The Project Thread

[rajncajn]

1 hour ago, League_Champion said:

There's some very poor & rural parts of SC & Georgia where you actually see that kind of stuff. And there's others that live in a single wide with a $100,000 truck, a $50,000+ car and a $200,000 boat in the driveway, it's comical. 

My dad (as a retirement gig) drives for the local Mercedes dealer. Basically he picks up and drops off people's cars for repair. He's told me that some of the places he has to drive to, he wouldn't be caught dead in after dark and often the houses he goes to are complete dumps. On the flip side he's also been to places like Jonathan Papelbon & Emeril Lagasse's house.

[rajncajn]

Test pieces with single coat of linseed oil.  I've already learned a few things.  I need to be much more diligent with popping bubbles in the epoxy and pour in layers on the deeper pours that have more crevices to get into. I also need to do a much more thorough job of sanding. You probably can't see in the pic,  but I left a few sanding marks. Easy to clean up,  I just need to take my time. Lastly, I like this finish so far,  but I want to also try the tung oil. Linseed may end up a little darker than I want and I want to see of the color pops more with the tung oil. At any rate, I'm 100% on board with the clear epoxy. It has a kind of amber affect to it that I really love.

Edited January 27, 2023 by rajncajn

[rajncajn]

While I work on my test pieces I've been also cutting the rest of my boards to size and beginning the sanding process and prep for the epoxy. By the time I'm done with that I should be ready with the decision on sealer.

[rajncajn]

Getting some real work done today!

Sanded all 14 boards with 80 grit to remove all the cut marks, cleaned out all the cavities from the rot and loose debris and pre-beveled all the edges to be later rounded.  All the boards are now prepped and ready for epoxy to fill the voids.

[League_Champion]

On 1/28/2023 at 4:51 PM, rajncajn said:

Getting some real work done today!

Sanded all 14 boards with 80 grit to remove all the cut marks, cleaned out all the cavities from the rot and loose debris and pre-beveled all the edges to be later rounded.  All the boards are now prepped and ready for epoxy to fill the voids.

Looks great 👍 

That's going to be sharp. 

[rajncajn]

Been a while since I updated this with good reason. Apparently with one of my pours I got the mixture wrong and I've been waiting weeks for it to set with no luck. Thankfully it's just on 3 of the boards, but it's a gummy, sticky mess. I did a couple of searches to find a way to fix it, but with very little luck. I tried cleaning it out, but that only made it worse and using acetone or mineral spirits does nothing to cut the stuff and only stains the area where the solvent & epoxy mix. I'm down to my last option now, which is to mix more epoxy and pour over the gunky spots. I've read that it might help cure the existing. Waiting for that to dry and see what I end up with. Either it works or I may have to go pick up a couple more boards.

[keggerz]

Just now seeing this thread for the first time. I have a couple of older projects (landscaping) that I did that I’d gladly share in this thread if that’s cool?

[rajncajn]

21 minutes ago, keggerz said:

Just now seeing this thread for the first time. I have a couple of older projects (landscaping) that I did that I’d gladly share in this thread if that’s cool?

That's what it's for. 

[keggerz]

On 10/4/2022 at 9:43 AM, gilthorp said:

It's an exciting day today. Aerating the yard!

How often do you aerate & overseed? I used to do it yearly but then talked to a guy that was in the industry that didn’t have a financial stake in me doing it or not. He said if/when your lawn is really lush you can get away with doing it every 2-3 years. Last time I did mine was 3 yrs ago  

 

this pic is from last year:

Here’s 2021

 

2020:

 

2019 (1st season tried the checkerboard):

2018:

Had a NE fan move in next store about 4 months before Philly won the Super Bowl (I couldn’t help myself)

 

The backyard was a multi-yr project that I’ll get into later. 
 

I’ve only cut the grass twice so far so the pattern isn’t set yet. 

Edited March 31, 2023 by keggerz

[keggerz]

Here’s a “chandelier” I made a few yrs ago. Paid to have it dipped to remove the asbestos paint. 

 

 

 

 

have since added more “candles” and added the inset led pucks that are removable so the batteries can be replaced. 

 

fwiw, this is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this. The wife loves it so that’s all that matters. 

Edited March 31, 2023 by keggerz

[League_Champion]

1 hour ago, keggerz said:

The backyard was a multi-yr project that I’ll get into later. 

