Yoga Under the Steps

This was my space for yoga yesterday afternoon:

Check out the date stamp in the corner of the footing!  Happy.

I did the "plank" pose many times --



and I did this locust pose quite a few times --



My personal variation was that, when my arms were outstretched like that I had a drill in my hands.

Are you on to me yet?  The yoga was a side benefit to affixing the final pieces of lumber for the steps to the steel frame.  I am the original multi-tasker.  I could also say I was doing hot yoga, because the temp was 100 yesterday.  At least I was mostly in the shade.

My tools?  Two rugs that my parents made.  My nifty new miniature rechargeable drill.  My indoor hand mirror.  My cap light that affixes to the brim of a ball cap.  A Sharpie marker, and a box of screws.  Off we go.

Immediately I regretted not marking the planks as to which one when where.  What was I (not) thinking??  Stupid.  Two of the boards had a little square mark from where the clamps had been, so I had a 50/50 chance of getting those two in the right place.  I recalled that one plank had a split in the end, and I thought I recalled where that one had been... so that left me 3 to jockey between 2 steps and rotate end to end until I figured out what position made the 8 holes line up.  It seemed like about 30 times that I alternated from squatting in front of the stairs where normal people access steps, and laying on my belly under the stairs, down there where the spiders live.  Oh, and let's not forget snakes (see previous post...)  I had just been under there a few days prior, and surely I had unintentionally cleared out all the spider webs.  And yet... lots of dangly sticky things.

The project took me a good two hours -- I put in 40 screws.  I didn't count how many times I scooted under the steps on my belly, got something in place, and then scooted out and went around to the front of the stairs for the front part. (Did I mention yet that it was 100 degrees outside?  Oh, yes I did.  Nevermind.)  The underside where the screws went had a vertical separation underneath so I could only reach one half at a time. 

Here's a view looking up at the underside of a step:

That gray line down the middle?  That is a "fin" that hangs down about 4 inches and runs from end to end of each step.  You can see a strip of wood on the far right, where the wood overhangs the front of the step.   You can understand why I needed a hand mirror and a flashright, right?  There was no way to see where I was working -- and what's more fun than totally reversing your view of your workspace??  As a side note, I nearly failed geometry in junior high.  Reversing everything?  Rock on!

Here's another view of the workspace:

See how the rug drops off steeply to the right?  That, and about a foot deeper is where I had to get with the drill.  Lovely!

Anyway, I got it done:

And just because we can, let's look down from the landing:

Obviously still more wood preservative to apply... note the drastic color change.  I can't believe the sun has faded the wood so much so fast!  Welcome to Texas...

Back Steps Progress

You may recall from previous posts how the last couple of steps ended up below grade.  I ended up burying the bottom step, and then the next two steps up were so low to the ground that Vic wasn't able to get his drill under them to affix the planks from below with screws.  I told him I would deal with that and to do what he could.  Until now, the bottom 2 steps have been held in place with those little blue clamps on the ends of the steps:

I'll admit to massive procrastination.  I am the Queen of Procrastination, after all, and one must work to maintain one's title.  And, as I've said before, I am worthless without a deadline.  The ipe planks on the landing and steps really need to be sealed as well, and I really am wanting to get plants planted under the steps, but I can't do that until the dirtwork is done.  None of those things are a deadlines, but together I guess they were enough pressure to make me get motivated.  Sunday I decided to tackle clearing out the soil from underneath.

I started from the front side, pulling the dirt forward and out from under the bottom step.  It turned out that was mostly mulch that the rain had washed down the slope and under the step.  I relocated that to the asparagus bed.  When I had done as much as I could from that side, I put a rug under the steps and crawled under on my belly.  I worked the soil with a pick axe and a tool that is a cross between a pitchfork and a hoe -- I'm sure it has a name but I don't know what it is.  It didn't take as long as I thought it would.  At one point however a snake slithered out at me and as I shrieked and jumped back I clunked my head on the underside of the steel steps.  Ouch.  Fortunately he was slithering away from me, and not towards me...  regardless, I try hard not to be within 3 feet of any directional slithering in an enclosed space...nobody had to teach me that...

The steel that holds the planks has pre-drilled holes in it.  The lumber is affixed by setting a screw from below the steel up into the lumber.  That way the screws don't show.  Because of the cramped space, I decided I'd want to pre-drill the holes in the lumber.  I laid the lumber in place, took at Sharpie and from below the steps marked where the screw holes are.  I had to be somewhat of a contortionist but I got it done.  I thought about labeling them about which plank was where, but did I?  No.  Live to regret...

I should have taken some photos at this point, but did I?  No.  Some kind of blogger I am!

There still isn't enough space for a traditional drill to fit -- I'd need about a foot of clearance for that, and I have about 6 inches.  I looked into renting a flexible bit attachment for a drill, and ended up buying a miniature rechargeable screwdriver -- about the size of a hot glue gun.  If I pre-drill the holes, that should have enough oompf to get the job done.

BLACK & DECKER LI3100 A CompactFit Lithium Screwdriver

Next up?  Affixing the planks.