Something for Thumper

[FZR1KG]

Seeing as you're the only other (automotive) mechanically inclined guy I'm aware of.

Since we shut the restaurant down about a month ago, I've:

Fixed the Rodeo auto transmission.
Put rear shocks on the Dodge.
Changed the radio on the Dodge.
Changed the battery on the lawn tractor.
Changed the battery on the Rodeo.
Ordered front shocks for the Dodge.
Ordered lower wishbone for the Dodge because they make one piece control arms with the bush in built.
Reground the axle on the lawn tractor to fit aftermarket rims.
Repaired rear tire on Dodge.
Fitted a truck tool box and stocked it with tools so I can do all the shit above.
Changed the light globes in the stairwell. This took a few hours as I needed to build a scaffold...


Yet to do:
Change wishbone and front shocks on Dodge.
Change starter motor on Rodeo.
Change all the oils on both vehicles.

I wondered why I was tired this morning then realised the above plus the renovating of the apartment above the restaurant.
Non automotive stuff still to do, fence the chickens in. A tree fell on our old fence so they all come out now and shit on the front porch.
They seem to find it amusing. We don't.
Its driving us all nuts.
Make a new chicken coop, the current one was a temp job because the MIL burned down their fancy old coop.
Strip the front and back porches and repaint.
Change the warped wood on the rear porch rails.
Make the lower part of the rear porch undercover (change decking to ply and seal it in).
Make the lower area sealed so I have a workshop.
Make a decked walkway from the front porch to the car park area (about 60feet long). Could be shorter but I'd need to make steps and no one wants that in winter outdoors.
Recut the path I made last year through the wooded area.
Clear the backyard of rubbish.

Pretty sure there's a few other things I have that I forgot about.
It just never ends...

[Thumper]

It just never ends. That is certainly true. In between the working on the cars, the mowing and trimming takes all the "spare time." Since I'm so far behind in trimming fence and creek lines, the encroachment into the mowed areas is radical. Mowing the edges is brutally annoying. I cannot keep up. I've even "invited" friends over to help me clear some brush for food and beer. There's area after area that I haven't gotten to. I don't have enough places to store all the brush before I burn it. I was cutting stuff last night and burning it green in place with a bunch of diesel. Hated it but I just get tired of stacking it, loading it, dragging it into the woods. Looks like you're much more productive than me.

I usually like to trim stuff way back in winter. On a nice cold frozen day I can go around without making a muddy mess and trim stuff without all the leaves and overgrowth on it. Much less material, much more effective. Missed my chance with my back injury and I just may never catch back up.

Next option: Round Up. (The nuclear option)

[Thumper]

Is building a deck walk to the cars a better option than just forming it up and pouring concrete?

[Hap]

Next option: Round Up. (The nuclear option)

If you do resort to the nuke option, I have found that Ortho Ground Clear works much better than Round Up. Used to do 3-4 applications of Round Up to keep the grass and weeds out of my gravel walkways and driveway. One application of the Ortho, and it is all gone, with no signs of coming back (yet).

[SciFi Chick]

FZ is currently more productive than you because he doesn't have a job.

[Thumper]

Next option: Round Up. (The nuclear option)

If you do resort to the nuke option, I have found that Ortho Ground Clear works much better than Round Up. Used to do 3-4 applications of Round Up to keep the grass and weeds out of my gravel walkways and driveway. One application of the Ortho, and it is all gone, with no signs of coming back (yet).

I round up the weeds in the gravel driveway several times a year. This is the time of year they grow back fast. (Why is it I can't get grass to grow in nice healthy dirt that I water, but it will grow in gravel, or on my wood and steel bridge?). I actually have KilzAll now. It's the same ingredients as RoundUp.

[FZR1KG]

Is building a deck walk to the cars a better option than just forming it up and pouring concrete?

There's about four-six feet of vertical from from the car park area to the front porch.
The 4-6 foot variation is because the car park area drops two feet from the road towards the house.
Then there's a further drop of about 4 feet from the porch to the ground where the path is to be made.
So we're looking at about say 9 foot worth of vertical drop I have to build over.
The house is dropped below the road as its built on the side of a slope.
It's built up a little from the slope itself but way below the road and the car park area.

Unfortunately that means concrete is not an option as I want a relatively steady grade.
In effect what I'm building is more of a bridge than a path.

It's not going to be a simple weekend project, lets put it that way. LOL
My estimate on my own full time is about a 10 days.
1 to set the foundation in concrete.
1 to let it set.
1 To bolt on the bracing for the frame.
2 to lay down the frame
2 to lay down the decking
2 to put up the railing.
1 to paint it all.

As the wife says, I can get a lot more done around here because I no longer have a job

[Thumper]

Sounds like alot of post holes.

[FZR1KG]

60 feet worth of pathway, so yeah, there'll be some hole digging.