Garden Table - Preliminary Plan

My first thoughts of building our outdoor table were weak. That's not so bad. On the one hand, my first idea got scrapped. On the other hand, I have been alerted to new and better possibility. I accept that this process will take time. Therefore, I will create a deadline of Thanksgiving to complete construction of the table. This is the best idea I have had on the subject so far.

This project requires me to re- grade the whole patio. I have to invent a method to level the whole patio and provide a proper foundation to bear the load of the table and pedestal while not overloading my spine. There's the slab on the porch in the top photo. I want to put it where the table is in the bottom photo. I have to cause the slab on the porch to float down the steps and across the patio to the base. Then the slab has to be turned to the horizontal with all the care of a space shuttle maneuvering to dock with the space station. Finally, the slab has to be set in place on top of the base and this job is done.

I may use something other than brick for the table pedestal. Becky may want the table lengthwise parallel to the fence or lengthwise parallel with the house or at some point in between. We have time to carefully consider the details.

Garden Table - First Step: We Agree and Believe

Becky and I confirmed that we both believe the garden table should stand in the location visible in the bottom photo scratched out in the gravel. Our agreement is an important first step. We want our table to provide maximum hospitality. This is the dream and this is the time and place of our first step; our garden table groundbreaking.

The groundbreaking took place while I was getting the grill on for Becky's Booster Block Party Planning Committee Meeting. I took the opportunity to move a little gravel. My spirits were high and I was thinking that all I had to do was move a little gravel, level it out, stack the bricks and put on the top. Two factors popped up to dash my preliminary concepts. Number one, I knew in my heart that this effort would be inadequate. Number two, the sheer weight and size of the concrete top means that to set it on top of a base will require an effort equal to ten stout, young men directed to lift and carry the piece.

During my painting days our crew helped the marble guys on a remodel job years ago move a counter top made from a slab of black African marble. That slab was about the same size as our concrete slab. We carried that slab from the truck to the kitchen. Installation of the counter took every bit of the strength of ten stout workmen to move and set. The boss marble guy had to buy us all a good lunch to get our cooperation. Transportation of a massive, breakable object is a huge and perilous task in itself. Break it and the project is dead. Set the top poorly and it stands as a monument to poor administrative skills. This is to become our outdoor table. I can't let Mother-in-law have anything but good things to say about it.

I am forced to go back to the drawing board. That's a good thing.

Late Summer Clean Up

Becky is the president of the neighborhood association. Every year the Boosters, as the association is called, has a block party. She had the block party planning committee meeting at our house. Sprucing up for the party I cleaned the patio furniture.
I used a product called Jomax. It is a cleaning chemical that is mixed with water and bleach. Jomax is easy to apply with a garden type sprayer. When I was a painter I always used this stuff to get rid of the mildew, the scale and cobwebs and such, as the first step of preparation to paint.
The photo of the white chair before and after pretty much tells it.
I once picked up one of the black chairs and a giant spider came scrambling out of one of the spaces underneath that serve as supports. It had a nest there. On the top side the chair looked clean enough. I could imagine the event of one such spider crawling out on a neighbor.
This is a photo of my cleaning pump sprayer taken apart, cleaned and drying. I don't use this sprayer for garden chemicals and I don't use my garden sprayer for cleaning chemicals. This sprayer did not cost much and it is now at least 8 years old but it still works good as new.

My Gravel Quarry

This photo shows how I quarried gravel for the maple tree project. There was about three inches of loose, clean gravel in the area of the shovel marks. This patio is composed of about ten yards of screenings. I was generous with my order for Mr. McCowan of screenings for this very reason. Some water and a rake will bring another crop of gravel.
I calculate that I can remove at least 2" off the top over time and still have a sufficient base. I foresee this area, in it's more permanent form, to be covered with pavers of some sort. My thinking is that with all the raking and messing with the screening base, it will become more level and settled. After some time it will be a fabulous base for a top treatment that is more solid, more clean. While the rest of the landscape is developing, this remains fluid, and that is what I wanted.
There was some petrified cat poop mixed in with the gravel. The cats expressed a little displeasure towards me for taking away their gravel litter.

Maple Tree Final

To finish off this round of improvements to the Japanese Maple tree I topped the planter off with medium screened compost and raked it smooth and pretty. Then I brought some more gravel from my quarry to fill around the outside of the planter.
To better position the swing I needed to adjust the patio border out a little. The area under where the swing had been also needed re-surfacing. Using my spike sandals I tromped around the area. This loosened the gravel enough to rake it out to a better line.
Brody seems to approve the work. Not bad seeing how I did not spend a cent on this project.

I was told this tree should reach about 30' tall. I foresee people sitting underneath this tree, years hence, in a neat urban design. For the time being we can just sit next to it.

Japanese Maple Planter Construction

The top photo shows the general idea of the first course of brick on the gravel base. I did not have enough of these whole bricks to lay two courses. I replaced the whole bricks of the first course on the patio side with half bricks. They are below the grade and not visible. With the bricks I took from there, and bricks I took from the fig tree planter I had enough to do two courses with one full brick left over.

The middle photo is my pile of detritus, from which I took enough to back fill next to the brick to the top of the first course. The bottom photo shows the finished two course wall and detritus back fill.

Japanese Maple

I decided to enlarge this planter by the width of my little shrub rake. The top photo is my mark. Excavation of the gravel screenings was very easy with the garden spade. I added extra material which I took from areas on the patio where I rake the screenings up for use in projects like this. It is my little quarry.
I ended up with a base for the new wall which is much improved over the previous.