The laying of patio thread or: How to work hard in your holidays!

[Ixion]

And, somewhere a little two smoker waits. Lonely, forlorn, abandoned, a furtive tear trickling down her zorst header. Is she just a plaything to you? Do you not respect her in the morning?

[gijoe1313]

You missed out on an awesome ride GIJoe, its not the same when your not there, no commando raids on local rubbish bins etc

Stoppit I'm missing me when I'm not riding out with me!

We did have a bin in your honour though.

*chortle* I hope that is meant in the way I think it is? : Always to be keeping the rubbery side facing down towards the tarmacky thang!

Did the last one bugger off with Ken?

I'm racist, she can bugger off with Ken as long as my kawaii asian combat babe is left with me! Chun Li (streetfighter) FTW!

And, somewhere a little two smoker waits. Lonely, forlorn, abandoned, a furtive tear trickling down her zorst header. Is she just a plaything to you? Do you not respect her in the morning?

Shhh, I've been trying to give her head .... got the shimmy shimmy shakes and she needs good loving on the cold, hard patio floor when its done! Ooer!

[gijoe1313]

Well, Dad rousted me outside to do some more work on the patio (doh! I was going to go for a ride! )

Laid down some grey pavers (450 x 450 Blackstone Pavers $8.29 ea. from Placehaters) ... always takes longer to prepare and scree and get the fall just right then laying the damn things! :

Once I get the last few laid in along the right, will concrete in the side strip and do the rest ... joy...

Laid in the order for the 4m suntuff solarguard panels and getting the brackets sorted for the posts to be sunk into etc. etc. ....

[Fub@r]

Once I get the last few laid in along the right, will concrete in the side strip and do the rest ... joy...

Anyone would think your on another tootle...........taking your time about it Too much fun playing on the digger me thinks

[gijoe1313]

Anyone would think your on another tootle...........taking your time about it Too much fun playing on the digger me thinks

Well it was bugging me ... so I laid in the last few and put in a few of the mudda ferk'n heavy red ones (600 x 600 red pebble) ... got the framing sorted so pouring concrete tomorrow (but sad, not using a concrete mixer ... doing it the old fashioned wheelbarrow shovel method )

Aiming to have at least half of the area done in the red pavers tomorrow ... : Unless I have an excuse for a ride ...

[Fub@r]

The area I have been digging out around the new washing line i was going to buy new cobble stones. But then had a wonderful idea........use all the Huntly bricks from around the gardens

Wish I hadn't said anything to wife now as it intailed pulling up all the bricks from the garden edging, then scraping all the soil off them, then wash and stack them all.

Have finished the digging of the area to be cobbled and have completed all the boxing.

So this saturday will be a full day putting down the basecourse and sand then laying 400 bricks to the wife's satisfaction

[homer]

Well, the olds are getting me to do a spot of house improvements (which means less improvement in my finances! )

Laying down a covered patio area at the back of the house and secretly I am converting it already to a bike pit!

Will be putting in a paved area and doing the Amish barn-raising thing and having that solar suntuff stuff on a wooden frame yada yada.

Figgers, when I'm not working, I'm working! I've collared the cousins in for manual labour (their dad approves since they are soft as, and need to know what digging a ditch and smashing your thumb with a hammer feels like )

Will update when I can be arsed and all the other humorous happenstances as they occur!

And oh yeah, I learnt from the first time I laid a patio down and this time doing it right ... went to Hireafool and rented a POWER DIGGER! (Yes!! ) ... waiting for it to be delivered now!

Piccies to follow.

Oh how some times the easiest way is by hand

Itll take the same amount of time

[gijoe1313]

Oh how some times the easiest way is by hand

Itll take the same amount of time

Nuh uh! Power Digger FTW! Big Boy's toys rock ... and getting knee down on it is a must! I've been spading back the spill over a sifting frame (read : Dad's own wire sprung bed) and I surely do miss the power digger!

And the vibrating compactor was easy to use ... esp. when you have your cousins manhandling it!

But now, its all hard graft and doing the chinese coolie squat and rice paddy picking ... (scree, balance, place and adjust ... )

[gijoe1313]

The area I have been digging out around the new washing line i was going to buy new cobble stones. But then had a wonderful idea........use all the Huntly bricks from around the gardens

Wish I hadn't said anything to wife now as it intailed pulling up all the bricks from the garden edging, then scraping all the soil off them, then wash and stack them all.

Have finished the digging of the area to be cobbled and have completed all the boxing.

So this saturday will be a full day putting down the basecourse and sand then laying 400 bricks to the wife's satisfaction

So sounds like we are both screwed ... but at least I don't have to piddle around with 400 bricks! No, I have to manhandle around 30kg pavers!

Don't forget to post some pictures so we can compare! ...

[gijoe1313]

Okay, sitting here with fan on in comfort of chez computer room and cold drink in hand ... bliss ...

Was working on doing the 600 x 600 red pebble pavers today ... and they are frikk'n pain in the bollocks to move around (around 30kg) I don't mind carting them as such, its the fine adjustments to get them sitting just right and with the right amount of fall.

It doesn't help when they are of variable thicknesses and can vary from paver to paver

Ahh well, thats what you get when you only pay $600 on retardme for 90 of the buggers or summit like that! Already done one side, this is just the "leftovers" for this job!

Tomorrow, I'll finish off the red ones and the grey border and a concrete strip down the left side... it'll all be worth it when I have my primo biker repair facility done!

Ordered the suntuff solarguard panels today. Will be planning the covered space for next weeks install!

My oath, I should be riding ...

[yungatart]

I was supposed to do a bit of gardening today, but reading this thread has made me too tired. I think I'll take your advice, gijoe and go and get a beer.....

[gijoe1313]

I was supposed to do a bit of gardening today, but reading this thread has made me too tired. I think I'll take your advice, gijoe and go and get a beer.....

That was a good idea, I'm now currently sitting in front of a fan next to the computer with an ice cold ginger beer (Bundaberg of course! )

and genuflecting on the almost completed job done. The grey pavers on the left will be fine, since posts will be sunk in for the suntuff roofing later next week (3 posts on each side, so some pavers will be lifted for that)

I can almost taste the greasy sticky lubricants in the air for my spannering on motorsickle contraptions!

A bit more concreting, a bit more electrical power wiring work, a bit more roofing and the job will be done!

[yungatart]

meanwhile, my garden still waits...
Do you fancy a trip down here, oh venerable one?

[Ixion]

Most dutiful son.

[gijoe1313]

meanwhile, my garden still waits...
Do you fancy a trip down here, oh venerable one?

Thats not as funny as it seems ... when I went to Japan a long time ago, my mates mother-in-law got me to help out in the rice paddies! apparently I did so much work in the 3 days I did there that was what took a whole group a week to do! Turns out they're still waiting for me to come back and help out again (I was chopping bamboo and making channels and putting up greenhouses)

Most dutiful son.

Its an asian thang ... while I'm sweltering in the heat, mum is in the garden saying things like "when will you get married and give me grandchildren"

Curse Confucious ...