Last fall we began an ambitous project to convert the small (and eroding into the water) island into a multi-purpose deck. This involved transforming the swim raft into a construction platform and some tricky handling of large beams using a homemade boom to transfer from land to island.
With help from Jan and Suzie, we cleared the island of all vegetation so we could begin the process of framing…then began the framing process…
The process was tricky trying to align 2x10s in the water and get them fastened to be level and true! Once the basic frame was in place, things would get easier…but not much!
The goal was to build the island in the winter so guests in the next summer could take advantage of the new structure. That meant building in the Michigan fall and winter! We worked to beat the freeze!
The work to establish the basic frame using the pilings I had installed 23 years earlier worked….but involved lots of adjustments and modifications to the plan…..
Stay tuned for Part 2!