DFoster 0 Report post Posted June 10, 2020 Like a lot of people my wife and I have been tackling a few home improvement projects while confined. My son in law has access to a mini excavator through a cousin and we asked if he could remove a few shrubs so I wouldn't have to dig the stumps out by hand. He was done in 15 minutes. Then he said "as long as the machine is here"- We found ourselves clear cutting a 100' x 60' area, removing stumps, buying tri axles of fill, loom, granite slabs and digging a hole for a new fire pit/wood grill. A few minutes of free excavator time turned into $3 grand worth of materials and landscaping. We finished the fire pit last night and gained new respect for the Egyptian pyramid builders. The granite tops will be at grade once the fill and loom are spread by the landscapers. We're in the process of fabricating a spit and steel grilling grates and we ended up with 2 cords of hardwood which we cut, split and stacked. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted June 10, 2020 I love it! We're doing a few things while I'm not at work, too. Not quite as ambitious as your new area. Got the survey done today, so the garage is closer to being built. Had the door lady out yesterday, so our french doors will soon be replaced with double pane sliding glass doors. (With the blinds built inside) Oh yeah, and a lot of fishing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted June 10, 2020 Good time while the excavator is there to dig a trout pond. Just sayin.... lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark Knapp 0 Report post Posted June 10, 2020 When's the first BBQ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark Knapp 0 Report post Posted June 10, 2020 Excavated and escalated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Poopdeck 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2020 A couple bushes, 6000 square feet, same thing right! Before you bring your pit to grade you may want to figure a way to pull fresh air into the bottom or you may end up with really smokey fires. Love the grill idea! I've got plans for a Santa Maria style grill when I get around to my backyard. I wish I had an excavator in the family to give me a little push in the right direction. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeet3t 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2020 19 hours ago, mikechell said: I love it! We're doing a few things while I'm not at work, too. Not quite as ambitious as your new area. Got the survey done today, so the garage is closer to being built. Had the door lady out yesterday, so our french doors will soon be replaced with double pane sliding glass doors. (With the blinds built inside) Oh yeah, and a lot of fishing. Sliding glass doors require a way to keep them from being forced open. A piece of dowel placed in the track will help but a brick will allow entry. Our home had a sliding glass door. They bent the latch and stole 12 guns. Good luck with the project. We just took out or above-ground pool and will fill in and build a new deck. When will it end? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DFoster 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2020 21 hours ago, mikechell said: I love it! We're doing a few things while I'm not at work, too. Not quite as ambitious as your new area. Got the survey done today, so the garage is closer to being built. Had the door lady out yesterday, so our french doors will soon be replaced with double pane sliding glass doors. (With the blinds built inside) Oh yeah, and a lot of fishing. A new garage sound a lot more ambitious than what were doing Mike- We did get a little carried away but nothing that requires power or a building inspector - so far anyway. 20 hours ago, Steeldrifter said: Good time while the excavator is there to dig a trout pond. Just sayin.... lol If I put in a trout pond the lovely Mrs Foster would be able to say this whole thing was my idea! 20 hours ago, Mark Knapp said: When's the first BBQ? Almost every Sunday we have our two daughters and their husbands and our six grandchildren for the afternoon after church. Including myself and wife that makes 12 just for starters. BUT we are built on family farmland as are all of my wife's siblings, all of whom are married with children and her parents still live in the original 1720's farm house next door. So a typical Sunday afternoon at our home during the nice weather, can include up to 23 family members plus a few "pop in" friends. Head on over Mark and bring the family it doesn't scare us at all- It's the grocery bill that gets scary! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DFoster 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2020 13 hours ago, Poopdeck said: A couple bushes, 6000 square feet, same thing right! Before you bring your pit to grade you may want to figure a way to pull fresh air into the bottom or you may end up with really smokey fires. Love the grill idea! I've got plans for a Santa Maria style grill when I get around to my backyard. I wish I had an excavator in the family to give me a little push in the right direction. I'm fortunate that one of my son's in law has several family members that own small construction companies. It's actually his family and they are good people. We had the machine here for 3 days and they charged us for 1, which I was happy to pay- The pit is fairly shallow from top to the fire brick is only 16". The size of the opening is 62" x 35" so hopefully airflow won't be too much of a problem. I had a "test" fire last night and it seemed to burn clean. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark Knapp 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2020 3 hours ago, DFoster said: A new garage sound a lot more ambitious than what were doing Mike- We did get a little carried away but nothing that requires power or a building inspector - so far anyway. If I put in a trout pond the lovely Mrs Foster would be able to say this whole thing was my idea! Almost every Sunday we have our two daughters and their husbands and our six grandchildren for the afternoon after church. Including myself and wife that makes 12 just for starters. BUT we are built on family farmland as are all of my wife's siblings, all of whom are married with children and her parents still live in the original 1720's farm house next door. So a typical Sunday afternoon at our home during the nice weather, can include up to 23 family members plus a few "pop in" friends. Head on over Mark and bring the family it doesn't scare us at all- It's the grocery bill that gets scary! I'll bring some rock fish and halibut. 😊😁. That's quite a brood. It's nice to have family around (sometimes) aint it? Drop some subtle hints, maybe one of the sons-in-law will butcher a pig.😀 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DFoster 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2020 Oh man halibut- tasty! It's funny you should say butcher a pig. I few years back he bought 4 and penned them on my father in laws property for the summer. He butchered them and that weekend we threw 30lbs or so in my smoker for Sunday dinner. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark Knapp 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2020 22 minutes ago, DFoster said: Oh man halibut- tasty! It's funny you should say butcher a pig. I few years back he bought 4 and penned them on my father in laws property for the summer. He butchered them and that weekend we threw 30lbs or so in my smoker for Sunday dinner. Mmm. smoked pig. I've raised two pigs. Named one Oscar Meyer and the other one Jimmy Dean. They were enthusiastically invited to any/every meal. Till they were gone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DFoster 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2020 3 hours ago, Mark Knapp said: Mmm. smoked pig. I've raised two pigs. Named one Oscar Meyer and the other one Jimmy Dean. They were enthusiastically invited to any/every meal. Till they were gone. Like Emeril Lagasse famously said “pork fat rules”. Our pigs were named “filet”, “Sir Loin”, “Chop” and “Mr bacon” to remind our grandkids they were not pets. They had no issues with the ensuing BBQ. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites