Step 2: Break stuff!

Often it's more fun to rip apart than it is to build. Of course the process is rather short-lived and building something provides a longer standing sense of fulfillment. Even so, breaking stuff rules.
Admittedly, ripping off the old deck was a slight challenge. The real concern was that the entire thing would simply collapse if the wrong component was removed first. The screws basically disintegrated as they released from the wood, and the boards, once getting in close enough to have a real look, were terribly warped and weather-damaged. Now, it's not as if the old deck we had on was massive by any stretch, but it was certainly heavy. We removed the railings, and then looked underneath to see how the previous owners had attached it to the house.

As it turns out, they had installed somewhat of a ledger, but it was simply lag-bolted to the wood sheathing we have underneath the metal siding covering the exterior of our home. The sheathing is only half an inch thick. With enough weather damage (which had already begun to settle into the 2x6 pressure treated ledger they had installed) the deck could have easily ripped straight out of the wall, ledger and all.

One of the setbacks in our planning was to account for being able to install a ledger against the wall and build from it. Unfortunately, seeing as the structure of our home lacks a foundational header joist to bolt in to, we had to revise the plans to create a free-standing deck structure, one that would not be attached to the structure of the house at all. Only problem with this: more post-holes.

IN the end, the old deck was pulled off the wall, and we broke it all apart and it is now sitting in a heap behind our back shed. Fun!