The Great Cement Pour

We kicked off the summer with a big project. When we bought the house (over 5 years ago!) we knew the driveway needed to be fixed.  But here's the thing, the whole house needed fixed and lets just say I would much rather have a functioning kitchen or a pretty bathroom than a nice driveway. So, the driveway has been on the radar for years, but we finally took the plunge a few weeks ago. The bottom portion of the driveway (below the sidewalk) was literally crumbling apart. The kids could pick up large chunks of asphalt and throw them into puddles (not that they would ever do that ;) Based on the deterioration of the driveway we decided to put concrete at the base of the driveway then repair/seal the asphalt on the upper portion (it's not in great shape, but at least it's not crumbling).

This was one of those jobs that you know is a big undertaking, but you don't realize how big until your in the trenches. It took over 20 hours of work for 2 strapping men (15 hours the 1st day)!

First they tore up the old asphalt that was surprisingly thick. Then Kyle had rock and sand delivered. He also picked up the cement and rented a mixer (no one would deliver on a Saturday…next time…if there is a next time we'll do it on a weekday so a truck can deliver the cement).

 Then they leveled the ground and constructed the forms.

Next it was time to mix the cement. Our neighbor came over to assess the situation ;)

 The kids had a blast being "involved" in the process. Sawyer helped tear up the old asphalt. Nora did a little gardening nearby. And they all enjoyed playing in the sand and rocks.

a 5 year olds dream

Kolter was introduced to dirt, sands and rocks

 Kolter also got his 1st taste of sand

The weekend following the great cement pour of 2015 we still had to deal with the aftermath. We spent all day Saturday transporting dirt, sand and rocks out of our driveway. The kids helped up move rocks to their playground and deliver sand to our friends.

Do you see the new cement in the background? Doesn't it look nice? We've now driven on it for several weeks and it's holding up great!