Just a thought… It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop. [Confucius]
On this Labour Day, in addition to saluting all of the workers who keep our world going and, of course, the unions that brought us a five-day work week, among many other benefits that Canadians enjoy, I’d also like to tip my cap to my husband, whose own countless hours of labour have made all the difference to our little slice of perfection here on Pender Island.
Here’s how Wedgie looked when we bought her in January.
The place was pretty much turnkey. No real improvements were needed – a good thing since Rob was so exhausted from moving our stuff out of our big house into either our new condo or U-haul containers, and then (after they sat in storage for months) hauling those items to the cabin via rental truck and ferry, with the help of our old CHFI friend Chris Shapcotte.
But a few things fell into our laps that made one big change not only possible but amazingly cheap.
“Would we really use a deck?” Rob asked when I suggested we might want one. Up until then, our outdoor furniture sat on large flat rocks and seemed just fine. No plans to build a deck this year at least.
Then came a series of remarkable opportunities to upcycle used or pre-owned materials.
One day on a dog walk, we spotted a pickup truck down our road, loaded with used pressure treated lumber. We left a note on the windshield asking if it had been spoken for, and learned it was on its way to the dump. Not just any dump either; our neighbour would’ve had to take the ferry from Pender to Vancouver Island to the landfill there. So it was brought to our place instead and unloaded. Win-win. Step one complete.
The next incredible phase came when the same neighbour realized he had bought too much composite decking, and offered the surplus to us at about 30% off what he had paid. We said yes and hauled it up the hill to our place, at times carrying it on foot, and finally, threading it through open windows in our car. Yes, there will be paint touch-ups!
The physical labour was almost as much for my one-man construction crew as the mental gymnastics he then had to perform. How big could the deck be, using only the materials on hand? What would the configuration be, given some very odd angles to the house, and could a walkway be built? Rob had spreadsheets and calculations going literally for weeks before he began cutting and assembling. First he framed, and it passed inspection!
I won’t bore you with more details but I can tell you that it took about six weeks from nothing, to this. Oh, and see that lighter coloured trim along the front? I found a guy on FB Marketplace up Vancouver Island who was giving it away! Rob picked it up, cut it up, and put it up. He’s a magician.
The walkway’s angles and the slope of the land posed more problems than expected – to get it to a degree that would be not just passable but safe was a challenge given the limited materials. He built and rebuilt it three times, but in the end, perfection!
So there you have it. We even ended up with an extra step up to the deck and one for the hot tub and it all just looks like it’s always been here. Even though building a deck was not in the cards this year, here we are – all because we said yes. And Rob worked his tail off. My job was to supply muffins, coffee and constructive (pardon the pun) observations.
So on this Labour Day, my special thanks go to Rob, who always strives to make me happy wherever we are. Sometimes it’s an uphill battle, but he never stops trying and giving it his all, which is a lot. And to all of the labourers: thank you.
