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I've never questioned that pouring them in place is the overall best strategy, I want to be clear. It's just that it represents several challenges that doing them alone wouldn't. For one, I've already talked to concrete companies on a past project, and they can't get a truck down my driveway (and all this is in the backyard), so doing this all in one fell swoop means ripping up the entire lawn at once, building a lot of frames (which is a lot of lumber), renting a mixer, renting a truck to transport the mixer and however many bags of cement, etc. etc. It's entirely doable, just sort of not the direction I wanted to head right now, you know? I've got a three week old baby in the house so finding an hour or two to go do some work is one thing, but setting aside entire weekends is a whole other matter. That's just one challenge. There's also the fact that the area I want to put this all down isn't completely level, so while pavers can be installed to accommodate for a slight slope in the lawn, pouring concrete is another matter. And since I want to leave a nice healthy grass border between everything, installing individual pavers is significantly less impact than pouring into a frame, since I need to remove enough lawn to fit the frame in. It's a smaller note, but I also like that pouring my own pavers would let me get a nice smooth surface (since I'd be pouring it upside down against melamine), while screening the top of a frame is going to give me a rougher texture, especially since I'm not going to be good at it. I want to stress that I'm not arguing with you guys - far from it. Just outlining what I see are specific challenges to a big "frame and pour" project. If casting my own pavers is going to not work, I'd probably just end up buying the 16x16" stones from Lowe's and installing those instead. I'm looking at three rough options: 1. Put together a plywood frame and coat it in polyurethane and concrete release spray. One at a time, dig out just enough space to fit the frame into the ground, 6" down, and layer/pour into that, finishing by pulling the plywood out and leaving concrete behind, filling the maybe 1" gap between the new concrete slab and lawn with the dirt I dug up. Do this one at a time, slowly filling the lawn. 2. Buy 16"x16" pavers from Lowe's, install a pair at a time in the same plot to achieve a similar effect as the picture I shared above. Tamp, gravel, and sand, maybe some construction adhesive? I'm not clear if the pavers would drift and misalign with each other if I did this. 3. Buy 16"x16" pavers, install them individually. I don't get cool big rectangles, but it's guaranteed to work and I can bite it off in small chunks as I go. (Also I hadn't mentioned it, but I did buy a metal mesh fence material and put that into the single block I mixed so far. I couldn't fit the actual concrete reinforcement mesh into the car.)
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Jul 17, 2020 23:09
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| # ? May 30, 2024 09:33 |
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If you want the smooth top surface why not make the frame next to the hole, fill/set, then flip it over into the hole and unmold smooth side up?
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Jul 18, 2020 02:07
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Around here there is a specific type of board you can get for pouring concrete. It's already coated in non-stick something, and reusable. We poured our own driveway and it turned out lovely. Hiring a crew to do it all with proper equipment and experience would have been better and faster.
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Jul 18, 2020 02:58
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My first attempt came out surprisingly decent, considering how much of a loose edge I ended up with between the melamine boards. I'm going to try tomorrow with a slightly wetter mix and a latex seal in the frame. toplitzin posted:If you want the smooth top surface why not make the frame next to the hole, fill/set, then flip it over into the hole and unmold smooth side up?
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Jul 18, 2020 03:52
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How many motorcycles can one person possibly own?
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Jul 18, 2020 04:12
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H110Hawk posted:How many motorcycles can one person possibly own? 
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Jul 18, 2020 05:31
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HycoCam posted:I get the attraction of doing them one at a time. But, yeah--my vote is frame them all. Maybe mix and pour a few by hand to make sure you know how to finish the concrete. Then call in a truck. Your going to need a level, solid base for the concrete--so even if they are only 3" thick--you'll want a gravel bed under each. Eh, I think you can do it yourself, I mix my own concrete from cement and my own gravel and sand, and it's even easier if you mix it from ready made concrete bags, a whole lot more expensive though, so a truck might be economically viable in comparison. This is my own homemade concrete and I screeded the top because at something like 7 meters long it was too big to cast then flip. I used an acid etch to get a cooler surface. 
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Jul 18, 2020 06:28
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His Divine Shadow posted:Eh, I think you can do it yourself, I mix my own concrete from cement and my own gravel and sand, and it's even easier if you mix it from ready made concrete bags, a whole lot more expensive though, so a truck might be economically viable in comparison. This is my own homemade concrete and I screeded the top because at something like 7 meters long it was too big to cast then flip. I used an acid etch to get a cooler surface. This looks great. Did you seal it with something?
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Jul 18, 2020 20:42
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I used some kind of water repellent product on it and that made the water bead on top, but otherwise no sealant because I wanted the natural grey look. It wore off after the first winter though so now it's unprotected but it still looks the same after 3 winters.