Damn Keggerz, that's awesome! What part of the Country are you in? Down here we have Bermuda & Centipede grass. I've had issues keeping mine thick, I finally hired a company to take care of it. This will be the first year with them, I'm hoping it looks half that beautiful, nice job! 

[keggerz]

40 minutes ago, League_Champion said:

Damn Keggerz, that's awesome! What part of the Country are you in? Down here we have Bermuda & Centipede grass. I've had issues keeping mine thick, I finally hired a company to take care of it. This will be the first year with them, I'm hoping it looks half that beautiful, nice job! 

Thanks. We are in the Richmond VA area. Grass is tall fescue and I do use a service but I do add supplemental fertilizer (Milorganite) 4x/year. The other thing is to just make sure it’s watered enough. Fwiw, it took 2-3 years to get to where I was very happy with it. 
 

Here are some pics from season 1:

 

[rajncajn]

That's a fine looking yard. Wish I could get my grass to grow that nice.

[keggerz]

Backyard: Phase 1 (I didn’t know I’d have multiple phases)

fwiw, the backyard was generally a soggy mess & as much as I’d have liked to have done pavers, that was well out of budget. 

Note: I’ve never done anything like this before  

How it started:

circle is where the pergola will go

 

 

first I built a “planter” to help me level out the fire pit area. 

next was building up the area for the pergola. So I had to build a “retaining wall.” 

My dad helped me build the surround for my grill:

Next it’s time for the slate chips, mulch and the putting green. Outside of a neighbor helping shovel stone for about an hour I shoveled it all by myself. I forget exactly how much but I think it was 7 yards  

 

hard to tell, but from the top of the green to the bottom there’s probably a 15”ish slope (I addressed that in phase 2)  

we also decided to add stepping treads to help break up the stone and I built a wood floor for the pergola:

 

this shows how it looked after being stained  

 

 

I did some minor tweaks along the way. Mainly adding in these retaining wall blocks to outline the mulch beds.

 

all told from start to finish this phase  took me about 3 months (mid March to mid June). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by keggerz

[keggerz]

36 minutes ago, rajncajn said:

That's a fine looking yard. Wish I could get my grass to grow that nice.

Thanks. Prior to us buying this house I’d try to cut my grass as low as I could so it would burn up and I wouldn’t have to cut it so much. Now, during the summer I have to cut it 2x/week. 

[keggerz]

Phase 2 (this took about 2 months to complete). Decided to get rid of the soggy, muddy grass areas in the back so I installed artificial turf. 
 

Gotta a bunch of samples and settled on the one that’s circled. 

Didn’t realize how heavy & unwieldy the rolls would be (I didn’t have any extra help so I needed to use a cart etc to move it) 

these are the two areas before getting started 

then I had to dig up all the grass and I did it without any machinery. Removed roughly 5” worth of grass and soil. 

once I had the grass all dig up I had to add gopher wire (easier to see if you zoom in)  

 

next was the landscaping fabric

and now it’s time for the stone (3/4”) for drainage. I wasn’t happy the delivery got a bunch on the grass!

How it started…

how it ended…

this step did seem like it would never end. 

tried to get away with just hand tamping but ended up renting a gas tamper. It helped but it was also a big PITA!

now I’m ready to move on to laying the turf. 

since I had enough scraps I decided to do around the pergola too

 

once it’s down it’s just like laying carpet in that you have to stretch it. But to anchor it I used around 600 landscaping staples/stakes. 

After pounding in the staples I used a hook to pull out the blades so you couldn’t tell where they were:

I also wanted to install a slate area at the end of one of the sections for a bench to sit on. 

Once the turf is down you have to spread the infill. I used Envirofill which has Microban (helps with the dogs doing their business) in it. This stuff cost close to what the turf did! 

I also decided to replace the lattice under the porch with horizontal boards. In one section I added a hinge so if I want to store anything under there I can. 

Cutting the edges in wasn’t the easiest thing in the world

Now for the final reveal:

 

My wife hand painted the Eagles logo:

At the end of the day it was a ton more work than I expected but we are extremely happy with it. 

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by keggerz

[irish]

Keg, other than the Eagles' symbol, that's what hell of an awesome job!!

I've been debating on what to do in my backyard and may go the same route with the turf.  May need some info on what you used. I have way too much shading and dogs are digging everything up. 

[keggerz]

Phase 3 (took about 2.5 weeks). Decided I’d try my hand at building a stone retaining wall so I could get the putting green level. 
 

