Author Topic: Conspicuous Construction (AKA the "what are you building right now?" thread)  (Read 33083 times)

Russ

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probs nonlevel surface + uneven shoveling/spreading. definitely not the mold. I didn't want to buy a level and that wouldn't fix shovel error anyway, so this time I checked the depth with a toothpick in a bunch of spots and adjusted until it looked pretty even. I'll let you know Thurs. how it turns out.

spedleysam, any secret tips? yours looks pretty darn good

Cromacster

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probs nonlevel surface + uneven shoveling/spreading. definitely not the mold. I didn't want to buy a level and that wouldn't fix shovel error anyway, so this time I checked the depth with a toothpick in a bunch of spots and adjusted until it looked pretty even. I'll let you know Thurs. how it turns out.

spedleysam, any secret tips? yours looks pretty darn good

Are you able to reuse the mold or do you have to rebuild it each time?

Samsam

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probs nonlevel surface + uneven shoveling/spreading. definitely not the mold. I didn't want to buy a level and that wouldn't fix shovel error anyway, so this time I checked the depth with a toothpick in a bunch of spots and adjusted until it looked pretty even. I'll let you know Thurs. how it turns out.

spedleysam, any secret tips? yours looks pretty darn good

I made my mold (height) exactly the thickness I wanted the table top to be.  So for me if the concrete wasn't overflowing from the mold and screed off, then that would mean I would have had diff thicknesses around the table.  I could have also gotten lucky and placed it on the one level surface in my garage (on top of my huge cooler....haha).

Also Crocmaster - it is possible to reuse the mold I am using (it is melamine board).  If you are careful about drilling pilot holes before putting screws in through the sides re-usability goes up...otherwise it chips very easily and then won't be reusable.  I am able to use the big base of mold again if I were to clean it.  The sides require a little more cleaning as when I pull mine apart all the caulk sticks to the bottom of the sides, but I plan to just turn them over.

I am unmolding my 2nd one sometime this week as I am almost done with the base for this one.  It is going to be a longer table that I am using to put a wine rack below.  Honestly...I got lucky with this second table as it was actually level and all the legs touch the ground! at the same time!  My first table I had to buy one of those systems were the foot pegs change heights. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Beige-Round-Felt-Threaded-1-in-Stem-Glides-4-Pack-49908/203661113

Russ

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probs nonlevel surface + uneven shoveling/spreading. definitely not the mold. I didn't want to buy a level and that wouldn't fix shovel error anyway, so this time I checked the depth with a toothpick in a bunch of spots and adjusted until it looked pretty even. I'll let you know Thurs. how it turns out.

spedleysam, any secret tips? yours looks pretty darn good

I made my mold (height) exactly the thickness I wanted the table top to be.  So for me if the concrete wasn't overflowing from the mold and screed off, then that would mean I would have had diff thicknesses around the table.  I could have also gotten lucky and placed it on the one level surface in my garage (on top of my huge cooler....haha).

Also Crocmaster - it is possible to reuse the mold I am using (it is melamine board).  If you are careful about drilling pilot holes before putting screws in through the sides re-usability goes up...otherwise it chips very easily and then won't be reusable.  I am able to use the big base of mold again if I were to clean it.  The sides require a little more cleaning as when I pull mine apart all the caulk sticks to the bottom of the sides, but I plan to just turn them over.

aha that's clever. I wanted to just use one bag and be happy with whatever height I got so I made my sides way taller than necessary, but if I wanted to control height and levelness better I think your method would definitely be the way to go

+1 for reusing the melamine. Drilling pilot holes is essential, and after that I'm guessing you could put screws in/out quite a few times. In between uses I scraped off the residue caulk and concrete with my kitchen dough scraper and recaulked.

good thing, 'cause bags on bags of concrete is still pretty cheap and it takes just a bit of time to mix and pour a new one, whereas rebuilding the mold every time would be like an extra $30 and an entire afternoon
« Last Edit: March 17, 2014, 10:05:22 PM by Russ »

Samsam

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I have another little side project as well now.  I bought a little 50cc scooter off craigslist and while it works very well (all the inside parts) the outside looks like shiiiiit.  So I am planning on doing some plastic repairs and then sanding down all the plastic and repainting it.  Here is what it looks like now

Russ

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^ fiberglassin'?

