Concrete

Home improvement continues with some concrete work we've been putting off for a while. One side of our house has dirt coated with red tan bark, and we would like to put in a tool shed there for extra storage. We decided to re-pave with concrete so the shed could sit on a structurally sound foundation.

First Step: Hauling away the red tan bark

 The small wooden fence that separates the front yard from the back had to be temporarily taken down for the project. We are thinking of pushing the fence all the way to the front of the house so that we could get more space in the "backyard" for future storage.

Next comes the rebar, when the contractors lay down a wire foundation to make the concrete more structurally sound.

Watering to pack the loose dirt

 The contractors called for a concrete truck to come onsite to pour the square footage of concrete that we needed. A separate "pourer" contractor had to come at this time to pour the concrete. Some neighbors came to gawk at the huge concrete truck parked on our street. They wanted to know if we were putting in a swimming pool. Maybe a project for another house or lifetime...

Next comes the messy part--donning waterproof boots, the contractors mixed and spread the thick concrete to even it out on the wire foundation.

Using a piece of wood, they evened out the surface of the concrete.

The concrete was poured in one huge slab! I always thought the partition lines meant that it was laid down slab-by-slab. Our lines were added after the concrete pour with a special tool for an even look of uniformity. Like wiping a floor starting from the inside, the contractor knelt on a square wood slab to spread out the pressure on the wet concrete and avoid deep indentations/surface scars. He then used a paving tool to detail the surface to smoothness.

View of the finished project from the front yard

View of the finished project from the backyard

With the fence replaced the next day

Here's a Before/After shot that Odin photo-bombed. The concrete was dry when we allowed him to walk on it. He was glad to not have to get leashed up to visit the backyard after the contractors departed.