This isn’t a complaint but every year it gets harder to do some things. Lifting heavy stuff falls into that category. So does a lot of carpentry.
This picture may be from 2013 but I expect it was earlier. It shows the steps before they really started going bad and there is no roof shown on the porch. When it's exposed like this the rain really takes it's toll.
I think my parents were older than me when they built their last house. I remember that they would always assess a problem and try to figure a way to fix things permanently. They wanted to prevent having to repeat the process when they became even older. I have always been grateful for the lessons they taught. Especially that one.
This picture may be from 2013 but I expect it was earlier. It shows the steps before they really started going bad and there is no roof shown on the porch. When it's exposed like this the rain really takes it's toll.
I think my parents were older than me when they built their last house. I remember that they would always assess a problem and try to figure a way to fix things permanently. They wanted to prevent having to repeat the process when they became even older. I have always been grateful for the lessons they taught. Especially that one.
I procrastinated too long.
Last week when it was wet my foot slipped on this step and my ribs banged against the edge of the step. That did not make me happy. It also meant I was going to take at least another week before I felt good enough to do this job.
Years ago my wife put in some design requirements for the porch steps. Her mom was living here and she wanted each step to be not more than 6” rise. She wanted them deep so that a person could stand on one with a walker. I thought that was pretty smart and had no idea that it would be us using that walker instead of Mom. Sally is also very talented so far as knowing what looks good and she asked me to make them irregular. I did.
The only real problem with making them whompy jawed (irregular) is that if you pour concrete, each form is irregular. When I was making chimney crowns I learned that cardboard in irregular holes will hold concrete till it sets. You can see cardboard on the far left corner here and other means of filling holes on the near right. When the concrete sets, the forms cease to matter.
The previous day I had mixed a small bag of concrete and shoved it into areas that I thought might leak. That allowed me to make the job easier. The wheelbarrow is setting on the previous step. I carry the crete and dump it into the wheelbarrow. There is a faucet just to the right of all this. I don’t know if the hoe is a child’s toy or a garden tool but I bought it just for concrete. Unseen is the fireplace shovel that I have used as a rough trowel since my days as a chimney sweep.
Just mix it and dump the wheelbarrow. If the forms are solid, I like to add a couple cups of water to the required amount for a little extra soup. Sure makes work easy with, apparently, the same results. For the last step I think I will pamper myself and use 40 or 50 pound bags. Maybe not. I am cheap and the six bags used here were just over $20. They were all 80 lb. bags.
The only real problem with making them whompy jawed (irregular) is that if you pour concrete, each form is irregular. When I was making chimney crowns I learned that cardboard in irregular holes will hold concrete till it sets. You can see cardboard on the far left corner here and other means of filling holes on the near right. When the concrete sets, the forms cease to matter.
The previous day I had mixed a small bag of concrete and shoved it into areas that I thought might leak. That allowed me to make the job easier. The wheelbarrow is setting on the previous step. I carry the crete and dump it into the wheelbarrow. There is a faucet just to the right of all this. I don’t know if the hoe is a child’s toy or a garden tool but I bought it just for concrete. Unseen is the fireplace shovel that I have used as a rough trowel since my days as a chimney sweep.
Just mix it and dump the wheelbarrow. If the forms are solid, I like to add a couple cups of water to the required amount for a little extra soup. Sure makes work easy with, apparently, the same results. For the last step I think I will pamper myself and use 40 or 50 pound bags. Maybe not. I am cheap and the six bags used here were just over $20. They were all 80 lb. bags.
Because I made the steps larger and added a lot of weight with the concrete, I added forms for concrete stanchions (pillars). Then I set rebar and poured concrete. The little form by the step is one of them. There are a total of three stanchions for this one step. That's typical. I really expect this to last. The last step should just need less because it will overlap existing steps. Our first donkey used to climb these steps but the current ones do not. I think they will be strong enough should that happen.
Almost done. Needs to be smoothed with a wide trowel. Of course in my dotage I seem to misplace tools from time to time (all the time). The trowel is one of those things that is probably setting in a closet with years and years of lost stuff.
You can see a portion of our “walk of fame” here. Pieces of concrete that we put grandkids handprints in almost a year and a half ago. As you can see, life does not need to be hurried. However, painful ribs are an incentive.
You can see a portion of our “walk of fame” here. Pieces of concrete that we put grandkids handprints in almost a year and a half ago. As you can see, life does not need to be hurried. However, painful ribs are an incentive.
Not to be stopped by the loss of a trowel, I pressed this board into service. It did everything that was needed.
Finished. Turned out to have room for four grandkids on this step. I think this will last longer than me. Anyway, I hope I don’t need to repair it. By next week this will hold a wheelbarrow without marking the crete. Then I expect to set forms and pour the last step.
I need to do the last one with less procrastination. Promised Mama that I would start working on ripping out and enclosing the porch. That's a project we both want done.
I need to do the last one with less procrastination. Promised Mama that I would start working on ripping out and enclosing the porch. That's a project we both want done.
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