Samsam

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^ fiberglassin'?

dang should I?  I was just going to try for the quick and cheap: http://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-8237-Kwik-Plastic/dp/B003S2E4UE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395149181&sr=8-1&keywords=plastic+kwik

With lots of sanding and spray painting.... lol.

Cromacster

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When I was into modding computer cases I would use this stuff:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/151045475300?lpid=82

With the proper finishing work and some time you can get it to shine like a new car...or scooter.

Samsam

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Yea I'm looking at the fiberglass stuff now.  only have a couple cracks. I saw this too:
http://www.amazon.com/Bondo-420-Fiberglass-Resin-Repair/dp/B000BO9NOO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395149283&sr=8-2&keywords=fiberglass

(if anyone has noticed I like buying things from amazon because they are free with my CC reward pts...teehee).

Jeese MMM forum...asking me to spend more money....JK.  I think I will spring for the fiberglass though.  I guess if you do it right the first time, you won't have to do it again (hopefully!)

greaper007

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I'm converting my dad's mountain bike to a commuter for his new downtown lifestyle.   I switched out the handlebars to north road bars, changed his rapid fire shifters to grip shifters (easier on his arthritis) and put some slickish 1.5 inch tires on it.    Unfortunately, I forgot to order more cable housing and the current stuff just doesn't fit.    So I'll be done with it in 5-7 days.

Russ

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^ fiberglassin'?

dang should I?  I was just going to try for the quick and cheap: http://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-8237-Kwik-Plastic/dp/B003S2E4UE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395149181&sr=8-1&keywords=plastic+kwik

With lots of sanding and spray painting.... lol.

I'd fiberglass, with the rationale that it already broke there once... probably means you should add strength rather than just try to get it back to how it was before.

I demolded my tabletop after poker night tonight and oh my does it look good. Perfectly level. I should have time to upload some pics tomorrow.

Russ

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stuff and things!

daybed w/ cushions



table

« Last Edit: March 21, 2014, 03:41:45 PM by Russ »

Kazak

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About to rebuild my kitchen. Demolition stage is finally complete.

Floors (tile), cabinets (ikea), moving some plumbing fixtures around (thank you, PEX!), moved some electrical boxes around to fit the new design as well.

Spork

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table


These turned out really cool.  How much does that badboy table weigh?

edit: bad quoteyness
« Last Edit: March 22, 2014, 04:40:43 PM by Spork »

Russ

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the top is about 85 pounds, so just under 100 for the whole thing?

greaper007

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That's really cool.    I have a couple of questions because I'm about to embark on two similar projects.

1.   What kind of foam did you use?    That looks like the thickness I'd like to use for my part time camper conversion I'm making for my minivan.

2.  What kind of support does a concrete table need underneath?   I remember from my construction days that when we would lay slabs of marble in bathrooms (very high end houses) we basically needed continuous support as the marble was prone to breaking like glass.

I'm going to make an island on castors for my patio that I'd like to put a concrete top on.  I figure that fact that it will move will mean that it needs to be extra thick and well supported.   Do you think I can get away with 1x every 12" or so underneath or should I got with continuous support?    I'm also assuming that you just attached the top with construction adhesive, or did you use tapcons?

Thanks in advance.

Russ

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That's really cool.    I have a couple of questions because I'm about to embark on two similar projects.

1.   What kind of foam did you use?    That looks like the thickness I'd like to use for my part time camper conversion I'm making for my minivan.

HD36 firm, high density upholstery foam, 6" thick. it was very very expensive, even on sale, but has a life expectancy of 15 years as opposed to 5ish for the cheaper stuff. Not pictured, but before I cover them they'll be wrapped in polyester fiberfill for better looks & softness. TBH the thickness is probably overkill for this firmness; I only sink down about halfway & can't feel the hard bottom at all. If you went with anything softer and didn't have a webbed/spring bottom (as furniture usually does, but van conversions usually don't), 6" is probably necessary to not feel like you're bottoming out.