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Jul 18, 2020 20:46
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Mr. Shadow's diy concrete is too good. It's really nice and smooth and I am jealous.
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Jul 18, 2020 23:59
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Anyone have any experience with three layer epoxy finishes?  There is a solid base coat that serves as a vapor seal. The middle layer of metallic epoxy/lava/coloring. Then a top clear, urethane layer. Anyone have any insight on sourcing or creating the coloring layer? And/or application techniques. The coolest floor pictures tend to be from professional jobs done by folks that have come up with their own techniques over the years. Swirling the colorant layer with squeegees is the only method I've done and it gives a marble like finish. Since doing that floor I've seen people use leaf blowers and rubbing alcohol to make cool designs. The floor I linked, I think, uses the rubbing alcohol technique.
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Jul 19, 2020 00:17
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All the concrete chat above is great. But, I have a different question: do any of your clear the air vents scattered throughout your house on an annual basis (or ever)? How do you usually go about going that?
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Jul 19, 2020 14:09
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pmchem posted:All the concrete chat above is great. The OUTSIDE of them? Sure, if they need it. If you're talking about actual duct cleaning that's not something a home gamer can do because it requires way too much equipment.
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Jul 19, 2020 14:12
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Motronic posted:The OUTSIDE of them? Sure, if they need it. If you're talking about actual duct cleaning that's not something a home gamer can do because it requires way too much equipment. yeah. I'm not talking about going for full duct cleaning -- but perhaps unscrewing the vent, cleaning the vent itself, and getting a few inches in?
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Jul 19, 2020 14:20
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pmchem posted:yeah. I'm not talking about going for full duct cleaning -- but perhaps unscrewing the vent, cleaning the vent itself, and getting a few inches in? If that's necessary you're probably not changing your filters often enough and actually do need duct cleaning.
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Jul 19, 2020 14:23
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well, we’re moving into a new place soon and I’m pondering unusual cleaning tasks
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Jul 19, 2020 14:33
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Are ducts standard sizes? Sounds like a fun home robotics project (until your untethered robot bursts into flames in the inaccessible reaches of your ducts and burns the house down  )
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Jul 19, 2020 15:16
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Wedge a roomba in there.
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Jul 19, 2020 15:23
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I paid a few hundred to have the ducts cleaned in this house after I bought it. It helped my allergies a lot as the previous owners had cats and the ducts were filthy. Bonus discovery of fiberglass batt insulation in some of the cold air returns!!!
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Jul 19, 2020 16:06
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What's the skinny on wood burners? I have an open fireplace which is currently not in use but will be, and the chimney has been swept & certified. Ultimately I'd be OK sticking a log grate of some kind in there, but I'm wondering if a proper wood burner would be better, since I have a constant supply of scrap wood I need to get rid of. I'd need to be able to leave it unattended, but also in the winter I'd like to have as open a fire as possible, so maybe one of the larger style with large doors? I've only ever had the most basic coal fires in the past with simple grates and a separate mesh ember guard.
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Jul 19, 2020 16:07
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Jaded Burnout posted:What's the skinny on wood burners? If you want it to produce heat (effectively) an insert with doors and an electric fan is probably the way to do. Also safe to leave unattended. If you just want that fireplace ambiance switch the fan off and leave the doors open.
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Jul 19, 2020 16:23
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Motronic posted:If you want it to produce heat (effectively) an insert with doors and an electric fan is probably the way to do. Also safe to leave unattended. Ironically, heating the room is number 3 on the list of things I want out of the fireplace. #1 is a nice ambience in the winter #2 is getting rid of excess wood #3 is heating the room (again in winter) Edit: I have outdoor wood burners available but I don't like smoking out the neighbours, and sitting it on/near grass means I need to keep it in view. Jaded Burnout fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Jul 19, 2020 |
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Jul 19, 2020 16:34
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In that case throw a grate in there and put a screen on the front (either one of those standalone ones or the kind you mount to the face of the fireplace). Cheap and cheery, does what you want it to do.
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Jul 19, 2020 16:41
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Getting rid of wood isn't the job of an inside fire as a lot of what you're working with might have glue or treatments in it.
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Jul 19, 2020 16:46
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cakesmith handyman posted:Getting rid of wood isn't the job of an inside fire as a lot of what you're working with might have glue or treatments in it. Does that matter if it's all going up the chimney? How is it different to workshop wood burners?
