Yard Crash
 

Ok I have been busy working on Home projects this winter I got alot of things going on. This is the Latest project. We decided we wanted to add a Hot tub to the house. And I have to say I did it all backwards but it worked out perfict. First thing I did was find and Hot tub on Craig's List. It was a Awesome Deal and that's what got the ball rolling. I picked up a Sundance Altamar that was almost brand new for $2500, The owner payed $12k in 2008, So the Adventure was on.
A neighbor came down Thursday eve with his tractor and scratched out this 12x12 pad for me.
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...20Tub/hot1.jpg
Friday I found a local guy to come down and Frame & Lay out a concrete pad, He had it framed and a pad poured by Sat at 12. He wanted $300 for everything the 5 1/2 yards of colord Concrete was $500
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...20Tub/hot2.jpg
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...20Tub/hot3.jpg
One week later I found a company in San Jose to go to Watsonville and disconnect the tub and drive it to copper for $700 and a "Large Pizza" Serious that was his demand! . The tub showed up in perfict condition, 3 dudes placed it right where you see it.
You can see the tub still had all the factory stickers on it LOL
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...b/IMG_1192.jpg
I spent the rest of the day digging a 20 inc deep trench from the hot tub to the Main panel. it was around 30 feet of trenching P.I.T.A I filled her with water and fired it up.
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...20Tub/hot7.jpg
My concrete guy was a hell of a worker and a Handi Man so I gave him a call and said You know how to build fences? Hell yea Ill be at your house in 20 Min's We rand down to Lowes and got $500 worth of wood and supplys. The next day we had a fence.
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...lakehouse1.jpg
We got a Stain for the fence and stared on the inside and worked our way out.
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...lakehouse2.jpg
This is where a little for thought would have helped. I wanted a garden all the way around the tub. The tractor only did a 12x12 pad. Well when you do a 12 X 12 pad you need some room to work so I would have been better off asking my buddy to scratch a 14x14 or somthing like but I had no Idea never done anything like this. So we spent lots of time makeing the pad wider.
and then when it was finish I still had to remove all the dirt and rock for the garden, HELLA WORK. Jack Hammer Action. My whole property is ROCK.
This is what it looked like after we cleaned out all the extra dirt and construction dirt
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...Tub/hot8-1.jpg
So here comes the fun Part. The wife and I go to cost co and get like 24 diffrent palm trees Date palms and Sago Palms ect. We spend another $500 on Palms and just happen to pick up a $500 umbrella while we are there. I call a few neighbors and 4 show up. We spend the next 5 Hrs jack hammering holes for the palms to go into. Taking out dirt and sifting the rocks out and filling the garden with fresh dirt and new palm tree Soil..
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...0Tub/hot10.jpg
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...0Tub/hot11.jpg
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...0Tub/hot12.jpg
My friends helpd out BIG TIME I would have been there for 2 weeks getting this thing finished.
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...b/IMG_0053.jpg
Thank god for them.
So the Next week I layed out a weed blanket around all the trees ran all the drip water system and did a LED garden light system. I have colored RGB MR16's on the way but here is the night light shot of the single color.
http://i953.photobucket.com/albums/a...b/IMG_0061.jpg
The tub has a Sound System in it now and Im getting some Niles outdoor speakers hooked up in the garden so we can have music when the hot tub cover is on,
WOW 3 weeks and This is where we are at. We have about $5500 into it and Im super happy with what we have, We plan on doing some super construction pretty soon and I know Im gonna appreciate a good hot tub after some construction. I gotta say People that do this everyday I have a new found respect. This project hammerd me. My hands and Back and kneed were tore up. You think your Job sucks or your boss is a A$$ Go run a jack hammer and dig holes for a few days. You will be crying home to Mommy LOL

Looks awesome. It that a concrete stain and sealer that makes the pad look so nice? Did they have to put a special surface on it to get that pattern?

It looks shiny cause I had just washed the whole thing down. The pattern your talking about is called Stamped. Its pretty cool. Just before the concrete is dry to touch they lay these large rubber stamps out and then they smash the stamp into the concrete and it gives it that look. the concrete colord from the plant and has a light and dark contrast in color giving it that look. Another cool this was after we dug al the holes for the plans we had a bunch of broken small rock we were able to wash it and then place it back in the garden as ground cover you can see it in the pictures by the stairs.

Looks great Grant! The natural rock really looks good under the palms. Cant wait to take a soak :)

I have been through this before you did a great job as always on all your projects. Thanks for sharing and your right the spa after construction or ? is a huge help but all you need now is something to keep the beers close by and cold.

Nice job G that looks great!!

Pretty funny folks, Greg had nothing to do last week and decided to Just do a last min Un Announced "drive up to the lake" Im working in the tub area and I hear "Hey G" I open the gate and its Greg!!! (Awesome! a helper) it was a great supprise. I was like what are u doing here? (Greg lives 1 hr away) He said "I was just out for a drive and thought i would stop by" Perfict come on in!!!

I paid 7K for a new Sundance about 10 years ago. You should have run out and bought lotto tickets after you cut that deal.

And the best kind of help. Strong back, no brains, and FREE. Lol.

G unit,Looks good bro, need to make a trip up this summer to check it out, same goes for you and bun bun make a trip down this summer.