I knew nothing of concrete, except that it came in an eighty-pound paper bag that was sure to give me the hernia my grandmother had always warned me about. It was high summer, and I had just finished digging a hole in our heavy clay soil the size and depth of a kiddie pool and it needed to be filled with a whole lot of those eighty-pound sacks. Or I could just call up a concrete company for a delivery. Wasn't pouring concrete slabs a job best left for professionals and organized crime hit-men? To the Yellow Pages!
The foundation work specified in Forno Bravo's plans for the Pompeii pizza oven seemed like serious overkill. But then again, there's no doubt that a solid base is needed to keep the oven stand and the cooking dome from shifting, which would cause the pizza oven's masonry to crack. Several tons of firebricks and refractory mortar need to be supported by something equally solid! So I decided not to improvise this time and follow the plans precisely.
Meanwhile, my calls to local concrete companies were not being returned. Everyone was running full out in the summer construction season and didn't have time for a piddly bit of work. (This was last summer, before the economy cratered.) But I got lucky when a neighbor who had just finished digging the foundation for his new garage came to the rescue when I shared my concrete dilemma with him. The weekend before the crew he had hired was ready to pour, he sent them over to me for an estimate.
Two guys with Popeye forearms swung by to survey my site. They shrugged. I hoped to move negotiations along by suggesting that maybe they could add a bit more concrete to the neighbor's order and take care of my project. The boss nodded without commitment and sucked on a toothpick. Finally they hit on an excuse for their reluctance, explaining that they would have to move the concrete across the lawn by wheelbarrow since they couldn't get the truck close enough for the boom to reach my site. Fair enough, I thought, and I agreed to cover their time for the heavy-lifting. They took my number without commitment. They'd call after they poured the concrete for the neighbor's garage on Monday morning.
Convinced their visit (and word) was golden, I finished the preliminary work over the weekend: spreading a two foot base of crushed stone to level the hole and provide some drainage. Then I built a form from 2 X 6 lumber to hold the concrete in place at the top of the excavation. I covered the stone underneath the form with a plastic moisture barrier, using old shower curtain liners that I had been saving for a good purpose. Then I used a masonry blade on my power saw to cut lengths of iron reinforcing rod, also known in the trade as "rebar." (Note to fellow amateurs: Throwing around the lingo doesn't impress anyone.) I lay the rebar onto plastic spacers that would hold each length four inches into the concrete, criss-crossing the bars into a grid that would add support and strength to the concrete. When I was done my hole looked ready for the pour.
Monday morning brought the threat of thunderstorms, but no phone calls from the concrete guys. That's okay, I thought, they'd come over when they were done. The crew was working across the river, and I could hear their truck's diesel engine rev as the concrete tumbled in the huge barrel. They worked for awhile and by lunch-time, they were gone. Lunch break, right? Nope, they were on to the next big job, and I still had a hole in the backyard.
I could do this, I decided. Two trips to Home Depot with a thousand pounds of Quikcrete dragging bottom in the family car. I stowed the thirty-five bags in the garage on an old wooden pallet. About this time the summer rains hit. Day-after-day of heavy showers made it impossible to mix and pour the concrete. And I wanted to be done.
For years, early August has delivered June's Dad, Hickory, cross-country for his annual visit. He's always quick to help out, especially when there's a hard-to-hide hole in the backyard. Hickory is a super-hero of a father-in-law, and he never fails to help us out of a jam. And as always, he was full-in for helping me out. So I attempted to rent a cement mixer from our local tool rental, but the ground was too muddy to drag it across the yard, so back went the mixer. We set to work by hand with a wobbly wheel-barrow and mixed all thirty-five bags by hand.
Fern and Blossom marked each corner with their footprints and names. And by evening, the whole thing was done. Oh, and then Grandpa Hickory went back home and saw a chiropractor to straighten out his back, and he couldn't sleep for two weeks, but that's a whole other story for a whole different sort of blog.
Coming up in Step Three: A crushing blow with concrete blocks on a rented truck!
13 comments:
Good progress ;-) Can't wait to the complete work.
Oops - hope this doesn't get posted twice! Love the idea of the footprints - AND the idea of fresh pizza:-)
When hubby and I re-did the kitchen,m we wrote a message on the wall near the floorboards with the dates and our hope & dreams - maybe when we're gone someone will be surprised when they move the fridge!
I just had wood-fired pizza this weekend down the road at a friend's house. His pizza/bread oven is built like the Pantheon, so looks like you're off to a great start. And may I say it will be worth the bad back and heavy lifting. Keep your eye on the pie!
Thirty five bags!!!!
Oh, my!
Wood fired pizza does sounds pretty fabulous : )
شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض غرب الرياض
شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض شرق الرياض
شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بالمدينة المنورة
شركة رش مبيدات جنوب الرياض
شركة رش مبيدات شمال الرياض
شركة رش مبيدات وسط الرياض
شركة رش مبيدات غرب الرياض
شركة رش مبيدات شرق الرياض
شركة مكافحة حشرات جنوب الرياض
شركة مكافحة حشرات شمال الرياض
شركة مكافحة حشرات وسط الرياض
شركة مكافحة حشرات غرب الرياض
Aol Technical Support Phone Number
Aol Technical Support Number
Aol Tech Support Number
Aol Tech Support phone Number
Aol Support Phone Number
Aol Tech Support Number
Outlook Technical Support Phone Number
Outlook Technical Supprt Number
Outlook Tech Support Number
Outlook Tech Support Phne Number
Outlook Support Phone Number
Outlook Tech Support Number
Quicken Support Phone Number
Quicken Support Phone Number
Quicken Support Number
Quicken Technical Support Phone Number
Quicken Technical Support Number
Quicken Tech Support Phone Number
Quicken Tech Support Number
Quicken Customer Service Phone Number
Quicken Customer Service Number
QuickBooks Enterprise Technician
Quickbooks Enterprise Support Phone Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Tech Support Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Support Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Technical Support Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Tech Support Phone Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Technical Support Phone Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Help Desk Phone Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Help Desk Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Customer Service Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Customer Service Phone Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Customer Support Number
Quickbooks Enterprise Customer Support Phone Number
Quicken Support Number
Quicken Support Phone Number
Quicken Tech Support Number
Quicken Support Number
Quicken Technical Support Number
Quicken Tech Support Phone Number
Quicken Customer Service Number
Quicken Customer Service Phone Number
Quicken Customer Support Number
Quicken Customer Support Phone Number
Quicken Help Desk Phone Number
Quicken Help Desk Number
Quicken Tech Support Number
Quicken Support Phone Number
Quicken Tech Support Number
Quicken Support Number
Quicken Technical Support Number
Quicken Tech Support Phone Number
Quicken Customer Service Number
Quicken Customer Service Phone Number
Quicken Customer Support Number
Quicken Customer Support Phone Number
Quicken Help Desk Phone Number
Quicken Help Desk Number
Packers and Movers
Packers and Movers Delhi
Packers and Movers Mumbai
Packers and Movers Bangalore
Packers and Movers hyderabad
Packers and Movers Chennai
Packers and Movers Gurgaon
Packers and Movers Pune
Packers and Movers Faridabad
Packers and Movers Ghaziabad
Packers and Movers Noida
Movers and Packers
Movers and Packers Delhi
Movers and Packers Mumbai
Movers and Packers Bangalore
Movers and Packers hyderabad
Movers and Packers Chennai
Movers and Packers Gurgaon
Movers and Packers Pune
Movers and Packers Faridabad
Movers and Packers Ghaziabad
Movers and Packers Noida
Packers and Movers
Packers and Movers in Pune
Packers and Movers in Mumbai
Packers and Movers in Gurgaon
Packers and Movers in Noida
Packers and Movers in Delhi
Packers and Movers in Chennai
Packers and Movers in Hyderabad
Packers and Movers in Bangalore
Packers and Movers in Ghaziabad
Packers and Movers in Faridabad
Movers and Packers
Movers and Packers in Pune
Movers and Packers in Mumbai
Movers and Packers in Gurgaon
Movers and Packers in Noida
Movers and Packers in Delhi
Movers and Packers in Chennai
Movers and Packers in Hyderabad
Movers and Packers in Bangalore
Movers and Packers in Ghaziabad
Movers and Packers in Faridabad
nike air max
cheap jordans
michael kors outlet
adidas superstar shoes
stephen curry shoes
links of london
golden goose outlet
yeezy
adidas outlet online
true religion jeans
Post a Comment