27/2025: In the Grain of Things

Image © Jose 2025

I am tired, sore. Of the good kind, I guess. Two men, one knowing exactly what he was doing and another learning along the way (me), built a >500 square foot deck, including demolition of what was there, using one of the hardest woods around: Brazilian walnut, also known as IPE. Four days, 8 hours a day, with breaks to eat and dive into the cool water of the nearby beach. It’s not complete: there are holes to inspect, more screws and plugs, the railing, etc., but it’s already standing proud. I learned a lot, and though some of you might say ‘duhhh’, here are a few of my findings.

Planning by Doing
We started a few months ago, discussing the possibility of doing this. I wanted to plan, design, detail, buy materials and have everything ready. But we were unsure. We wanted to relax with family we don’t see that often. The moment my brother-in-law arrived, it was decided: we’re building the deck. It took him a couple of hours to plan the job. The next morning, we bought real tools and ordered materials from places that could deliver the next day. I blinked and he had demolished the existing deck, while somehow supporting the roof we wanted to keep. Throughout the project, he was planning and doing at once, improvising as we went. The beauty of not planning is that you can’t go wrong. It became clear that he and I work differently. I plan on paper, visualizing and tweaking until I feel ready for execution. He plans by doing—working with whatever the context and conditions allow. The results might be similar. In a way, neither plan nor execution guarantees perfection.

Tools and Lessons
Watching him use tools and hearing him explain how they work is clearly not the same as using them. And much of what’s passed on as experience carries an unspoken “do as I tell you, not as I do.” At one point I asked whether you need to press two buttons to start a certain tool. He paused and had to grab it first, so ingrained were his habits. Using these tools, you quickly see what can go wrong – plenty. Some errors can impact your health and wellbeing. But the job wouldn’t have been possible without proper tools: battery-operated, four to five running in parallel. With cables? A nightmare. These tools empower. You feel capable, start to grow comfortable with speed, and the tools spark ideas. At the end of the day, though, when you’re tired, they demand control and precision. We made it through, no injuries, just backpain, scratches and blisters.

Construction by Committee
I often complain about design by committee, while still valuing co-creation. Construction by committee can be just as infuriating. We both have strong women by our side (sisters), with plenty of experience and better ideas than ours (…). These aren’t customers; they’re more like co-designers. They might not have the same hands-on skill, but they absolutely understand what’s possible, and what’s desirable. They also have a strong quality filter. During construction, we had countless moments of brainstorming: “What if we do it this way instead?” The final result reflects all of that: ideas + intentions + execution. The hand of each person is there, but you wouldn’t know it just by looking. Each of us will remember things that could have been. The deck is a team story. A story of construction by committee. And it looks great.

I’m happy with the experience, thankful for the training, relieved I didn’t injure myself. Tired like I haven’t been in years. And now I have a set of great tools I know how to use. I must complete the deck. And I have a growing list of projects I now dare to say: yes, I can.