Breaking Ground

So this last week we started work on a project that’s been on our “hoping for” list since we moved in. We love our new house, especially the back yard, but the one drawback to it has been the Georgia bugs. Georgia has sand gnats – they’re tiny and they bite, and they come out in the early evening (when the day cools off, and daddy is home and wants to play with kids). Needless to say, they make it harder to enjoy the back yard.

The solution to this? We decided long ago that we wanted a screened porch – and we finally decided to make it happen. So after doing some research online, writing up some plans, and getting approval from the architect, the city, and the neighborhood, we finally started digging up sod earlier this week.

The coolest part was using the jackhammer to break up the current patio and the steps (which were ugly brick and we were happy to see disappear :-). Kristin didn’t want me to post this photo, but this jackhammer was so nice that even my 6-month pregnant wife was surprised by how easy it was to use (it had anti-vibratory handles, so it wouldn’t give you carpal-tunnel :-)

 

Then after breaking up concrete, the hole got bigger and bigger. . .

And after learning a lot about putting in rebar and building forms, we finally called out some guys with a truck and wheelbarrels, and now we have a new slab to build our porch on.

 

More to follow. . .