Need a warm water fish!!!

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Gremcat

Well-known member
Something to distract me,, This is getting old,,,, and expensive,,,,, added a 4’ by 100’ish swale to because lower drive washes out along pavement. Then raked in mushroom/topsoil, seeded, and covered.

Tomorrow we get a skid steer rental and clean up earth piles and torn up yards, sure glad I redid mulch beds and put so much into lawn lol, then add slim drain and repour front walk. Then backfill the old steps and rebuild them. Took out a shared retaining wall and just built up the grade instead. Once it settles we’ll top coat and seed. Kids’ll love sleigh riding on it. Yanked a handful of stumps while we had the mini.

I’m whooped! Tomorrow is a heavy haul to dump and a million other things at 6am before my normal work starts.
 

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troutspinner

troutspinner

Nuts & Bolts Guy
Gremcat said:
Something to distract me,, This is getting old,,,, and expensive,,,,, added a 4’ by 100’ish swale to because lower drive washes out along pavement. Then raked in mushroom/topsoil, seeded, and covered.

Tomorrow we get a skid steer rental and clean up earth piles and torn up yards, sure glad I redid mulch beds and put so much into lawn lol, then add slim drain and repour front walk. Then backfill the old steps and rebuild them. Took out a shared retaining wall and just built up the grade instead. Once it settles we’ll top coat and seed. Kids’ll love sleigh riding on it. Yanked a handful of stumps while we had the mini.

I’m whooped! Tomorrow is a heavy haul to dump and a million other things at 6am before my normal work starts.
Click to expand...

I do not! envy you. Moving dirt for beds, fences, pillars, etc has got to be the hardest jobs I’ve ever done and I always seem to end up doing them on the hottest days of the year. I am now to the point that I’d rather just give someone a check. I hate the next day and saying, ow, I didn’t even know I had a muscle there! Lol
 
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Gremcat

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Don said:
Nice job Grem. when do you put my walk in?
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Haha, yeah no,,, I’ve known since I was a kid earth moving wasn’t for me, I wasn’t one to grade sandboxes and watch water move when poured from a pail, rather watch grass grow or gouge out eyes, lol

My brother is a concrete guy. I’d rather write a check too but he likes to give back so I’m the labor. Inside projects still but last big outdoors one.

Just checked the swale and even with torrential down pour last night seems it’s holding. Ten pounds of seed under grow mats so we’ll see how it turns out.FF3F6C99-788D-4867-8368-9B0425169428.jpeg
 
Don

Don

Well-known member
Seed lightly this time of year as thick plantings a sure to get "melting-out disease" . keep things as dry as possible but still wet enough to not dry out. Looks fun.
 
Don

Don

Well-known member
Oh man. Now ya dun it. spiked my interest:

Grow Wine Cap Mushrooms: Sawdust and Peg Spawn Kits

Stropharia rugoso-annulata Wine Cap features a white stalk with a port wine colored cap. These crisp, slightly nutty flavored mushrooms are great for braising, sauteing, grilling and pickling. Besides being a choice edible, Wine Cap is also a natural soil builder, weed suppressor and attractive...
www.fieldforest.net
 
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Gremcat

Well-known member
Thx Don, I’ve a big pile, just pushed to the far side of the other lot to clean up. A few soggy spots with the rain. Still one low spot to grade so yesterday after raking out a few yards of soil (machine was so much easier) I dig out the broken fire pit rocks, picked up a pallet of boulders, and a fire ring. Nothing like adding to it. Have to get a yard of sand but lose set yesterday before rain last night.

I think I had a back once. 33488D62-4C65-415B-BECC-27D9AA05BFD3.jpegE60AEAFE-EC5E-4601-9594-D989A8FB1B20.jpegEE68512A-6090-436A-B453-B8194884E3DF.jpeg
 
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Gremcat

Well-known member
Picked up the diesel yesterday from a quick checkup post ball joint swap. Stopped at stone yard and picked up a load of granite dust and a large flat stone to replace the wimpy looking paver step into fire pit area. No clue how I’ll unload it though lol. Pretty massive and crazy angle on one side.

Hopefully 5-6 yards of fill a few yards of top soil/compost and some seed to finish everything. Plus the concrete work if the truck shows this time.
 
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Gremcat

Well-known member
Set the stones in granite dust and unloaded the big stepper myself, that wasn’t so fun,,,, I used an ATV ramp and it was sagging, pic doesn’t do it justice, the right side sticks out at an angle almost doubling the length it appears. I unloaded where her paver steps where, “Oh, it’ll look better over here”,,,,,, that hurt a lot more, then dry fit, etc. right by the blue bucket, I had to run inside to clean up for a video conference, double duty and all, 3C66998C-0CF4-4749-9BF0-5CD4DA41081D.jpeg
 
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Gremcat

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Tomorrow is concrete day try 2, new company so hope they show. I’m the wheelbarrow man. I’d hoped they’d back up to the forms but my brother said don’t even ask. They’ll sink and get stuck. Today was a low call day, tomorrow I’m swamped. This should be an interesting juggle.

Soon as the last “slope” in the yard is filled with the cut up black top pavers, graded, top soil/seeded, and the Cupola goes on the roof I’m calling a Cease Fire, lol
 
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Gremcat

Well-known member
Thankfully, the drain we cut being repaved will be a company. One job I won’t be doing myself.

Downside, $tens of K’s later, lower garage dry all fall/winter/spring, now can feel damp again on back wall, all drainage fixed, weep holes added, rubber membrane on house side of French drain the entire length of the drive and half the house, 🤬🤬🤬🤬,

After this I’ll either redo rubber walls/floor, figure out some way to add a drain/depressurize the back wall(2 floors below grade) or keep cutting around house until I find the failed moisture barrier. I’ve even moved all gutters out of the stone siding/pillars that ran to a central collection under floating drive that failed.

There’s one other place I’m avoiding. They poured concrete overhead of lower garage to upper. Moisture at the bottom of the two earth side walls. They didn’t pull form boards down and upper garage is “in” slightly. I caught it when a spigot dripped into a cracked tar seal on upper drive and I saw a trickle from that spot in the lower so stuck my hand up into a “void” wrapped in 2x4s.
 
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Gremcat

Well-known member
Place is so over the top in some places and others lacking. Gutter/drain system was incredible and hidden inside walls, etc. 50 years later though it’s an issue. No plans either, find crazy stuff like 4’ wide footings in the basement when we cut the drain in for the last kitchen. Floating cantilever concrete steps down driveway retaining wall haven’t budged. Wall was two pours rather than one continuous around the corner. Earth pour with no footing. Only separated an inch at the very top. Blacktop on clay, etc. but never moved much. If I was more foolhardy I’d tear it up to figure out how they did it. Have to rob a bank first.
 
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