You are hereSo. Anyone own a shovel?

So. Anyone own a shovel?


By Blackwalt - Posted on 14 April 2009

or a Bobcat?

Yes. This is a loaded question. Careful now.

If so, do you know how to use your shovel?

HoC Dig n' Play – Saturday April 18th, 2009.
Time, day is tentative and may change due to inclement weather.

Our home renovation project of the moment is to surround Rolly's swing set, pirate ship, general play area with pea gravel. This involves digging. Just a small amount of digging to make space for a small amount of pea gravel.

13 tonnes of pea gravel.

Seriously, How bad could that be? We are basically looking at putting 4" of pea gravel in the marked area in the photo. This involves digging and leveling.

The plan is:

  • place 6x6 wood along the hedge at the back and right
  • disassemble, move swing set (temporarily)
  • dig up all the sod in the area
  • level the area from front to back (as much as possible, some slope is required)
  • remove dirt and soil from area
  • line area with ground fabric
  • dump pea gravel into area and smooth out

We may feed and water you...

And unlike our previous HoC home renovation project bring your Xbox 360 and if our thumbs are still working at the end of the dig we will move inside for a LAN event.

Bring:

  • Shovel
  • rake (heavy ones, not flimsy leave rakes)
  • Xbox 360, monitor, games, etc
  • work gear
  • betsy (at least 12 uses)
  • a wheel barrow wouldn't be amiss as we could probably use a second

Be sure to start bitching and whining now because we will be ignoring you come Saturday.

A Troll's picture

and I looked at the picture and tried to figure out how you are going to pack 13 tonnes of pea graval in that little space.

Hopefully it turns out well but it doesn't sound like you are getting too much help.  If I was closer I would come and help, but it is a bit of a stretch to do in a weekend and get back for work on Monday morning.

 

Blackwalt's picture

Looks like Guba is ordering the gravel today for a Friday delivery.

So it's on for Saturday.

Show up anytime after 12 noon. This gives us time to prepare.

It look like the back half is low enough that once the 6x6s are put in at the back, no digging will be required. We will use the fill from the front half to raise the left hand side of the yard around the tree and to level out the back half.

Three main stages:

  • placing and leveling six 6x6's
  • digging out front half of area, dumping the dirt
  • hauling and dumping pea gravel

Yeah, I skipped a bunch of little steps.

Q-Bert's picture

Bring your wetsuits too, apparently....

MauriceRevek's picture

I have to pass by your place and pick up whatever tools you will not be bringing?

Blackwalt's picture
    Rather cloudy and much colder with a passing shower. Winds from the NW at 14 .

Not sure how you translate passing shower into wetsuit but you always were a wuss.

For a passing shower, the rest of us will just put on a hat.

Weren't you wussing out anyway?

Akuf's picture

my fault too...
:p

MauriceRevek's picture

How close to the pirate ship will we be digging? Do you think that the footings could get affected? Do you want to temporarilly relocate said ship so that we can properly dig beneath and or around it and lay a gravel bed as well?

If you remove the earth and put pea gravel, do you think it could lead to erosion of the earth with rain around your footings?

If we have sufficient people, we may be able to pick it up and move it.

Blackwalt's picture

This is not An Inconvenient Truth (2006). We aren't doing a geological study on erosion and we aren't digging through to China. Not Saturday anyway.

And the ship is solid. Each cement block of the pirate ship is sitting on a patio tile. It is solid and there is no need to move it or dig under it.

Just show up, bring a shovel and other digging tools (like Q-Bert for example) and Guba will tell you what needs to be done.

Akuf's picture
MauriceRevek's picture

My sisters B-Day is on the 23rd, which means that I will be in Montreal only the following weekend. Which leaves me with no valid excuse to avoid this event other than having to clean my toenails.

Does this mean you will come to help me de-thatch my lawn this weekend?

Stormblade's picture

My eyes! They burn!!

Ice's picture

Does have its advantage at times.

Sorry. Can't be there this weekend. As Stormblade said it looks like soooo much fun.

Akuf's picture

Blackwalt...but April 18th is the Ottawa Gala, one of the better Giggity events in Ottawa.

So I will not attend yard destruction party. Though it does sound fun. Beside remember I have RROD'd this past weekend.

Once again Apologies.

Betsy will be quite sad not being able to attend and hopefully she won't take it out on me on Sunday (you know Karma!)

Coxxorz's picture

Cool.

Akuf's picture

Betsy is my 10lb Sledgehammer
Veronica is my 16lb sledgehammer
Betty unfortunately my 5lb sledgehammer has been lonely. Though I do bring her out to the classes for some people to use.

Coxxorz's picture

I see a lot of Tonka trucks there... you could invite a bunch of Rolly's friends over to do the initial excavation.

Stormblade's picture

I won't be back in time for this.

And it would have been so much fun!

Oh well, maybe next time.

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