Quote
2.  What kind of support does a concrete table need underneath?   I remember from my construction days that when we would lay slabs of marble in bathrooms (very high end houses) we basically needed continuous support as the marble was prone to breaking like glass.

I'm going to make an island on castors for my patio that I'd like to put a concrete top on.  I figure that fact that it will move will mean that it needs to be extra thick and well supported.   Do you think I can get away with 1x every 12" or so underneath or should I got with continuous support?    I'm also assuming that you just attached the top with construction adhesive, or did you use tapcons?

The only supports are the two 2x2's running down the length, so it has a 16" unsupported gap all the way along. no internal support (rebar/wire mesh) either. I jumped around on it to make sure it was solid and nothing broke, so I guess it's good. Based on this, the 1x every 12" would work (assuming thickness >1", which is where I'm at). Probably the thinner you go the more support is needed?? I'd love to be able to give you advice on how much support is actually right, but I'd really just be guessing.

The top is just sitting on the base right now, no fasteners/adhesives, and I think I'm going to leave it that way. It's heavy enough that it's definitely not going anywhere, and being able to move the top separately makes the weight a lot less awkward to carry by myself.

Spork

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The top is just sitting on the base right now, no fasteners/adhesives, and I think I'm going to leave it that way. It's heavy enough that it's definitely not going anywhere, and being able to move the top separately makes the weight a lot less awkward to carry by myself.

Like you: I doubt it's going anywhere.  But if it becomes a problem, I bet a dot of silicone on all 4 corners would make it immovable and would be easy to break loose if you really wanted to move it.  (That's how most heavy counter tops are held down.)

Russ

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The top is just sitting on the base right now, no fasteners/adhesives, and I think I'm going to leave it that way. It's heavy enough that it's definitely not going anywhere, and being able to move the top separately makes the weight a lot less awkward to carry by myself.

Like you: I doubt it's going anywhere.  But if it becomes a problem, I bet a dot of silicone on all 4 corners would make it immovable and would be easy to break loose if you really wanted to move it.  (That's how most heavy counter tops are held down.)

oh cool, I never would have thought of that, and I already have some too! thanks for the tip!

greaper007

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Thanks for the reply Russ.

Samsam

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I may have gone a bit overboard with my table...I concrete mortared the hell out of it.  I don't think it is ever coming off that base except by means of fire.  This weekend I did a lot to my scooter but didn't get to anything cosmetic.  Motor oil and gear oil changed.  bled the brake line after replacing the front brake pads.  And of course I may be altering it to go a bit faster.   

zolotiyeruki

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(sorry!  oversized pictures fixed now!)

My 9-year-old son liked to maintain a "collection" of things in his bed--things that are special to him.  Unfortunately, that tended to include a large quantity of balloons with Angry Birds faces drawn on them, various origami creations, Pinewood Derby cars, and so much other stuff that he had barely any room left for himself!  So I made him a shelf, with new rules: 1) nothing in his bed other than him, and 2) his collection can only grow to the size of that shelf.



Sure, it only took me about 45 min to make, including sanding, but I think it looks alright.  Of course, his younger brother (who had no collection at all), then had to have his own shelf.  So yesterday came shelf #2:



Total materials:  about 9' of 1x10 pine, plus a little glue and a couple dozen drywall screws
« Last Edit: March 30, 2014, 05:07:13 PM by zolotiyeruki »

olivia

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These look awesome!  What color and type of fabric are you going to use for the cushions on the day bed?  And how do you plan to upholster them?  I have 2 chairs with cushions I'd like to reupholster and am hoping to DIY it.

Cromacster

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Made this over the weekend.  Still needs a lot of finish work.  Some trim, sanding, staining, and a concrete top.  Planning to finish it next weekend.  Overall I'm happy with how it turned out, although I feel it may be a bit to large for the space.

Roland of Gilead

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Still working on our custom RV (flatbed truck camper)

This weekend we built supports for the stove, furnace and refrigerator.




zolotiyeruki

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This isn't construction per se, but I figure this is the best place to put this. A neighbor asked me several months ago to help him replace the battery in his wife's car.  As a token of appreciation, he gave me his old 12V Dewalt cordless drill, complete with dead battery packs.

