Ledger Attached

I spent the better part of the day completing the ledger installation.  Instead of using lag bolts, I used 5" carriage bolts spaced on 16" centers.  While the added strength of using the carriage bolts is a definite plus, the downside is having to install the washers and nuts on the inside of the house.  Our basement ceiling is insulated, which meant that I had to peel back the insulation to expose the inside of the rim joist.  This certainly is more time consuming (and itchy) than installing lag bolts and I can understand why many pros use lag bolts.  After the rim joist was finished, I completed flashing it.  Finally, I rechecked my post locations to ensure that their positions were good with respect to the ledger.

One challenge to this job is that our home is on a sloped lot.  The ledger is 8' off the ground at it's lowest point and the posts will be 10' tall.  Working off a ladder slows everything down.  On the positive side, I set up a temporary workshop in the basement.  Having a walkout basement door is a timesaver over the last deck when I had to retrieve my tools out of the basement shop.

Tomorrow's tasks:  Get the post holes dug and prepared.  Monday the town's building inspector will be coming by to ensure I'm down 36".  The concrete truck will be coming later that day.