A key step in restoring the Purple Porch was replacing the main structural joists beneath the decking. Since I refuse to use chemical-laden, pressure-treated lumber, I took a different approach to achieve rot resistance.
With the help of my oldest mini-carpenter (then seven years old), I built a DIY kiln using bricks and angled steel. Together, we burned standard dimensional pine joists using yakisugi—an ancient, chemical-free Japanese wood-preservation technique (often misnamed shou sugi ban in the U.S.). This process intentionally chars the wood’s surface, making it dramatically more resistant to fire, insects, and rot.
For extra ecotopian flair, the fire for the kiln was lit with an ember produced from a bow-drill kit (ancestral friction fire technique - no matches necessary), gleefully blown into flame by my mini-carpenter.