kevin_standlee (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kevin_standlee) wrote2016-10-10 10:57 pm
kevin_standlee) wrote2016-10-10 10:57 pm
Segment 3: More Concrete, Less Stress
It was about 5°C cooler today, which make it a bit easier on us mixing and pouring the third segment (of five) on the carport-widening project. We learned lessons from yesterday. We didn't have the concrete quite as wet as we should have done, which made finishing yesterday very difficult, and with a bit of a breeze today, we would need to add more water to the mix without making it too soupy. I also learned that my broad-brimmed hat was not enough to keep the sun off, as I got some sunburn yesterday. I vowed to keep that from happening today no matter how silly I looked.
So here I am with a towel over my head to keep the sun off me and to absorb the copious amount of sweat I've been generating mixing and hauling all this concrete. I also have the dust mask to keep the concrete out of my lungs. I've not been wearing safety goggles, but my glasses have protected me nonetheless. I've had concrete splat into my face. Once my glasses fell off just after we did a pour. In both cases, I had to stop and quickly get the concrete off my glasses (and face) before continuing.
Another thing we learned is that mixing more than one bag of concrete at a time is a bad idea. It's too hard on me, and it makes it too hard for Lisa to spread and tamp. So I mixed one bag at a time, with Lisa adding water and using the garden sprayer to keep dust down and dampen the mix to the right consistency. Today's pour was bigger than the previous two, being nearly two meters long (by 30 cm wide, and as much as 15 cm deep).
Even with some head start from yesterday's overage, it took eight bags of concrete mix to fill the form. Lisa said it was much easier to work, however, and it took us less time and left us less tired than yesterday's pour.
There are two segments left, and we think we have enough concrete mix left, but it's going to be close. Our original plans to try and get two segments done in a day are now officially abandoned. While it's supposed to start raining on Thursday night/Friday morning, we should be done with the carport widening by the end of the day Wednesday.
After we finished the pour, it took a while before we were recovered, and then we went to Reno/Sparks to try and get some grocery shopping done. We got some of it done, but not all of it. We'll probably have to go back in another evening this week to refill the larder with things we can't get in Fernley.
So here I am with a towel over my head to keep the sun off me and to absorb the copious amount of sweat I've been generating mixing and hauling all this concrete. I also have the dust mask to keep the concrete out of my lungs. I've not been wearing safety goggles, but my glasses have protected me nonetheless. I've had concrete splat into my face. Once my glasses fell off just after we did a pour. In both cases, I had to stop and quickly get the concrete off my glasses (and face) before continuing.
Another thing we learned is that mixing more than one bag of concrete at a time is a bad idea. It's too hard on me, and it makes it too hard for Lisa to spread and tamp. So I mixed one bag at a time, with Lisa adding water and using the garden sprayer to keep dust down and dampen the mix to the right consistency. Today's pour was bigger than the previous two, being nearly two meters long (by 30 cm wide, and as much as 15 cm deep).
Even with some head start from yesterday's overage, it took eight bags of concrete mix to fill the form. Lisa said it was much easier to work, however, and it took us less time and left us less tired than yesterday's pour.
There are two segments left, and we think we have enough concrete mix left, but it's going to be close. Our original plans to try and get two segments done in a day are now officially abandoned. While it's supposed to start raining on Thursday night/Friday morning, we should be done with the carport widening by the end of the day Wednesday.
After we finished the pour, it took a while before we were recovered, and then we went to Reno/Sparks to try and get some grocery shopping done. We got some of it done, but not all of it. We'll probably have to go back in another evening this week to refill the larder with things we can't get in Fernley.