I have been snapping photos of the different stages of progress as the boat house was being built, but I decided to wait until it was completed before sharing them with you.
So without further ado. . .
The first photo is the footprint of the deck that the boat house will be built around. We decided to go with a two stall boat house for future additions. The smaller stall is just the right size for a jet ski for now but can be cut out and made larger if we decide to get pontoon boat later. . .much later.
We added a little walkway from the sea wall to the boat house because it is so shallow at the edge of our property. We had to extend the boathouse out as far as allowed so the water was deep enough to get our boat in and out. The walkway is only about 8 feet long and I think it looks nice.
The next photo was taken when it was framed out. Now it's starting to look like a boat house.
I am so glad Frankie's wife couldn't see him walking the center beam on this boat house in the photo below. I was astonished as I sit in the window of my bedroom watching all of this take place. One thing I observed is that boat house/seawall builders don't walk like regular folks. They always walk with one foot in front of the other at all times, even on land! See the plank going across from the boat house deck to the barge? They would walk back and forth across that plank with long pieces of lumber on their shoulders and never look down. Amazing!
After this stage, the trusses went up and I missed the whole thing. I would have like to have had a picture of that to share with you but it wasn't meant to be. Unfortunately that was the day I was scheduled for a root canal!
The next time I saw the boat house it looked like this with tar paper on the roof. There were only two days in between these last two photos!
The next time I saw the boat house it looked like this with tar paper on the roof. There were only two days in between these last two photos!
We designed this boat house so that not only was the boat covered but we would have enough covered space for a table and chairs. Remember the green wrought iron furniture in Virginia? It now has a new home. There is to be an uncovered space as well to be used as a swim deck/sunning area. It is also a place for visiting boats to tie up to when they stop by for a bit of refreshment. (Then the covered space will come in handy.) Talking about visitors stopping by. . .this is a very common practice among folks living on this lake. I can't tell you how many times we have already met people this way. Our neighbors from directly across the lake came by in their boat introduced themselves from the water and told us they would be by again soon to see everything when there wasn't so much going on. On the day this photo was taken, a guy on a jet ski drove right up into the boat house stall to introduce himself, welcomed us to the lake and told us how great the house was looking! This is the view he saw from our boathouse!
Today we went to the house and I couldn't believe my eyes. In just a little less than 2 weeks, we now have a boat house! H went down to the boathouse and said the view from the swim deck was really nice! There is a rail along the back side to place chairs and lounges. The front section is open and ready for our first visitors to tie up to! In this view you can see the covered area inside the boat house for those who don't want the sun. The boat lift is being fabricated I am told and will be installed when Frankie and his wife return from a little get away trip. He will also be here when Baby Boat arrives from Chattanooga for any adjustments to the lift. I met Frankie and his wife the day he came over to give us an estimate for the sea wall and boat house. His wife Pat and I became instant friends! She has been on site several times during this build and has listened to me rattle on and on about my decorating decisions. She is delightful and I look forward to getting to know both of them a lot more and enjoying some time with us here at the lake in the near future.
Sure will be glad when all that red dirt gets covered with sod. Soon, very soon. . .I am told.
Sure will be glad when all that red dirt gets covered with sod. Soon, very soon. . .I am told.
I am visualizing myself, tanning in a deck chair, over on the right there in the last picture. Ice cold beer in hand, reading a book, waiting for Paul to bring down with sandwiches! Want to join me?!
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