Sometime around February of 2014, we received a sales call from one of the local construction companies, offering us 50% off of labor costs for any construction work. We agreed to have a salesman come out and talk with us, even though we weren't quite sure why. After meeting with them, we agreed on having this addition installed for a total cost of $10,000.
However, over the course of the next few months, we ended up speaking with five other guys, each one telling us a different story. After 4 contract addendums and 4 months, we finally came to an agreement, so they could get started. It still took another month for the guy to show up, but we were nonetheless happy to see him. After all the frustration and anxiety, I really wanted this thing done.
The guy that showed up seemed very professional and claimed he would build whatever we felt we were owed, which he did. It was slow going at first. He had to constantly stop and wait for an inspector. Another guy came to do the wiring, which also had to be continuously inspected.
The back steps were supposed to be the last project of the year. This was another fixture that I had absolutely no experience in, which was not just pouring concrete, but turning it into exposed aggregate.
So once again, I spent a couple days on Google for help, and found a several videos and instructions for making exposed aggregate. They made it look so easy! We originally planned to make the steps a half-circle like the patio steps. But I decided it wouldn't look right, so we changed it.
After spending a couple weekends being bored, I decided to build this one now instead of waiting until next year.
For this wall, we used the more expensive blocks that are rectangular, longer, and taller. Once again I started by digging the trench down 8 inches, cutting it several inches wider than the wall. I then poured in 4 inches of aggregate and packed it down.
Copyright © 2024 Bernie's Personal Information - All Rights Reserved.