A Handy Chap

A Handy Chap Handyman service for Berks and surrounding counties. Insured and registered. Pet friendly.

07/13/2026

Cathy's deck. I forgot to explain the color choices. It's pretty simple, this is in a community of like homes and every deck in the complex is grey with white railings. They require them all to match.

Cathy's deck part 8As I said in the beginning of this journey, I don't have good pictures of the finished project. Thi...
07/11/2026

Cathy's deck part 8

As I said in the beginning of this journey, I don't have good pictures of the finished project. This is what I have. I will try to get back and get some good pics and some that show the lighting. Thanks for watching, Brad

Cathy's deck part 7Quick picture of the decking mostly done.
07/11/2026

Cathy's deck part 7

Quick picture of the decking mostly done.

Cathy's deck part 6Skip way ahead(forgot to take pics again). Deck boards had to be attached in very specific order as...
07/11/2026

Cathy's deck part 6

Skip way ahead(forgot to take pics again). Deck boards had to be attached in very specific order as lighting had to be installed from above due to the low height of the deck. Lighting is up lights in edge deck boards and down lights on the railing posts.

Cathy's deck part 5Almost done framing. Lighting soon to follow. All the additional blocking is for the double picture ...
07/11/2026

Cathy's deck part 5

Almost done framing. Lighting soon to follow. All the additional blocking is for the double picture frame decking.

Cathy's deck Part 4Starting the second tier. Sized to fit a pre purchased pergola. Railing posts support again in the ...
07/11/2026

Cathy's deck Part 4

Starting the second tier. Sized to fit a pre purchased pergola. Railing posts support again in the deck framing for strength. This section was also double picture framed and required all the support bracing. Conduit was ran shortly after these pictures to keep deck and railing lighting wires off of the ground. Wiring ran prior to any of the Timbertech decking installed.

Cathy's deck part 3I do tend to forget to take pictures along the way so this is a big jump ahead. Posts set and perime...
07/11/2026

Cathy's deck part 3

I do tend to forget to take pictures along the way so this is a big jump ahead. Posts set and perimeter joists leveled and set I started filling in deck joists and bridging along with the supports for the picture framing of the Timbertech. Supports for the railing posts were also added so the posts would be set in the decking and not just set on top. Makes the railings much stronger. Railing posts were then sledge hammered in and through bolted. Very strong! Simpson strong ties were used on all joists. These pictures show the start of the first level.

Cathy's deck part 2This was a free standing deck with zero attachment to the house. Because of this and because I didn'...
07/11/2026

Cathy's deck part 2

This was a free standing deck with zero attachment to the house. Because of this and because I didn't want any bounce I designed in 18 piers with 8" diameter and 36" deep concrete footings. Some of the old concrete patio had to be cut and removed for footing placement. The footings closest to the house had to be augered away from the house and then hand dug closer. It would be sturdy. Simpson strong tie pier bases were anchored to the tops of the footings so there was no wood to ground contact.

This post is a larger project I completed last year. I have been holding off on posting about this as I don't really hav...
06/01/2026

This post is a larger project I completed last year. I have been holding off on posting about this as I don't really have any good pictures of the completed project and was hoping to get back there and snap a few pictures before I began sharing it. I am thinking I'll stretch this over a few posts as it was a larger project.

Cathy's Deck part 1.

This customer had been looking to have her patio repaired and was given the runaround by three different contractors on tearing up and pouring a new concrete slab. I suggested the option of low deck instead. She asked me to draw something up keeping in mind that she had already purchased pergola that she would want to place on the deck. So I went for it and went large. :) I completely designed a three tier daddy deck and when Cathy presented it to her community council they didn't like it at all. It was a big no way. We were given new parameters so I went back to the drawing board. This design is a result of these limitations.

06/01/2026

Hello, sorry for not posting in a while. In January of this year I injured my knee and have been slow to take on new jobs. I've done a few smaller jobs that fit my limitations, but largely I have been trying to rest my knee by working limited hours.

While limited in manoeuvrability I called upon some very ancient experience I have and am installing a complete interior in a 1963 VW Beetle for an old friend. While my knee is not 100%, it does feel secure enough to start taking on more work. Sorry for being radio silent during my recovery.

Thank you,
Brad

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Birdsboro, PA
19508

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+14849495757

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