Deck Loggia
Actually, the original plans for the house (dating from 1925) indicate a "Promenade". But "Promenade Deck" didn't sound accurate, did it?
This is what the place looked like before the renovations (first photo on the left): hey, I'll spare you the comments on the contents of the place, huh? 😉.
The depth of this surface was too shallow to do anything with (160cm, impossible to fit a table and two chairs, or a pair of armchairs...), so I decided to cover it, extending it almost 40cm above the step to create a usable surface. Anyway, look at the photos, they'll explain it better.
The first step is to get the materials, and that's no small feat, exotic wood gets very heavy very quickly!
It's Krapo Bleu again, my old '88 Golf, that's taking on the challenge...
The structure underneath consists of pressure-treated pine joists, treated with two coats of V33 8-year "Red Cedar" wood stain. It's a precaution I could have done without, but I didn't want to risk my joists rotting after two winters...
The joists are raised on small pieces of plywood, allowing water to drain underneath. I fully intend to hose everything down afterwards! 😉
The joists are fixed to the floor using screws/plugs, the holes for which are drilled into the joints between the tiles. That way, if I ever need to remove the whole thing, I'll just have to fill a few holes...
The support frame on the step is made in such a way that the boards, once placed on it, maintain the slope of one centimeter per meter of the terrace.
The overlay boards are made of Almendrillo, a wood native to Brazil, which is naturally rot-resistant.
The project requires patience above all: each hole in the boards must be pre-drilled and countersunk, otherwise the board will crack every time. For this, using a drill bit with an integrated countersink is essential; otherwise, the operation quickly turns into a nightmare: a little over 300 screws for this section of the deck alone!
I used 5x50mm stainless steel screws with a countersunk head and Torx drive : two screws at a time to properly secure the blade (otherwise it warps), spaced no more than 50cm apart. By the way, buy yourself a brand new bit for your drill; it will be very helpful... And go easy on the final tightening, or you risk splitting the blade or stripping the screw head.
The boards are laid a few centimeters too long compared to their final length: this allows them to be cut once in place with a circular saw, all at once (using a straightedge as a guide), for perfect alignment. I went the extra mile by using a router with a 45° bit to create a 3mm chamfer, just to refine the finish...
By the way, if you embark on such a project, forget the blade supplied with your circular saw, which is only good for cutting firewood, and invest in a very good blade with many teeth; it will change your life.
And after a few hours of waiting, here's the result, currently being treated with two coats of hard oil! All that's left is to integrate some LED spotlights...
