BlackAck's House Projects Thread
Such a sucker for progress threads.. Looking good Ack!
White cabinets :cough:
I'm curious as to what the building inspector said about the property line. Hopefully he/she shut up said stupid neighbor with the facts
White cabinets :cough:

I'm curious as to what the building inspector said about the property line. Hopefully he/she shut up said stupid neighbor with the facts
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
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From: ShitsBurgh
Yeah, sorry. I got a ton of pics of the wall/yard progress. I've been busy prepping the walls, replacing outlets, light switches, and painting the inside of the house. I'll get some pics up in the next day or 2. Wall is about maybe 1/3 of the way complete, maybe a little less
Yeah, sorry. I got a ton of pics of the wall/yard progress. I've been busy prepping the walls, replacing outlets, light switches, and painting the inside of the house. I'll get some pics up in the next day or 2. Wall is about maybe 1/3 of the way complete, maybe a little less

The hockey thread has become a cyber-room for BL and dom. It's turning too :ghey: in there with their lust for each other.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
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From: ShitsBurgh
Alright, so I've been way behind on pictures, so you're going to get almost a week of progress in time lapse. It's been quite an impressive process so far. The hardest most tedious part is laying the base and getting it all level. Especially with all the dips and hills in my yard. Once the limestone base layer is down, they laid down a dust layer to level the blocks into.
20150414_112416_zpssjcjvlo5.jpg
Then you have to get each base block level, here goes the first stone!
20150414_112518_zpshcnecre2.jpg
Then 1 at a time, you lay them and level each corner.
20150414_130926_zpsklze8sxo.jpg
This shit literally takes hours
20150414_154300_zpsglg6ofmr.jpg
Versa Lok is very cool stone, it gaps over each other, locks together.
20150414_162855_zpsfsxooopb.jpg
While we were building the wall, we had some scrap wood and 4 x 6 ft long fence panels that needed disposed of, so... we used the bobcat to make a nice fire ring and went to town.
20150414_163512_zpscmwys2uf.jpg
On Wednesday, the semi truck showed up
20150415_093532_zpsjdhzuc8f.jpg
Dropped off 20 pallets in the middle of my street, 20 pallets, at 2000 lbs a piece, 24 blocks per pallet.
20150415_095546_zpsjithckaw.jpg
The Versa Lok blocks are pinned together with these glass reinforced plastic pins.
20150415_100024_zps7twzns3x.jpg
20150414_112416_zpssjcjvlo5.jpg
Then you have to get each base block level, here goes the first stone!
20150414_112518_zpshcnecre2.jpg
Then 1 at a time, you lay them and level each corner.
20150414_130926_zpsklze8sxo.jpg
This shit literally takes hours
20150414_154300_zpsglg6ofmr.jpg
Versa Lok is very cool stone, it gaps over each other, locks together.
20150414_162855_zpsfsxooopb.jpg
While we were building the wall, we had some scrap wood and 4 x 6 ft long fence panels that needed disposed of, so... we used the bobcat to make a nice fire ring and went to town.
20150414_163512_zpscmwys2uf.jpg
On Wednesday, the semi truck showed up

