Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Birth of a Patio

It's almost time for a patio party - the new project is almost done! I've never worked with concrete before and this was certainly a heck of a way to start. It took about two weeks to dig out a bed for the patio. Then I screened the soil I'd dug up to get rocks for the patio bed. Next came tamping it down to solidify the bed with the big yellow machine. (Getting that thing back into the car was one of the most difficult things I've ever done.) Then I built the forms and finally poured the concrete with the help of the cement truck driver from Meter Mix - I couldn't have done it without his help!

On with the pics:









after the pour & first floating
after the second floating
after the final floating... not perfect but pretty darn good!
Now it has to stay damp and cure for a week... then it's time for a patio party!
Hmm... now I've just got to get rid of all that fill....

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I think that you have done an impressive job. You have the island of grass, the island of cement, three more little islands and you'll have your own backyard Hawaii... you are certainly showing off your abilities in the manly arts!!