In which red suspects she has missed her calling
The final result was more artistic than neat, because I used old red bricks and no two were the same size, colour or even shape. But it's rustic, all right? And what can you expect when some of them used to be the walls of my brother's outside dunny?
Admittedly, Bloke did have to do the levelling and measuring, because I'm incompetent at such things. (Numbers? Isn't that a crappy American TV show?) I have, however, discovered a hitherto unsuspected talent for whacking things with a mallet.
So bugger this hacking gig - it should have been the tradey's life for me. I'm sure I could do builders' crack with the best of them.
Labels: diy, mogblogging
posted by redcap @ 4:21 pm
18 comments
18 Comments:
I really like 'em! And I'm very impressed at the manual labour, too. Very creative indeed.
Mrs Fitz (just after I've finished whacking down the last paver): Isn't there a bit of a hollow there?
Me: Nah! That's just an optical illusion.
Mrs Fitz (just after the first rain): There's some water collecting in your optical illusion.
Ariel, thanks! I can tile too :)
Mike, he he he - Mrs Fitz wins on points.
Nice job!
In my case, Mrs Dump was laying pavers while about 7 months pregnant! Only a mere 2000 of them. Mind you I did carry them from the piles of pallets, and put them all then right places.
And a damn fine job it turned out to be too! Seeing as they were seconds and a bit off-size, she found that a spade jammed in the gaps works wonders for shifting about 5 square metres at a time, when you need it to be moved about a centimetre over THAT way!
Clever clogs! You should seriously consider being a tradie.
Hot/Rich boys tradies are. Fact!!
Very nice paving work Redcap - I am seriously impressed!
Red, you should have told me...I used to work at a VERY large Australian brick manufacturer and I'M the master paver. How thick is the base? What is it made from? is it crusher dust with a sand top? Did you put drainage beneath it? Different size bricks are OK because, as you said, they are rustic. Pavers are better than bricks as bricks do not have the tensile strength of pavers but unless you are going to drive a car over it continually it should be OK! The biggest problem is probably going to be ants unless you mixed a good ant rid into the joining sand and didn't use Beach sand... Yes I'm anal about paving lol
PS: looks good btw
Steph, probably if I was young, hot and unattached, I would give the tradey thing a go, just for the boys ;)
Rabbit, why thank you! We'll just have to wait and see whether the garden eats it the first time it rains...
Scorpy, another hidden talent you have! Yes, yes, we did all of those, erm, things... Actually, no, we didn't. Just leveled and laid. The front yard is virtually pure sand because we're so close to the beach and we don't intend to walk on the paving anyway. It's really just a smallish decorative thing to put a pot and a cat on. I know, I'm bad and shoddy. But when I lay the path down the side, I promise I'll (get Bloke to) do all the good stuff, preparation-wise. Promise!
Nice...ummm...paving. Sounds like you've discovered your "inner" coin slot.
Ashleigh, wow - Mrs Dump must be one tough gal! How does she feel about being called Mrs Dump, though?
MatP, I'm off to buy a pair of King Gees and some new Blunnies tomorrow!
Aha. Brilliant. I found a similar joy in putting together an IKEA bookshelf recently.*
I didn't have a hammer, so I used a heavy saucepan. Great stuff!!
* I never thought I;d utter those words.
Ilse, but aren't you supposed to use an alan key? (I try not to acknowledge the existence of Ikea, yet somehow I know this. Damned advertising! Get out of my brain!)
Hmmm
Ants...
Interesting comment that. We've laid about 10 pallets of pavers (thats about 5000 of the suckers). I spent days and days on preparation, so the pavers go down very fast when you are ready. A light tap is all it takes.
LAY THEM WET!
Seriously - getting the sand base thoroughly wet makes the laying job very easy.
Now, 14 years later, the pavers are not moving at all. But the damn ants love them and make little sand mounds. I'm forever running around with ant-rid dust killing the little mongrels off.
As for Mrs Dump - yep - shes a tough gal - but you'd not know it to look at her :)
As for being called Mrs Dump - well - its that or SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed.... Rumpole of the Bailey ring any bells?). She's not offended - after all she has to be called something and "t'other arf" sounds a bit condescending!
I think you did a wonderful job, I am also useless at numbers but good at patterns so maybe I should give paving a go?
I like the look of the different sized bricks, I think it creates so much more character than the brand new, perfectly sized bricks :D
Ok, well we will look forward to the new attire----will you be going for the regulation black stubbies to match your new steel capped boots or the green stubbies and the stylish brown suede lace-up boots----
Remember that the best "crack" is achieved by the stubbies riding down on one cheek.
Refreshments now consist of a pie with sauce and an iced coffee--and VBs at the end of the day
Good work!
Steph definitely has a point - more hot men per 100 builders than per 100 bankers, I wouldn't mind betting.
But you're not on the market. Damn. such wasted skills. If it weren't for the Back, perhaps I'd consider a change of career.
Yeah I did use an allen key, but some Ikea things need a bit of strategic hammering too.
Ashleigh, lay 'em wet, eh? I'll keep that in mind for next time!
D'Jen, thanks - I like the uneven look too.
Ted, mmm, pie with sauce...
LG, perhaps it's time to get friendly with a good back cracker?
Ilse, I'd happily hammer things from Ikea with a sledgehammer >:)
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