" Well it wasn't just the ceiling of the porch that needed saving the deck was in even worse shape with rotted structural members making it a dangerous place for kids to play. Our homeowner Ricardo and his brother Rolando did some investigative demolition to see just how bad it was and they found completely rotted and insect damaged joists. Force of off we discovered that the wooden post that once supported this Stucco column. Had fallen victim to the insects also. Completely hollow was gone. These columns are pretty unique so rather than cut this open and try to get a new post it. We got a great suggestion from nick Beasley preservation carpenter whose project we just finished on the show a couple of weeks ago to fill the columns with concrete. That and the rebuilding of the -- took some close cooperation between the carpenter and the -- Steve not has been doing carpentry right here in Melrose for many years he's got a great understanding of these old houses and he restoring and living in one himself right here in the neighborhood."

" At this end I'm working and now we're duke doing a couple of toenails just -- in place. Then. I'm reports and joist hangers down underneath. So that there are actually help support the beam area here which is code it this and we're gonna do some face nails from the outside. And now look at these are nice straight line. Standard galvanized joist hangers these actually go in two ways. One may have a special small hanger nail. So would you put this up underneath -- up underneath the joists. You dampen a small nailer at the top."

" When we did the demo here we found that on this and we only had a piece of two by three. Which was sir which served as a ledger board. For the decking to be nailed to. One of the things we also found that there was not much exposure beyond the Stucco itself. Which restricted the amount of nailing that we could do and some of it is actually little cracked from the original nailing. So rather rely on that we're also gonna put another two by ten pressure treated up against this and from beam to allege urged outside ledger board. Rim joists so that we have the same strength going all the way through the deck of."

" The -- and we won't be using this standard joist hanger as we were before. There's on the backside there's no place to nail the juries hang or -- so instead -- the old fashioned -- which is toe nailing. Into the beam down here -- of -- and then. The additional stability will come from nailing into the original two by three ledger. For strength you really want a minimum of four. Nails down here when you -- nailing. Into the beam. And then we put one every sixteen inches. Into the original lender."

" With the frame set up for him Kevin Latham made quick work of the base of the column with just concrete brick and mortar. City cut a hole near the costs and filled in with a fairly wet mix to be sure the concrete bonds with a laugh in the wire mesh of the existing Stucco. "

" And go."