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Jul 19, 2020 16:59
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One should not burn construction debris in you are house Outdoor ones don't have the potential to fill your enclosed living space with toxic offgassing
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Jul 19, 2020 17:05
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Ok, plumbing time! The diverter on our bathtub faucet broke a while ago. I managed to jam it into a position so we could use it for showers, but I have been meaning to replace it so it was fixed permanently. After some research and struggling (the thing was on there TIGHT) I managed to remove the faucet so I could see what I was working with underneath and could find a suitable replacement:  It looks like ~2" of 1/2" copper soldered to a threaded reducer with short length of 3/4" galvanized (?) pipe screwed onto it. Total length is like 4-3/4" I think. WTF should I do here? Ideally I'd get a front-threaded 3/4" compatible faucet, but it seems like everything is looking for 1/2" pipe or is a 3/4" slip-on, but is expecting a much shorter pipe inside. Should I desolder that reducer and just use the 1/2" stub-out? I've got a torch and have soldered a few hose bib replacements, so I'm capable, but I'm not really practiced at it, nor sure if that's really the best course of action. Also, pulling it off I had a bunch of crumbly sealant (wax? Caulk? It looked like the remains of a disc) fall off from behind the flange. Should I replace that? I'd noticed water trickling into the basement underneath and "fixed" it with a bead of silicone caulk around the top half of the flange, but I'm wondering if it should really be sealed properly under the flange instead/as well.
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Jul 19, 2020 17:05
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tater_salad posted:One should not burn construction debris in you are house I don't mean outdoor ones, I mean workshop ones.
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Jul 19, 2020 17:23
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I don't see what the problem would be to burn off-cuts of clean non-pressure treated dimensional lumber. I mean, of course don't burn trash in your home fireplace. But off cuts?
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Jul 19, 2020 17:42
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Motronic posted:I don't see what the problem would be to burn off-cuts of clean non-pressure treated dimensional lumber. That's fine, it just excludes anything full of treatment or glue, so fine for real wood, just bin any MDF/ply/own etc.
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Jul 19, 2020 18:25
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Also don't burn anything which might have metal embedded in it -- galvanized hardware especially. Brass Shakes aren't fun.
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Jul 19, 2020 19:51
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With all this excitement I'll have to take a break from huffing the flammables cabinet.
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Jul 19, 2020 20:05
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We had a big rain storm and I discovered a fun new way that water is getting into my house: some moron poured a replacement patio directly up against the siding and there is no flashing there whatsoever. I actually did know this was a problem and even put in a couple calls to places yesterday hoping to get a couple quotes this upcoming week, but this is the first time I've gone into that little room and just saw buckets of water coming in. I spent all weekend on exterior waterproofing-related tasks and was feeling so good too. 
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Jul 19, 2020 21:13
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What's a good resource for sorting out electrical issues? Bought a house from the 70s and random outlets have stopped working and we have one in the bathroom that keeps triggering the breaker. The inspection mentioned a few outlets out but that was about a year ago and more have gone.
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Jul 19, 2020 23:15
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Jaded Burnout posted:What's the skinny on wood burners? Do you live in a city? You might be in a smoke control area and I think that would restrict you to a stove anyway. I installed a Jotul stove this winter and absolutely love it, I went for one with windows on the sides and you do get the effect of the open fire that way. In any case they are more efficient and produce less smoke so probably the right thing to do anyway. My terrace is all finished. There was a bit of a delay getting the flagstones delivered but they're in now and look great. The miserable old bag neighbour is complaining that the workmen have ruined the shared dirt/stone path so a bit of work to do there. 
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Jul 20, 2020 14:17
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knox_harrington posted:Do you live in a city? You might be in a smoke control area and I think that would restrict you to a stove anyway. Fortunately I'm outside the smoke control areas. I checked on that before deciding to keep one of the chimneys functional.
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Jul 20, 2020 14:34
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Today I cast 1/4th of the foundation to my shed, man it's brutal work if you are a cheap skate and won't hire a concrete truck. More so with my back not being in the greatest order. Then three rows of LECA blocks on top of this and the foundation is done.
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Jul 20, 2020 15:23
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Isn't it cheaper to hire a truck in that situation? I actually have no idea.
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Jul 20, 2020 16:03
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The Dave posted:Isn't it cheaper to hire a truck in that situation? I actually have no idea. Depends on how far away from the mix plant you are. I've been in places where it was worth hauling/mixing bags.
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Jul 20, 2020 16:56
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What is the rule of thumb there? I have no idea, when I hired a company to do my swale I assumed they were going to mix on site only to be surprised by a truck rolling up in front of my house. All done for under a grand with a full day of labor for a bunch of guys. We live literally a few miles from a mix site (...I went to high school with the owners kid(s)) but the truck wasn't their brand so no clue where it actually came from or if they just get remnant loads on special or what. Finger in the wind it was 30-50 cuft: Garage is ~26' long, it's about a foot wide, it's probably a foot deep.
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Jul 20, 2020 17:48
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