The Home Stretch

I didn't think that adding the cross-pieces would be so much work but notching and putting the sixteen foot long foot beams into place took the better part of a day.  It didn't help that I mis-calculated the size and originally purchased fourteen foot boards and had to run back to the store to exchange them.

The notching worked out well except for one area.  I made a small error where one the the large beams bows  and creates a smaller space so I now have a gap at one of the notches.  Luckily it is on the neighbor's side of the pergola and will likely be covered by vines in the future so no one will ever see it.    

I laid out some boards to determine the spacing of the final top lattice and I think I have figured it out.  I will have to go to the store and get two more boards for it to work but I think I want a tighter spacing than what I initially figured on.  I am going to rip all of the 2x4s in half as I couldn't find any 2x2s in the lengths I needed.  I also need to seal the big beams and may do everything else while I am at it (the beams are pine and won't make it long in the Chicago winters).  

An entertaining back story: my wife didn't want me to take this project on because she felt I had too many balls in the air when it came to the house already.  I think she's come around to my thoughts that I didn't want to spend another summer NOT enjoying the bad patio that we had before.  I think she actually likes the new one as we ate here, half-complete, last night.   I learned yesterday though that she has bet against me on the project.  I guess that she and another OP friend are betting whose project gets done first.  They are doing a large deck.  Incidentally, they are home all day and have significantly more hands at their disposal for help.  Why shouldn't they be finished before me?  It's always great to have a vote of confidence (sarcasm).  Anyway, if the weather continues to cooperate (which it has not the past few weeks), then I should be done today, except for the modifications I want to make on the garage.  I'll have to call over and see how that deck is doing and then work out my share of the winnings with the wife.