Fits the thread title quite nicely...







The last picture is to show how it's barely noticeable from the street.

The plan is to have grass go all the way up to the porch.

I've done about all I can do to the front yard, now it's time to start some major work in the back. I'd put in sod, but unfortunately the sprinkler system in the front yard is all one zone between the large area you see above and the smaller area on the right side of my driveway. There's no sense in watering dirt, and there is no sense in installing sod on the right side of my driveway when I'll be driving over it with a skid-steer.

Soo, onward to the back yard! Maybe I'll have a deck before 12/21/2012

 

Nice...I've been working my yard as well. Planting some fountain grass, columbine, and various annuals today. I'm procrastinating because I know it's going to be quiet warm out.

 

And another baby step...tore down the old pergola/patio cover in the back yard today.

Before:


After:



Next step is to jackhammer up the concrete that the chairs, table, and bbq are currently sitting on. The end result will (hopefully) be one large covered concrete patio.

 

Spent yesterday jackhammering up concrete.

 

Nice. Are you planning to make the new covered patio the same size as the one you tore down?

 

Yuck - that looks like fun!

I sweated my ass off outside today doing my yard work. It's coming along, but still have way too much to do.

 

It was definitely a LOT of work, but I'm proud of myself for being able to do it! I'm definitely sore, but it was worth it.

What the previous owners did was they built a weird hybrid patio. It was partially pavers and partially concrete. That's fine, except that the problem was the concrete was 10 inches higher than the pavers! Made no sense at all. I removed the pavers a long while ago (the sandy "blank" area in post 43) and finally got around to removing the concrete portion.

When everything is said and done there will be a 10'X31' concrete patio...covered. It should be done by the end of July. I can't wait!

 

Looking good

 

Spent the day working on grading the area the patio is going to go. I still have a lot to do...

 

Should be very nice when you're done, and knowing you did all the work makes it even better, as you feel accomplished. I am sore after every weekend as well, kind of wondering when my body will finally get used to manual labor again.

 

looking good.. keep us updated...

 

You building this yourself or are you having someone build it?

 

I'm doing it myself with the help of my dad. Otherwise, it would've been done already .

 

Today is the big day! Concrete is coming at ~noon. My dad will be here shortly to help set up the forms, rebar, and properly place the drains.

Here it is as of this AM:

 

And we have a concrete patio!







The job was harder than I had anticipated. It was definitely something I could NOT do without my dad. He gets most of the credit here.

Now, I can't wait for the patio cover!

 

Looking good

 

Sweet.

One question though, where are you going to anchor the posts? Reason I ask is because I don't see any post anchors in the cement.

 

^ We're bolting them to the concrete using masonry anchors later. It's how my dad did the gazebo he built in his back yard and 13 years later it's still solid.

We decided on this because we're still not completely set on where the posts are going to go quite yet. Yeah, you're supposed to dig down where the posts go so that there is extra concrete under them, but the edge of the slab is ~6 inches thick, so it should be alright...and the patio cover won't be very heavy (we're doing a privacy lattice roof).

It's definitely going to be a custom job. My dad wants to fabricate brackets that bolt to the 2x4's under the eves and wrap around the gutter so we can mount the header higher. If we mount the header to the house, the patio cover as a whole will be a little on the low side because of the eve.

Speaking of that, I need to take some measurements for him so he can start drafting the bracket. I think I'll wait until the sun starts setting since my back yard faces west .

 

Oh I see, cool. That custom bracket should be interesting to make. Looking forward to progress pics.

 

I cant wait to have progress pics.

 

Awesome.. Having my concrete patio extended was the best decision.

Keep us updated on the patio cover!

 

I'm thinking of extending my concrete patio. Nice job!

 

Thanks guys!

I'm starting to notice all of the places concrete splattered when it was pumped in. I don't care about the house as it is in dire need of a paint job (paint is faded in areas and I'm not fond of the color anyway), but there are splatters all over both doors. It was my mistake as I knew they should've been covered...so oh well. I'll just have to really scrub at them to remove what I can.

Any suggestions on how to clean that up? I was reading about it and saw that people were using CLR, phosphoric acid, muratic acid (both acids diluted, of course), and even vinegar.

 

Big improvement. Nice job.

As for the splatters, I have no idea. Hopefully you can get them off, though.

 

You might try calling up the concrete company and see if they suggest anything in particular.

 

I'd just use a flathead screwdriver and a hammer and just gently chisel it off.. then go back with some wood putty/paint if you take off too much.. If there is just a little use a dremel with the round sandpaper bit..

 

Just for the heck of it I decided to see if the concrete splatters would come off without doing anything special. So, I went out with a bottle of Windex and a rag, sprayed a section of the door, wiped...and...it all came off!!!

I'm going to clean the doors up tomorrow morning. I'm very happy!

 

Nice job so far!

 

Looks great!

 

Thanks guys! Here's a You Tube video of the patio...nothing special, just another perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsXq6fhc0Xo

If you watch it, be sure you watch at 720p .

 

Should of made it bigger.. that's what my neighbor told me when we had ours done.

 

Nice work.

 

Here's a mock-up of what the bracket would be like:



The bracket will be made out of angle iron and follow the inner line. The X represents the 2x6 header. The mock-up is pretty close, it just needs to be trimmed in a couple of places and we're good to go!

 

Welp...

All of the brackets have been fabricated, the wood has been ordered (redwood, baby!), and we're set to build the patio cover this weekend! . I can't tell you how excited I am . I can't wait!

Stay tuned for pictures...

 

Here it is!



My dad was messing with some stucco patch. Only one mistake during the build.



My -ness paid off. The satellite dish used to be mounted above the window. It had to move. I scheduled an appointment with Dish (which ended up never being scheduled...) in case I was unsuccessful at relocating it, but I re-mounted it and fine tuned it better than the installer.



These are the brackets my dad, brother, and I fabricated. They came out awesome.



Ahh. It's time for a nicer patio set. lol.



I plan to buy a couple of those bamboo roll-up shades to place between the two posts where the table sits to create shade when the patio cover no longer creates it.

My dad and I are throwing around different lighting ideas for general lighting, lighting above the table, and BBQ lighting. The general and table lighting will probably be a low-voltage setup, and the BBQ will most likely be a flood light of some sort.

And...at some point...I want to pick up a pair of these:

http://www.crutchfield.com/s_735AW65...tml?o=r&tp=188

 

Sweet. You're getting there!

 

Very nice, I'm still kicking around ideas about lighting myself.

 

Awesome! Want to come do mine?!

 

Looks good

 

Definitely. The back yard is starting to feel nice, and we can actually use it now. It's a great feeling!

Thanks! I love it.

Absolutely!

I'd agree.

It has made an instant improvement on cooling the living room and dining room. Normally, that part of the house is 1-2 degrees hotter than the rest of the house...but not any more!

More to come....lol...