Mother's Day project I built for wifey.

[Comanche]

She wanted a patio with a veggie garden incorporated into it.
I started on it Friday and had it pretty much finished by Sunday but had to finish the painting and sand yesterday and today.
She's very happy with it.

Oh and the umbrella was a gift from Ronnie James Dio from when rainbows were cool.

I've always been a do it yourselfer and it's nice to look at the finished project and ask yourself " Did I really do this myself?"

It helps if you Don't hear voices back that say "Who the heck are you talking to, man?"

 

[Comanche]

More pics.

 

[Leatherhead]

Dang.....Looks great!

 

[Cudruln]

Looks like you put some time into it. Looks good

 

[rlmblm21]

Wow! Nice.

 

[IMaDad]

how long did the concrete take? did you stain it?
yours looks great. I am considering making a pad in the yard myself for the grill/smoker/etc. Is this your first time?

 

[BangBang]

Nice!

 

[Indirect Fire]

Sharp work man.

 

[Comanche]

how long did the concrete take? did you stain it?
yours looks great. I am considering making a pad in the yard myself for the grill/smoker/etc. Is this your first time?

This was my first time using the cobble stone forms which is pretty bad ass.
I stained it with Behr concrete stain from Home Depot... Had to mix the colors from the choice chart right at the store.
The concrete dries quicker in full sun and dries pretty well first day but a good idea to water it a couple times with light spray while dry in full sun to keep from cracking.
You can mix and lay one day and stain the next day.
If I had to do it over again I would buy another $40 form that way I could plan my next move but it's fine with one form unless you have another guy mixing as well then you can bang them out super fast.
I was not lucky enough to have any helpers and had to mix 36 -80# bags myself and lay it down, stain and sand.
It's a miracle I can still walk but I was on it from sun up till 10:00 every night from Friday till this afternoon.
I laid down plastic so no weeds grow up through and did not lay down sand for leveling, just leveled the dirt as you don't have to be 100% level with these cobbles as they pretty much self level and make up for imperfections in the ground.
Videos on YouTube suggest scraping a board across the whole form once the holes are filled with cement but you don't have to.... Just make them level with your shovel and you're good.
I had already made two walkways before attempting the patio so I kinda knew what I was getting into.
Sometimes your interlocking form pattern needs adjusted on short runs so you may have to cut a square in half or overlap your work with the form to make it line up unless you have a spare form you can cut in half.
Try not to make your mix too wet otherwise it runs a bit but a decent mix takes about 2 minutes of set time before pulling your Form from the wet concrete.
It goes fast...... Especially with two guys.
It's easy really and your wife will think you're the boss when you get done.
Try it.... She'll love ya for it.

 

[YOTESHOOTER]

You have created a work of art to enjoy for years to come, congrats....