We decided one day that the ole’ pea gravel walkway was just not cutting it. It washed out, gathered dirt, and allowed too many plants to come through. After putting the figures together, we decided that this “cheaper than concrete” walk was going to cost us more than concrete in 6 years of maintaining. The aggravation factor sent it over the realms of too costly to build. Thus, we have invested in a concrete sidewalk. Through some help from family and friends we formed it up, poured it, and got it done. This task has proven to be more time intensive, expensive, and harder than previously expected. The end result is worth it. Next year I will not be hauling more pea gravel and having to spread it. Hurray for that.
We squared up the landscaping timbers and leveled them. We are going to use them as the forms for the walk.
Remember that using the landscaping timbers for the walk idea. Well, that got flushed pretty fast. Now we added new forms out of 2X6’s, leveled them, and laid down some plastic.
Ah, finally poured the concrete. I just kept waiting for someone to fall in. No luck.
Here we have edged it and skreeted it. The surface is much better and it is looking more like a sidewalk now.
I ran a type of trowel to give divider lines for expansion.
It is starting to dry.
The girls get to put their hand prints in the drying concrete.
And now it is done. The kids have ridden scooters on it, ran on it, and yes fallen on it. Thus I guess it has been broken in. We also had to raise the landscaping timbers up to 3 high on the left in order to make it level out. Then, “of course”, we had to get more mulch and raise up the plants. There is a lot of work in just trying to get out of hauling pea gravel every year.