7.7.2016

Today's forecast again called for unsettled skies with a possibility of rain in the afternoon.  So we decided it would be a one mortar batch day and we got started a little earlier.

Jim still had lots of prep work to do - here he's putting on hurricane ties.

My prep duties are to get the 3 buckets of sand sifted and ready to go.

My other jobs during brickwork are bringing Jim scoops of mortar and needed bricks wherever he is working.

Mortar time!

Starting another course in the front...

Then moving around to the back corner.  Getting these corners right takes a lot of time, so Jim is building them up slowly.

Moving around to the side...

This side wall is really getting high!

Jointing the front...

...and the side.

End-of-the-batch picture of the back...

...and the side.

Clean up time!

Just in case the rains come, we covered everything up.

Jim listed our old thin-gauge steel studs on Craigslist - we used these pieces to make our temporary wall in the auto bay but they are so thin, we won't use them again.  A guy called and made arrangements to pick them up today.  So after lunch, we got the Bobcat out, picked up the pallet with the studs, and headed down to the street.  Of course, I got caught playing King of the World sitting on the Bobcat!

 

All tied up awaiting their new owner.  The guy came just a little late and the transaction was completed.  We're always glad when something we won't use or need anymore finds a new home!

 

Jim started working on making dams for the cores of the knee wall that he doesn't want to fill completely.  He used some leftover aluminum flashing material to make them.

First dam all snug in the core!

While Jim was making dams, I painted our last 2 big pieces of Miratek.  Since Jim is using the sawhorses as scaffolding, we had to improvise.

The rains never came so we decided to mix up a batch of concrete to fill the cores.  So out came The Pumpkin and Jim started mixing!

A perfect batch of concrete...

Cleaning out The Pumpkin - it really needed it after having to sit outside all this time.

Jim just put a few scoops into a smaller bucket - concrete is heavy and he has to carry it through the workshop and then lift it on top of the wall.



Scooping the concrete into the core - this first core gets filled up all the way.

 

Filling up the next core...

Two done...

All finished!

Clean up part 2!

 

 

We were really glad to have gotten both a batch of mortar and concrete made and everything finished - especially on a day that we first thought might be rainy!

High 88/Low 66