still not finished

[mellowtigger]

All of the patio bricks are laid, but I still have a lot of work to do.  The unevenness of the cinder block "frame" for the patio is more severe than I first thought.  It wasn't a problem until the last 8 rows of bricks.  I think I have a parallelogram frame instead of a square frame.  :(

Notice the dark gap on the bottom right corner.  That gap should not be there.  I had to create an equal amount of extra space on the left side by pushing the cinder blocks closer to the garage wall.

Next weekend, I'll reconsider the whole frame.  Either hug the garage wall more closely than I want to do, or push the whole patio farther away from the garage. (Yes, that option means that I have to lift up every single brick to move it.  Yuck.)  I should have calculated the diagonal for a 121 " x 121" square and measured both of them before laying the bricks. I would have discovered right away that my "square" was off slightly. Lesson learned.

If weather cooperates again next weekend, maybe I'll finally get the patio done.

Several times today, a new bunny has hopped out of the garden to watch me while I worked.  Zhey is too small to be either of the other bunnies from earlier this spring.  Could I already have a 2nd generation chive bunny in the yard?  Or the runt of the same litter as the other two bunnies?  Or somebody birthed a very late litter this year?

There's not nearly as much clover now as there was this spring.  Chive bunny ate a lot of it.  Hopefully this new bunny is finding something edible around here.

Comments

[dodecadragon.livejournal.com]

Ya'know, with all the plants overhanging along that edge, you could try just packing the gap with sand and it might just disappear from your perception. And no one else will notice it either, unless you point it out to them. :o)

[geometrician.livejournal.com]

Looks amazing! you should be proud of your hard work.

[joshuwain.livejournal.com]

I think I should pick you up one of those free-standing fire chimneys...

Hindsight is 20/20

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

You don't have to do the math, BTW. Just measure the two diagonals and see if they're equal.

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

I, too, vote for "fuck it." You'll have enough to do after the frost-heaving this winter. Start enjoying the patio now.

Re: Hindsight is 20/20

[mellowtigger]

10th grade geometry for the win. (Doh!)

[mellowtigger]

I realized last weekend that the patio might have some effect on my annual snow pile. Hopefully only a good effect. I don't think it will interfere at all with piling up the snow. It might, though, increase the pace of the melt if I clear off just a small section of bricks to aborb sunlight. I expect heat conduction/re-radiation with bricks to work faster than with soil.

[mellowtigger]

I think it would work great on the patio, but I need to search forums online to see if anyone has experience with chimineas here in Minnesota.

I'm afraid clay would break in the subzero weather as the expanding frozen moisture separates the particles. With all the salt mist thrown in the air here in winter, cast iron is probably a bad idea outdoors too. Which leaves aluminum, but that's the most expensive of the three.

Someone must've found a good solution already. I just need to find it.

[mellowtigger]

Thanks, yes, I've already laid down to rest on the bricks for quick breaks during assembly. It's definitely going to be a nice area to ponder the yard on lazy afternoons.