Concrete Project

Hey Guys!
Remember waaaaaaay back in July when I posted to my FB page this photo????

You know, in July, 2019, when my dad and aunt were here?  MONTHS ago?  Yeah- life.  Completely forgot to write up a post about this. 

So what did we end up doing with 18 bags of concrete? 

Prior to getting permission from the HOA? 

What's the phrase?  It's better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission and then wait months to maybe or maybe not get approval? 

I can definitely play the "Oops, my bad- was I supposed to get approval for that" card really well lately. 

But just so everyone is aware- I did eventually get approval.  So I don't need to tear up concrete.  Not that I was going to anyway.  They can go eff themselves. 

Anyway- back to the post.  I had moved my firewood pile from the back of the house to the side of the house prior to getting a fence.  Once I had the fence installed, it was now visible to everyone driving by the house, since it was in front of the fence.  My half-assed attempt to have it off of the ground by laying leftover pavers underneath only worked for so long.  Until the weeds decided to make a very nice comfy home there. 

Atrocious. 

So the goal was to pour a concrete slab to set the wood on.  I mentioned it to my dad and off to Lowe's we went.  Hence the first photo.  Gotta love my dad.  He's up for whatever I throw at him. 

First we needed to move all of the wood, pavers, and crap out of the way.  Then we needed to dig deep enough and level out the ground for the concrete. 

And by "we" I totally mean my dad.  I fucking hate yard work.  Like I thoroughly enjoy mowing my lawn.  But that's it.  The ground out here is CLAY.  Do you know how many shovels I've broken since I've had my house?  More than I can count.  It's bullshit.  Plus this is the side of the house that gets baked by the sun- from about 10am-7pm.  And there are a million things I like better than to be hot, sweaty, and dirty.  (That's what she said)  

So as my dad shoveled, I shouted words of encouragement.  Like-- Can you go any faster, I'm hot.  And- You missed that area over there.  Also- Can you stop moving and strike a pose, I'm trying to take a picture for the blog.  Then there was- Hey- stop throwing dirt on me, I'm right behind you!  

However, just so you all know I'm not a total asshole, I did haul the 18 bags out of the truck and piled them up on the ground.  So..... you're welcome.  

Once we (he) dug and leveled that area out, we (he) built a rectangular frame for the concrete to sit in while it dried.  Basically- the shape you want the concrete, build a frame like that.  

Then came time to pour the concrete into the frame.  We made it easy on ourselves- totally rented a concrete mixer at Menards.  Best $30 I've spent.  Or whatever it was.  It was July.  I can't remember that far back.  

Once the concrete was poured, my dad leveled it and watered it and troweled it, and did all kids of other concretey things to it.  So when it dried, it had a smooth top and remained level. 

Below is what it ended up like after we removed the frame.  I butted the existing weed bed right up to the concrete.  Then in the space on the left of the slab between the fence, we stacked the leftover pavers and put the actual firewood holder on that.  This now houses the smaller pieces of wood for easier access. 

Looks way more cleaned up than it did before.  We left about 10-12" of space at the back of the slab- butting up to the house- so that the wood isn't directly against the house.  You can see that in the below photo. 

You can kind of see the remaining dirt still on the grass.  This pile was no joke though.  It had dried up concrete from when we cleaned out the mixer and all of the rock and dirt/clay from digging.  Was literally 4 ft high.  Maybe.  I could be exaggerating.  Again, it was July.  Every week I'd fill boxes of that crap and toss it in my garbage can for trash day.  I could only do so many boxes of it before one wasn't able to lift the can.  Unfortunately it turned too cold too quick (or I gave up on it because season started and I had no time) and I wasn't able to finish getting it cleaned up.  That'll be on my spring "To-Do List" for sure.  Then it'll be add grass seed there and hopefully it'll look really good.  But it's a huuuuuge improvement from what I had there before. 

Those bushes for those wanting to know- the two closest to the slab are Rose of Sharon and the bigger one to the right is a lilac bush.  They look so pretty when they are green and have blooms!