Spent today starting to do some of the backfill. There’s a small gap between the concrete walls, the plywood supports, and the actual backyard. That space needs to get filled with soil, so that the yard doesn’t collapse into it… and to also provide a bit more material for rain to run through.
I had plans this morning to pick up some mulch for the front yard and parkway. And honestly, that was about it. Get some mulch, and then just relax. But today ended up turning into another house day, despite it all.
Liz, suited up to do a bit more grinding/smoothing work.
Liz got some guidance from Bob, regarding a certain attachment we needed to get for our grinder. This would help take down some of the excess mortar, and also help smooth out some of the rougher spots.
A kind of odd evening, just watching the sprinkler do its thing and slowly make its way towards us. But we both found this incredibly soothing, incredibly calming.
One of my main goals: fix the spigot, which was leaking. I did a bit of research on YouTube and found out my problem was the anti-siphon valve.
If you thought our concrete work was over, think again! With our concrete blocks in place, the next step we had was to fill the cores of all the blocks with concrete. Our aim was to make a “soupy” layer, to pour down each core… and to finish the tops with a more solid layer.
Bob, cutting some of the rebar down to size.
The concrete bags got delivered today. After work, my aim was to relocate everything from the front of the house towards the back (where we’ll be doing the actual mixing).
Each bag is 80 pounds, and I have the arms of a computer programmer. So I took about 3 bags at a time, wheeling them down bit by bit.
I have a bit more invested in the backyard plants now, as I was tending to them nearly every morning when Liz was away in Georgia. Being the one responsible for the plants, albeit briefly, made me feel a bit more connected to everything back here.
Liz and I hit it right at 5:00 PM today, after work. We got suited and prepped fairly quickly, and were able to get the short course along the driveway done… as well a full course on the wall along the yard.
You can barely see it in this photo, but we have a dirty trick: we’re using 3/8″ nuts, and placing the between each course of block. This ensures that we’ll have the proper distance between blocks, and serves as a kind of guardrail.
It’s not what the professionals do, but… we are far from professionals. So long as things are consistent, no one’s the wiser.
Liz, mixing up the mortar as Bob gets the blocks in place. I mostly hung out up top, passing along blocks as needed. Both Liz and Bob did the brunt of the work today.
For those of you who remember the original movie “I’m getting a lot of concrete and gravel delivered”… this is the sequel: I’m getting a lot of concrete blocks delivered.
All told, it’s 90 concrete blocks and 12 corner blocks.
Close to the end of the day, we settled back with a drink and some music. And admired that good-looking arbor that someone put in, many months ago.