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Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2003 10:36 pm
by 84-1093879891
160mm wide? That'll use 8.3 smalls per metre, or 733 small in total, leaving 107 smalls for the body (along with the meejums and larges) so that's not too bad. :)
You've ordered more or less bang on 22m² with no allowance for wastage or cutting - will you have enough? There's nowt worse than being a half-metre short of finishing, as that only ever happens after the BM has shut up for the weekend! :(
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2003 9:04 am
by nezza
Well, the 22m² is allowing for wastage - I think I need 20m² overall so I added 10% safety margin
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2003 12:25 pm
by 84-1093879891
You'll have plenty, then. :)
When do you start laying?
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2003 2:25 pm
by nezza
8th/9th March for excavation and marking out.
The concrete is ordered for 10am on 10th March - I've got 3.5 people laying blocks so I hope we can get all the soldiers down on the Monday. Tuesday 11th for haunching and contingency.
Wed/Thur installing the sub-base - I'll be using the mini-digger to move the DTp1 around the site. Probably install the gravel on Thursday afternoon.
Friday to pave the paths (6 m²) etc.
Cheers
Neil
(Edited by nezza at 3:17 pm on Feb. 28, 2003)
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2003 2:23 pm
by 84-1093879891
3.5 people laying blocks? Who's the 0.5 person?
I think the forecast for the coming week is pretty naff, but hopefully it'll pick up again by next weekend. :)
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2003 9:38 am
by nezza
Well, there's me, 2 definites and a maybe.
I saw the weather forcast and it doesn't look too hopeful, but as long as it's not too bad at the weekend and early in the week we should be OK, I hope.
Cheers
Neil
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2003 12:18 pm
by 84-1093879891
I'll bet you wish you'd done it this past week! It's been ideal paving weather - not too cold, not too hot and, most importantly, dry. :)
Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2003 12:37 am
by nezza
I'm absolutely knackered.
More importantly, thanks to you, the drive is more-or-less finished. At last.
By Saturday afternoon last, I was wondering what I had taken on. Sunday deepened my despair. At least I had finished the excavatation. And a mini digger.
On Monday, Simon and Rob arrived. We levelled, marked out, drank tea, pondered, reflected and knuckled down. I also postponed Mr Mixamate, much to his late-notice disgust.
Tuesday became more marking, levelling and wacking. I had the semblance of a drive; it didn't help me sleep easier :-(
On Wednesday, Mr Mixmate arrived on site at 9am. By 11am he had delivered 2.5 cu.m concrete for Simon, Rob, Bob-next-door and me; but we had only installed 2/3 edging. Fortunately he was able to return later that afternoon to deliver the remaining 1.5m. We used some of the excess to haunch the soldiers, but still I worried. At least the worst was over. Or so I thought...
At 6.40am on Thursday, I awoke to hear a lorry outside the house. Nothing unusual, thinks I, we're on a fairly main road. Except this partiular lorry - driven by Elvis - had the first 10T of my DTp1 onboard. I invoked the standard delaying tactics of tea and 9-month-old daughter, but the load was tipped at 7.30am.
9am saw the second 10T. The 3rd at 10:15 and the last 10T was delivered at 11.30. By 4pm the whole 40T was installed and wacked into place. 3T excess was relocated to the back garden. TBC...
Unfortunately, by Friday morning a more laid-back attitute had take hold. The 7T of 10mm shingle arrived at 11am and Rob and I (by now the only remaining labourers) had it shifted by 3pm, but somehow it seemed slack.
Today (Sat) I mixed a bit of concrete to be the path's edgeing ; and laid outr another of the pathways, but apart from that did very little.
I hope to finish tomorrow.
Photos to follow...
Kind regards
Neil
(Edited by nezza at 12:39 am on Mar. 16, 2003)
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 12:47 pm
by 84-1093879891
Sounds like you;ve been having fun, Neil! ;)
I know what you mean about the wagon drivers - if you're waiting for them, they don't land until 4 in the afternoon, but if you're struggling, they're on site before dawn has broken. They seem to think normal folk keep the same ungodly hours that they do - many of them load up the night before so they can be onsite even earlier, and grumble even more about 'being kept waiting'. I've never understood why they think turning up at 6am is a good idea - most sites don't start until 7.30 or 8am at the earliest!
Looking forward to the piccies - have you got a six-pack belly now? ;)