time and aren't in close proximity to a hardware store much less a building center you've got to make do with what you've got and with the limited time as well. Good job getting it repaired and functional again.
Reminds me of problems I get into. You think it's going to be a simple fix, but once you get into it, it's like, "Oh no, I wish hadn't looked under that board". Good quick fix in a limited time frame.
Amen. Blocks > Trailer Stabilizers One is for permanent foundations, the other (by definition) a "stabilizer" for *mobile* structures. Good job, Matthias.
I enjoyed this one as much as anything you've done. People who criticize probably will not appreciate two key ideas in economics: (1) opportunity cost, and (2) scarcity of resources (including time).
Matthias, I am always amazed at your videos, and learn so much from them, one thing I know for sure is that the Bible says that those who wish to find wisdom must be quiet and listen to the elders when they speak (paraphrased). I know that I can watch your videos, listen to your comments and reasoning, and know that I have gained wisdom from an Carpentry Elder. Thanks so much.
For a one day fix this was a really great job. Just getting the building supplies and finding all the problems sucks up tons of time. And you always find more problems than first appeared as you get into this type of post accident fix.
Neat fix... Nice to see a real life video where people have to solve a problem with whatever time, tools and materials they have. That's true skills to be able to make things work with less. Love it!
Great job done with what you had to work with. Thanks for sharing this project and how you dealt with it. Nice to see the problem-solving process at work!
as kids we tore a huge deck off a house with a rolling snowball. the house was at the bottom of a hill and the deck wrapped around two sides. . the deck and all the dishes in the cupboard were destroyed.
Probably a gopro-type handheld camera with a fisheye lens. That warp is similar to the kind I get on my drone's fisheye post-linearisation, so I'd guess it was something similar.
You might get a million views, as this is your best video ever. I really like making do, and reusing material. That repaired deck is better than a new deck; the repaired deck has history, character, and even personality. You won me over when you replaced those three splinters on that side board. Classic. However, you are kind of irascible in the comments section. You will make a wonderful old man in 40 years or so.
Awesome job, I like your videos because of your approach to handling jobs like these. Yes it is easy to take everything apart and build it back up but you made due with the time and you had and resources and used it all effectively.
Look like mighty fine repair, saved all that cedar. If I had been the same situation that is probably how I would have fixed it. As soon as I saw it I thought snow slid off the roof.
Pretty clever salvage job. I would normally recommend a waterproof exterior woodworking glue to repair the splintered plank. I hope you'll be replacing the cinder blocks at the first chance. Cinder blocks tend to fracture easily under pressure. A few trailer stabilizers would be safer and more secure until you can do a permanent fix. I love the ingenuity.
Hey...you did just fine. The whole place looks clean and tidy. That kind of project can be a nightmare. It's like an uphill project, where do you start and end.
A wooden deck exposed to the elements has a finite lifespan anyhow, so either repair it (like you did) or completely replace it are the only two reasonable choices. Putting more effort (and materials) into the repair means that the repair will outlast the rest of the deck, leading to a future decision of repair or replace anyway. I think it was wise to reuse as much of the original deck material as possible. Good job.
Correct. If you watch other videos, it is clear Matthias (and his family) have been battling foundation issues for many years. The problems they deal with on the foundations of these buildings is a known trade off for not putting in full foundational support under the structures. Considering they are only used seasonally, and their work lasts dozens of years (look at the bridge video) - I'd say they are making sound decisions, given their situation.
Heheh, I like how you handled pulling the deck back in, and taking a chainsaw to your dad's original sunken-in posts. 'Sorry dad, but I never did like how these were sunken into the ground to begin with. Ground's NEVER stable here and they become a constant source of trouble. I'm replacing them with something that will be easier to fix if it goes wrong or the ground moves because I'll be the one to have to fix it.' Using the come-along made me think of my own dad too. He's pulled stuff together and pulled apart stuff with a come-along that you wouldn't think could be done with a come-along, but he's done it! Come-along winches, one of THE best ever inventions, well next to the grip-hoist. XD
I thought it was some angry animal, like bear. You are truly amazing with wood, managing to fix something like that in such conditions -- pure skill and experience.
Great job - nice that you can salvage what remained so it's still useable. Who wants to visit a cottage on the lake with no deck? lol Enjoy the summer and don't work too hard, love the videos. Keep it up!
I believe there are metal fins available that get added to the roof. They act like fingers to prevent all the snow from sliding off at once. I see them on metal roofs down here in Buffalo NY. Still a nice repair.
I applaud your efforts with your commentary, disclaimer at the end and in the description to try and disuade the self righteous know it alls, however I think you probably realised that it was likely a fruitless endeavour. I liked the repair job, appreciated what it was, and note from your many other videos that you are an accomplished and skilled craftsman. I trust you took the best course with the time and resources available. (Still looking for a chimney for my rice cooker by the way!)
Snow & ice clips are a must on steeper steel roofs in snow country. this kind of stuff happens quite often. I normally have to replace at least 1 AC condenser smashed from ice in this part of the country nice job on the repairs. 5*****.
Oh I'm sure the RU-vid safety police had a full coronary with this one!! Working by myself, I would have done it the same way. Keep the great videos coming. .
you did a job I would have hated to deal with and you did a GREAT job! your mum and dad still have a deck ad they will not fall through it!! I commend your workmanship with saving part of your weekend! yay!!! you!!!!
you could always put snow guards on that metal roof, they stop the snow from sliding off, which would protect the deck from mini avalanches in the future.
