SoapZone Community Message Board

My landscaper sent me a text this...morning, if you count 5:41am as morning. The concrete pouring time changed from 9:00am to 7:30am.

I'd been tossing and turning all night because I had to be out while they were doing the pour, wasn't sure how long it would take or when they'd be leaving, and had to go to some appointments out of town. I didn't want to miss any last minute "care" instructions and have to live with a messed up patio or know, deep down, that I'd have to have it all ripped off if I wanted to do anything with the patio like enclose it, even if that came years/decades later.

Anyway, I texted back around 6:30am to let him know that I'd gotten the text and I'd work on shifting some dog stuff. It dawned on me in the middle of the night, that I would have to leave the dogs in the pen outside because of the concrete (don't walk on it! Certainly, don't let them [dig] into it!!!!) and I couldn't leave them inside the house for about seven hours. That would be cruel.

[At] 6:44am, I got another text. "We're here. Can you open the gate?" So, I hadn't fed the dogs, they were outside in the yard, and I was wrestling with their giant kennel so they'd have some shelter in the pen while I was away.

They (five pick up trucks parked on the street, each with a member of the crew and equipment for the job) came into the yard and started pre-staging some items, clearing some stuff out of the way to make room for the cement truck (you've seen those monster trucks with the spinning drum!), and taping plastic sheeting to the sides of the house to reduce splashing concrete marks. I told them to hold off on the plastic wrapping because I had to be on the inside of the wrap. My front door was locked and I was about to be forced into the yard.

By the time I got back from the morning activities (around 11:00am), they had about three feet of concrete [left] to even out and smooth. They did the finishing touches and smoothings. I missed breakfast and race off to my afternoon appointments after writing him a check for the last half of the job. He told me he'd be back tomorrow morning around 7:30am (That early, again?!) to remove the frames/forms and the stakes. They should be done in about an hour.

We'd discussed the concepts for landscaping the yard. We'll have a better idea next week.

He said that I could stand on the concrete this weekend, but I said I was going to stay off of it and keep the dogs off of it until Monday.

I had to put the dogs on leashes and individually take them out to the pen before I left. I individually put them back on their leashes (I had to do a tightrope act on the frames to get to the pen [after my errands] because I couldn't figure out how to open the double wide gate to get to the pen, so I went through the walk through gate.) and lead them to the front door without letting them walk on the patio.

They're doing their business in the side yard. It's going to be worth it. Monday, the concrete will be ours. The landscaper suggested that I have another faucet added to the backyard, but on the other side of the house so there's a water option over there. He said that he'd borrowed my neighbor's hose to clean his equipment because he couldn't access the one spigot that's in the backyard. It's next to the house, across the narrower (only nine foot) part of the patio.

Glad we're at this point. More work to be done by the original contractor. I need to contact the gutters guys. It will be worth it.

Planning to go to bed early this evening. I'll be up all night letting the dogs in and out of the side yard. <SIGH>