07-27-210 Co-op

The last few days I got to help Troy and his crew with the installation of a bluestone patio. Troy did the design, and since this was for a front porch, he used concrete for the foundation. If it were for a garden, he could have used sand or gravel instead of mortar. The first thing I did was unload all of the stone in the driveway and sort it according to the design. He wanted to see what pieces he was working with. It was very much like putting together a big puzzle. A rustic puzzle at that! Once everything was sorted out, Julian showed me how to mix the mortar and cut the pieces for the end cap and boarder. Mortar tends to harden quickly, so you have to work at a decent pace when setting the stone. Once the boarder was done, it was a matter of putting the correct pieces in and making sure it was level. It was a great learning experience! Here are some pictures..

The base

The stone. I had to unload all of this! Talk about a workout...

Mixing the mortar. I must have mixed 500 lbs of the stuff.

The design

80 lb. bags get heavy after a while!

Mortar

Stone from mutual materials

Setting my first bluestone

Julian showing me how to measure for the proper cut. It wasn't difficult
once he showed me how it's done.

Getting things ready for my cut. This one was just a straight piece,
so a lot easier than the corner piece.

Jose cutting strips for the end cap

making sure it's all level

Border

Final product. It turned out pretty nice!

07-24-2012 Co-op

Today I learned how to prep and lay sod. The hardest part to laying sod is the preparation and the finished product is only as good as the preparation. The first step was to add some amendment to the existing soil. Luckily, this client has her yard re-done every year, so the soil wasn't all that bad. Her yard is surrounded by huge trees so it doesn't get the proper amount of sunlight and other nutrients it needs. Plus, she has a dog that tears it up, so she just has it re-done.

Here are some pics of the job!

Before

Digging up what little lawn was left and getting it ready to be tilled.

I added a soil blend and tilled it in with the existing soil

Next, I raked and removed any debris. ie, roots, grass, etc.

Rolls of sod

Using the lawn roller. I raked and repeated this step about 6 times!

All prepped and ready to go for the sod.

Laying and cutting the sod. All of
those years of playing Tetris as a kid is starting to pay off!

Rolling the sod a final time. This thing is heavy and wears you out!!!!

The finish product. It turned out nice and it was a great learning experience!

Trust me, i'm that strong!!!!

Not really, I just emptied the 50 gallons of water that was in it! :-)

I also got to add some garden compost and mulch for a client.

Before

After

Before

After

Garden mulch

Adjusting the spray pattern for a client. Who wants to water the pavement?
My Irrigation class has definitely paid off!!

It was much easier making the adjustments here than the one at school :P 

I will try and add some pictures of a patio that I am working on in the next couple of days. I must say, I am really liking the construction side of things. Hardscapes in my future? hmmm....

                         


                         




                         

07-19-2012 Co-op

Building a bamboo trellis for the shop

Starting to lay out the pieces. Unfortunately I  forgot to take a final pic. It turned out pretty nice for my first one!

I got to use a dingo for the first time! It wasn't as hard as i thought it would be. I'm just glad I didn't have to move all of the soil and concrete by hand! :)

Fertilizing 

Pond in front

Front view

Just love this

Stairway leading to backyard

So clean and nice

Gunnera

These leaves were as tall as me!

Banana slug. gross.

Stairway 

Art

I had to do some work up on that hill. It doesn't look steep, but it was a real challenge  to maneuver around all of the bamboo and plants.

Another clients yard. I just love Gunnera!