20150415_093532_zpsjdhzuc8f.jpg
Dropped off 20 pallets in the middle of my street, 20 pallets, at 2000 lbs a piece, 24 blocks per pallet.
20150415_095546_zpsjithckaw.jpg
The Versa Lok blocks are pinned together with these glass reinforced plastic pins.
20150415_100024_zps7twzns3x.jpg
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
Likes: 4,682
From: ShitsBurgh
Once the stone was here, the guys got right to work slapping these 100 lb blocks down.
20150415_132354_zpsmntxhmcw.jpg
Here is how the stones pin together, it's amazing that these plastic pins hold together all these stones.
20150415_155259_zps92ppcjb4.jpg
The wall really started coming together the first day we had the stones.
20150415_162336_zps4kuuz62a.jpg
The next important step is backfilling the dirt
20150415_191222_zpstrzvja8u.jpg
20150415_191444_zpshhizb3e6.jpg
Before the sun went down, they pulled all the rest of the pallets out of the street and up into the yard by the wall.
20150417_142849_zpssrbyfdy4.jpg
Due to township regulations, a good portion of the wall is going to have to be buried, so he graded up the yard. My yard also had very poor drainage, so he's installing 2 french drains into the retaining wall to help run the water away from my yard, he got the drain gravel and pipe all ready to go
20150417_142942_zpsgbb8gqbf.jpg
Look it's looking like a wall now. (that level is 6 ft long) and note, he's already buried 2 stones deep
20150418_113726_zpsfmhc4zpf.jpg
Anything over 4 ft requires a grid material, so on top of the drainage rock, he put the grid material down, and then packed more backfill dirt
20150418_134559_zps3teojivr.jpg
Here you can see the various layers
20150418_134732_zpsh74iviom.jpg
Up Up and Away!
20150418_190944_zps35qopsuo.jpg
20150418_191005_zpstm3n9i4h.jpg
They are working on cleaning up the yard and finishing the wall today. I will post more pics soon
20150415_132354_zpsmntxhmcw.jpg
Here is how the stones pin together, it's amazing that these plastic pins hold together all these stones.
20150415_155259_zps92ppcjb4.jpg
The wall really started coming together the first day we had the stones.
20150415_162336_zps4kuuz62a.jpg
The next important step is backfilling the dirt
20150415_191222_zpstrzvja8u.jpg
20150415_191444_zpshhizb3e6.jpg
Before the sun went down, they pulled all the rest of the pallets out of the street and up into the yard by the wall.
20150417_142849_zpssrbyfdy4.jpg
Due to township regulations, a good portion of the wall is going to have to be buried, so he graded up the yard. My yard also had very poor drainage, so he's installing 2 french drains into the retaining wall to help run the water away from my yard, he got the drain gravel and pipe all ready to go
20150417_142942_zpsgbb8gqbf.jpg
Look it's looking like a wall now. (that level is 6 ft long) and note, he's already buried 2 stones deep
20150418_113726_zpsfmhc4zpf.jpg
Anything over 4 ft requires a grid material, so on top of the drainage rock, he put the grid material down, and then packed more backfill dirt
20150418_134559_zps3teojivr.jpg
Here you can see the various layers
20150418_134732_zpsh74iviom.jpg
Up Up and Away!
20150418_190944_zps35qopsuo.jpg
20150418_191005_zpstm3n9i4h.jpg
They are working on cleaning up the yard and finishing the wall today. I will post more pics soon
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
Likes: 4,682
From: ShitsBurgh
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
Likes: 4,682
From: ShitsBurgh
Well, my contractor blew out the hydraulic pump on the brand new bobcat, so I'm not sure how much work is going to get done this week... But it's raining and a giant mud pit back there today anyway
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
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From: ShitsBurgh
I'm sure the pump on the bob is miniscule 
butt when I worked on the mountain, we had a lift pump fail. It almost took the head off one of the operators nearby. Scary shit considering how much pressure they're under.
Hopefully it's just a rebuild and it's up and bobbing again in no time.

butt when I worked on the mountain, we had a lift pump fail. It almost took the head off one of the operators nearby. Scary shit considering how much pressure they're under.
Hopefully it's just a rebuild and it's up and bobbing again in no time.
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From: Mooresville, NC
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
Likes: 4,682
From: ShitsBurgh
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
Likes: 4,682
From: ShitsBurgh
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
Likes: 4,682
From: ShitsBurgh
20150412_170844_zpszpo1jvgx.jpg
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 92,764
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From: ShitsBurgh
She's also been overseeing the progress inside the house 
20150415_075556_zpsxgqiv4uy.jpg
The back yard is a mud pit, so I just dumped 50 pics off my phone for my next update...
20150415_075556_zpsxgqiv4uy.jpg
The back yard is a mud pit, so I just dumped 50 pics off my phone for my next update...




Adding 12-15 ft of useable yard
I love this update. The dogs will love it even more.


