Steve's workshop - Painting the outside walls

[Steve Maskery]

Having laid an instant foundation yesterday, today we continued to prep the ground for the block paving. We had excavated a tad too much, so there was an inch or so of infill to do.

Having done that, we started on the retaining wall. We laid out the bricks to see how they fell,

and so I mixed whilst Ray did the clever stuff

and it looks OK for a couple of hammer chewers

Because the ground falls away so much towards the back, I shall have a step at the end, so we built one at each side. It means the path will be reasonably flat and who cares about the bottom end.

So the front levels are about right, but we still have some work to do at the sides before we barrow down a couple of tons of sand and dismantling my patio...

 

[n0legs]

Strong weedkiller in a watering can before the blocks/slabs go down :wink:

 

[Eric The Viking]

Strong weedkiller in a watering can before the blocks/slabs go down :wink:

I wouldn't ever suggest looking for an old tin of Sodium Chlorate, as it's been banned, however it was the weedkiller of choice for decades for that job (as stuff stayed dead). I'm sure there's none about now, no matter how hard you look around in the back of the shed, or ask the neighbours...

Way back in the 1970s, my parents had their drive enlarged and resurfaced. Dad specified that the (legit and locally well-known) contractor weedkilled before laying the tarmac, and had it put in the quote. They forgot, and the next spring it was wrecked by weeds coming through. They came back and did it properly, at some considerable expense to them.

I don't think there is a modern cost-effective alternative, sadly.

 

[blackrodd]

Strong weedkiller in a watering can before the blocks/slabs go down :wink:

I wouldn't ever suggest looking for an old tin of Sodium Chlorate, as it's been banned, however it was the weedkiller of choice for decades for that job (as stuff stayed dead). I'm sure there's none about now, no matter how hard you look around in the back of the shed, or ask the neighbours...

Way back in the 1970s, my parents had their drive enlarged and resurfaced. Dad specified that the (legit and locally well-known) contractor weedkilled before laying the tarmac, and had it put in the quote. They forgot, and the next spring it was wrecked by weeds coming through. They came back and did it properly, at some considerable expense to them.

I don't think there is a modern cost-effective alternative, sadly.

I thought "Roundup" was the first and last word in weed killer.
Is that not so?
Regards Rodders

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Wot no sodium chlorate??? What are today's kids using to make bombs??

 

[Steve Maskery]

Is anyone free to help either tomorrow, Thursday, or Friday?
I have 5 tonnes of sand and 40m2 block paving to move.....

I know it's short notice, but I just thought I'd ask.
S

 

[wcndave]

Is anyone free to help either tomorrow, Thursday, or Friday?
I have 5 tonnes of sand and 40m2 block paving to move.....

I know it's short notice, but I just thought I'd ask.
S

have you missed the bank holiday Steve? Tomorrow is Thursday

I wish I could help!

 

[Steve Maskery]

Er, yes, I know
Perhaps I should have written it "tomorrow (Thursday) or Friday". It was a choice of two days, not three!

But I do see how it could be interpreted as such.

 

[kostello]

Sorry moving house tomorrow.......
Not panicking at all!

 

[wcndave]

Er, yes, I know
Perhaps I should have written it "tomorrow (Thursday) or Friday". It was a choice of two days, not three!

But I do see how it could be interpreted as such.

I was worried you'd missed a day and a bunch of stones and sand were going to turn up today when you weren't expecting them!

Glad that's not the case.

 

[Steve Maskery]

We finished levelling today.

The front was pretty much OK, but the sides were still well down from where they need to be if the block paving is going to be anything like level front to back.

So I filled buckets with soil

whilst Ray spread it about a bit

Then we started to dig up my patio

It's lumpy-bumpy and needs re-laying anyway, so it makes sense to take it up and use it down around the workshop

With some mebrane down, we put a layer of the blue edging blocks down the RH side as infill

And the broken paving and ballast down the LH side, only we don't need the membrane there, as it's on concrete already

So I have 5 tonnes of sand arriving tomorrow morning. I am knackered now so I think I shall probably be dead after tomorrow's effort.

I really need to get some braces, I've nearly lost my trousers a couple of times today, and I have laydees coming tomorrow, I don't want to be mooning at them. Of course it would help if I had something resembling a waist.

 

[kostello]

Say no to crack !

 

[paulm]

Looks like a lot of hard work Steve, can see the progress though, soon be sorted

A bit worried about the block paving between the side of the workshop and the fence though, will you not get splashback from the blocks onto the workshop cladding and risk of damp/rot ? It maybe the roof overhangs though ?

Cheers, Paul

 

[lurker]

Say no to crack !

=D> =D> =D>

 

[Steve Maskery]

A bit worried about the block paving between the side of the workshop and the fence though, will you not get splashback from the blocks onto the workshop cladding and risk of damp/rot ? It maybe the roof overhangs though ?

Well I must admit that that had not occurred to me, but it's too late now.

The walls are going to be clad in Glasroc, with two coats of Snowcem. It's not a perfect solution, but it is what the BCO recommends, having got myself into this mess, and it will see me out, I'm sure.

---------

It took me while to work out the crack joke

Pert Steve

 

[kostello]

A bit worried about the block paving between the side of the workshop and the fence though, will you not get splashback from the blocks onto the workshop cladding and risk of damp/rot ? It maybe the roof overhangs though ?

Well I must admit that that had not occurred to me, but it's too late now.

The walls are going to be clad in Glasroc, with two coats of Snowcem. It's not a perfect solution, but it is what the BCO recommends, having got myself into this mess, and it will see me out, I'm sure.

---------

It took me while to work out the crack joke

Pert Steve

That is because you haven't spent 5years looking down a bricklayer's buttocks crack

 

[Brentingby]

It took me while to work out the crack joke

Pert Steve

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqzha6g5ZvI

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Steve Maskery]

Ray arrived early today, but the delivery man was an hour late.

So while we waited I hosed down the patio. I'd forgotten what a filthy job it is,

But it does make a great difference

It would have been much better if I'd done that yesterday.

But the sand did eventually turn up, closely followed by Ray's wife Chris and our friend Thérèse. Thérèse is the only French lady I know who has a pilot's licence and her own concrete mixer. I call them my pheasants, because they are game birds, game for anything. Such as:

Whackerising the hardcore:

shifting sand

and digging up my patio

Chris doesn't like having her photo taken, but I was very persistent

She's threatened to get me at playtime.

The two of them can get very, very silly

 

[Steve Maskery]

So whilst we were shifting the sand and cleaning up blocks, Ray was getting the sand down.

Of course, everyone wants a little slice of the fun stuff

So all this

is now here

I had arranged to have a date this evening. A date. With a woman. A female one. I must be out of my tiny mind. But fortunately she has cried off and I am very very glad about it. I just want a bath and an early night.

 

[Adam9453]

What thickness glasroc boards are you going to use Steve as it's blooming expensive stuff