Step one, dig the trench 

then add some drainage rock and start laying the courses in. Keeping things level was the most challenging part. 

Total courses at its deepest spot is 6 (includes the one course that’s buried)

now just keep on stacking and leveling 

Getting there…

My wife took the original brass fire pit bowl and converted it into a water feature with a bit more pop. Yeah, she hand glued each glass piece. 
 

Added in white sand to really set it off. So kow the green has a sand trap and water hazard, lol. 

Here’s the before picture:

And here are the after pictures:

I have added a few slate stepping stones in the mulch since this was completed and I still want to replace the landscaping stones to match the retaining wall but haven’t gotten around to that yet. Overall, the project was a success because we love how it looks and the green is also level now. Plus it’s still standing!!!!

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by keggerz

[keggerz]

12 minutes ago, irish said:

Keg, other than the Eagles' symbol, that's what hell of an awesome job!!

I've been debating on what to do in my backyard and may go the same route with the turf.  May need some info on what you used. I have way too much shading and dogs are digging everything up. 

This is where I got my turf:

The gopher wire and landscaping fabric I got online but can’t remember where. The staples I got off Amazon:

Txool 100 Pack 6 Inch Galvanized Landscape Staples 11 Gauge Garden Stakes Ground Staples Sturdy Rustproof Landscaping Staples Sod Pins for Anchoring Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric Ground Cover Fence https://a.co/d/15fh71U
 

I found the Envirofill locally but it wasn’t easy to do. That will likely be the hardest to find and most expensive (next to the turf) part of the project. Oh snd you need to use a drop spreader to apply it too. 

[irish]

7 minutes ago, keggerz said:

This is where I got my turf:

The gopher wire and landscaping fabric I got online but can’t remember where. The staples I got off Amazon:

Txool 100 Pack 6 Inch Galvanized Landscape Staples 11 Gauge Garden Stakes Ground Staples Sturdy Rustproof Landscaping Staples Sod Pins for Anchoring Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric Ground Cover Fence https://a.co/d/15fh71U
 

I found the Envirofill locally but it wasn’t easy to do. That will likely be the hardest to find and most expensive (next to the turf) part of the project. Oh and you need to use a drop spreader to apply it too. 

Great info. How costly was the turf and Envirofill?  I have a pretty decent size space to do, so I may have to do like you did and create some walking paths and/or sitting areas to break it up. 

[keggerz]

37 minutes ago, irish said:

Great info. How costly was the turf and Envirofill?  I have a pretty decent size space to do, so I may have to do like you did and create some walking paths and/or sitting areas to break it up. 

I got lucky that the sample we liked was a closeout ($1.19/sqft). I ordered 480 sqft and the cost with delivery was $750 and change. 
 

I think I paid $25ish/bag for the Envirofill. But that’s because I found it locally. If you have to pay for shipping it’s going to run about $50/bag. Each bag covers about 20 sqft. And even finding someone that will ship isn’t the easiest thing. I do remember I got mine from SiteOne, fwiw.

Notice this place lists in store only:

 

if you get it you want the 16/30

 

 

[irish]

2 minutes ago, keggerz said:

I got lucky that the sample we liked was a closeout ($1.19/sqft). I ordered 480 sqft and the cost with delivery was $750 and change. 
 

I think I paid $25ish/bag for the Envirofill. But that’s because I found it locally. If you have to pay for shipping it’s going to run about $50/bag. Each bag covers about 20 sqft. And even finding someone that will ship isn’t the easiest thing. I do remember I got mine from SiteOne, fwiw.

Notice this place lists in store only:

 

if you get it you want the 16/30

 

 

Thx again, appreciate the help!  I'm on spring break this week, so it's a great time to start planning, measuring and ordering. 

[keggerz]

20 minutes ago, irish said:

Thx again, appreciate the help!  I'm on spring break this week, so it's a great time to start planning, measuring and ordering. 

You’re welcome. Good luck. 

[rajncajn]

Holy manure Keg, you've gotta hook me up on some finance deals. That's gotta be some serious jack you've got invested in that yard. 

[rajncajn]

Well here's my afternoon:

working my final sand. 80 grit to knock off the excess epoxy and...

Mother (the really bad word)er!!!

Yeah, I said it out loud and threw down my sander as well... 

(the really bad word), I'm so pissed. This puts me a board short... ugh.