Fast forward to this past weekend.  I purchased some hobby LiPo battery packs (yay hobbyking!), did a bunch of soldering and gluing, and now I have a working Dewalt cordless drill with two battery packs, each with 1.5 to 2 times the capacity of the originals, for about $50 worth of parts.

Roland of Gilead

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This isn't construction per se, but I figure this is the best place to put this. A neighbor asked me several months ago to help him replace the battery in his wife's car.  As a token of appreciation, he gave me his old 12V Dewalt cordless drill, complete with dead battery packs.

Fast forward to this past weekend.  I purchased some hobby LiPo battery packs (yay hobbyking!), did a bunch of soldering and gluing, and now I have a working Dewalt cordless drill with two battery packs, each with 1.5 to 2 times the capacity of the originals, for about $50 worth of parts.

Be very careful there.  It may be the battery chemistry in the Dewalt packs was slightly different (they could have been Lithium Manganese cells, for example).  I wouldn't want you to burn your house down with your new drill.   Most or all of the danger will be during the charging, so if you are able to charge the rebuilt packs on a concrete floor in your garage, that would be best.

Simple Abundant Living

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Still working on our custom RV (flatbed truck camper)

This weekend we built supports for the stove, furnace and refrigerator.


That is amazing!  May I ask what you project it will cost you?

Samsam

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Wine table is done!  This took a little longer than I thought it would...mostly because I was procrastinating. 

Roland of Gilead

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Still working on our custom RV (flatbed truck camper)

This weekend we built supports for the stove, furnace and refrigerator.


That is amazing!  May I ask what you project it will cost you?

I am quite embarrassed to say it will probably end up costing us around $50,000.  We didn't cut any corners and I built it to last.  I had a lot of tools but had to buy things like a good Miller MIG welder which I will take with us because it is so damn fun.   We didn't cut corners and built to last, which is part of the reason it costs so much.  We used a steel frame instead of wood, aluminum siding bonded to the steel with Sikaflex, so no galvanic action and no leaky rivets.  The roof is a continuous sheet of 0.040 aluminum over 1/2" marine plywood with a Tyvek layer between.  We folded the edges of the aluminum over the sides and Sikaflex glued them (we did use a few screws there because it was impossible to clamp).  After that we coated the entire aluminum roof with truck bed liner.

Most truck camper roofs are rubber (TPO or EPDM) and have vent openings and other things you have to seal.  I have confidence you could place our camper outside for 15 or 20 years and not have one leak, even if you did no maintenance.

Was it worth $50K?  It was a lot of work and that is a lot of money.  I have learned a great deal and know I would never buy a traditional RV (or if I did, I now know how to fix everything and what to look for before buying, problem wise).  I also became a half decent welder, which is a good skill.

zolotiyeruki

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Be very careful there.  It may be the battery chemistry in the Dewalt packs was slightly different (they could have been Lithium Manganese cells, for example).  I wouldn't want you to burn your house down with your new drill.   Most or all of the danger will be during the charging, so if you are able to charge the rebuilt packs on a concrete floor in your garage, that would be best.
Heh--the battery chemistry isn't *slightly* different, it's *totally* different--the original battery packs were NiCd, new ones are LiPo. :D  Charging with the original charger is out of the question--I bought a 2-4S LiPo charger.  The biggest danger is that I may run the cells too low, or that someone may borrow it and attempt to charge them.

Russ

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Wine table is done!  This took a little longer than I thought it would...mostly because I was procrastinating.

sweeeeet! love the animatronic cat statue

Samsam

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Wine table is done!  This took a little longer than I thought it would...mostly because I was procrastinating.

sweeeeet! love the animatronic cat statue
lol, he didn't like my clamp placement.

ChrisLansing

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Just started my greenhouse today.   It will be made primarily from salvaged windows that i got for free.    Pics when I get more done.   

Today I got the foundation blocks placed in the ground and leveled and the basic perimeter frame.   

Samsam

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Finally started on my Murphy bed.  I have 2 pictures of the initial setup.  Still have to put in the legs, a latching mechanism for when it is up, some kind of slow downward release, and elastic to hold the mattress in place.

