Next comes the really crucial part of the project, building the concrete basin. I have decided to leave the basin open on the top and cover it with a removable wood deck. Maintenance will be a lot more convenient with the top open.
The original plan was to have a concrete top and replace the pavers above it, restoring the patio to its original appearance, and provide an access hole at the end. The basin will be large enough that I could easily crawl through it in order to work on the pump or do any other maintenance that might be required. But then I started thinking about what the inside of the basin will be like after it has been used for a while. Dark and wet, with muck on the bottom and spiders and stuff throughout. Who knows what else? Rats, snakes? Having it completely open at the top is much more appealing.
I have read enough about concrete work to be afraid to try it myself. The consequences of mistakes are just too devastating. And when have I ever done anything like this for the first time without mistakes? So now the problem becomes finding a contractor to do the concrete work.
3 comments:
Rollins,
I have not bee reading your posts for a while, so this is a belated post. If you need to cut through roots, a mattock is the tool of choice. it is also great for digging by loosen hard packed dirt - not much of a problem in Florida.
Are you going to build the frame for the concrete yourself or have your concrete contractor do it?
I'm just curious why you did not put a drain pipe out to the street or some low-lying part of your yard.
lpainter -- Who are you? I don't recognize the screen name.
The basin is complete now. See later posts for details. I did have a contractor do the concrete work. And,yes, I do have a drain pipe out to the street. I will have a pump in the basin to pump water out to the street, where it will flow into a storm sewer. The pipe was installed with the previous system.
You can send me email at rollins _at_ tampabay dot rr dot com.
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