I made a lot of progress today. I ripped out the old deck. It was easy because the boards were rotten. I ripped it apart by hand it was so bad. I trimmed the area up so I could work.
![](https://i.imgur.com/aX3m9hI.jpg)
Then the top steal beam came down. The tops of the poles are in bad shape.
![](https://i.imgur.com/zZ3DbQn.jpg)
My Dad helped me drill all the holes in the I-beams and plates.
![](https://i.imgur.com/dnbuM4H.jpg)
Bolted together and ready to stand up.
![](https://i.imgur.com/A1qL0PU.jpg)
I tried lifting one by hand. I got one end above my head but couldn't walk it up. It was way too heavy. I looked the situation over and decided to use a snatch block and a winch. It worked great. I'm glad I didn't cut down the old poles yet.
![](https://i.imgur.com/FP7zVBY.jpg)
I chained the winch to a nearby tree. That set up worked slick. I used the remote for the winch and had a rope tied to the beam to guide it as it went into place. It was a fine piece of redneck engineering.
![](https://i.imgur.com/zII6bNZ.jpg)
Both beams in the holes!
![](https://i.imgur.com/KOBAZ2V.jpg)
Got them leveled and ready to pour concrete tomorrow. The top beam is put up but it's not level. I need to drill a new hole and fix it tomorrow. I tried using existing holes in the beams and it didn't work out like I hoped. Everything went really smooth. I think the hard part is done. I'm going to start on the deck tomorrow.
![](https://i.imgur.com/n7ReX8l.jpg)
![](https://i.imgur.com/T4C39FO.jpg)