Russ

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some kind of slow downward release

garage door spring

ball governor + pulleys + friction plate

airbags that deploy as the bed falls

diet Coke + Mentos rockets

Rube Goldberg bed


Samsam

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haha - I just ordered some gas springs with some brackets to attach to the wall and the bottom where it hinges.
Altho I like the diet coke + mentos rockets method....lol

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041EBSX4/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is what I'm trying first.  good amount of load and in a pair for 25 bucks.  other sites had them at like 40 dollars a piece...

gecko10x

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We ripped up carpet and installed solid bamboo flooring in our living room this weekend!

It was a pretty small project (just over 200 sq ft), but it was still a LOT of work (and I still need to do the trim). No more carpet, yay! ;-)

Samsam

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It has legs!!!  Well part of the legs for now.  I am building sort of a box structure with 4 vertical supports that will hold across the bottom of the bed and then hinge above the bed (hope this part works).  And the gas springs should be coming in today!  Hope it is ready for my sister to beta test this Saturday (haha)

k-vette

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Fence building in progress.

grantmeaname

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Is it true that fences make the best neighbors?

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On this forum, I expected a preference for hedges.

k-vette

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Is it true that fences make the best neighbors?

I dont know, but it keeps the kids in.

ChrisLansing

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Started building kitchen cabinets.    I'm just in the layout/drawing stage right now, but should be building by this coming weekend.    They'll be hung by french-cleats.   

kendallf

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I posted a couple of pics months ago of my bathroom renovation.  Took me a while to finish but here are a couple of pictures of the completed job.  I gutted the room and did everything from breaking out the slab to fix the drain, pouring a preslope and liner, doing the tile, and re-texturing the ceiling.  Fairly low cost job all in all ($500ish) but a lot of labor.




Russ

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nice! my sofa is still incomplete, but the upholstery fabric will be here Wednesday!

horsepoor

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That bathroom looks awesome, nice job!

Last weekend my dad helped me build some fancy raised beds; I'd originally planned to make a sort of self-watering system, but didn't want to spend a ton on the extra materials for it, so we ended up doing huglekultur beds instead - lots of nasty old wood thrown in pits under the beds, which will eventually become waterlogged and break down, providing a natural moisture reservoir.  Plus, it ate up some shitty old wood we had laying around that wasn't going to be very good for burning anyway.


Cromacster

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That bathroom looks awesome, nice job!

Last weekend my dad helped me build some fancy raised beds; I'd originally planned to make a sort of self-watering system, but didn't want to spend a ton on the extra materials for it, so we ended up doing huglekultur beds instead - lots of nasty old wood thrown in pits under the beds, which will eventually become waterlogged and break down, providing a natural moisture reservoir.  Plus, it ate up some shitty old wood we had laying around that wasn't going to be very good for burning anyway.

Awesome beds!  I like the look of the metal siding.  I'm going to be building my own this coming weekend using leftover cedar planks I have from building a fence.  I think it should turn out well, maybe not as fancy as yours :)

I too am planning on doing the hugelkultur method.  I am somewhat skeptical of how well it actually works on a small scale.  I have only heard/seen it done on a large scale where it ends up being 5 ft tall (or higher) and really long.  With a lot of woody material underneath.  I can imagine that amount of wood could help retain a substanial amount of moisture to endure longer dry periods.  Whereas on a small scale I just don't see it being able to retain enough moisture to really impact the planter bed during dryspells.  Or I am missing the point completely and its to provide nutrients for the soil rather than helping to retain moisture. 

horsepoor

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No, it is for moisture more than nutrients.  From what I've read, a 6' tall bed can go without irrigation all summer in a hot, dry environment.  I'm not expecting those kinds of results, but I do think that it will act as an effective "sponge" once the wood starts to decompose, so it should be easier to keep the beds from drying out so quickly between waterings.  I did dig a trench down deeper than the bed sides (about 18" below the soil surface) and filled with wood, so there is about 2' of big wood chunks in there, with smaller stuff on top of it.

kendallf

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I like the planter beds!  Galvanized panels for the sides? 

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!