So Andy decided, since the concrete cutting contractors bid came in three times higher than
he expected, that he would give it a try and see how it goes. He purchased a concrete cutting saw, watched a bunched of videos, and was ready to get to work. Here he is with the new saw. He got the water one, so it is a bit messy. He got some cute wet pants and boots to compliment the new saw and to try and stay dry.
Rex & I are the set up crew. We had to go around to all the markings Andy had made the weekend before and set up platforms so he had a level ground to stand on while he was making the cuts. This is an example of one of our platforms. We used the concrete block we had lying around to make it. We made about 3-4 of these near the windows Andy was cutting. Andy cut along the orange marking lines to make the window openings longer to accomodate the windows he choose for these openings.
The saw, along with being wet and messy, also generates alot of dust and air debris, so we set up these exhaust hoses to try and keep the area he was working in well ventilated.
These are some of the chunks of concrete block Andy cut out to enlarge the windows on the front facade. We all stayed clear & Tosh was tied up to ensure no blocks fell on any heads!
There is Andy up on the fourth floor. He just finished cutting both the top windows and he said once he got the hang of it, it wasn't that bad. He said the biggest thing about the concrete cutting is having the stamina to hold the weight of the saw as still as you can while making the cuts, very tiring.
Here are Rex and I. We are the clean up crew too. Andy goes in, makes the cuts and has all the fun & then goes on to the next cut. Rex & I come in and clean up the mess he made. Rex has a concrete drill that shaves off the bumpy parts Andy may have left. I am shovelling up the water, mud, and small debris pieces he left.
This is Rex preparing to go out on the property and clear some dead trees. Andy just got this new helmut and Rex added a few of his own touches. It is the latest is camo sawing wear.
Rex found a Tarzan vine and put it to good use. ahahahahahahahahahah
Jack, my friend Patti's son, came and helped clean up some of the dead trees and low and behold he found a winner on a bottle of unopened 7up. He's going to send it in and see if they will redeem his wnner.
This is our new concrete zen garden.
OK, it was a small pit to the side of the castle and we put all the broken concrete blocks in it as part of our clean up.
This is one of the areas the kids & I cleared out, it is actually the top of a large stone ledge.
Here is Rex on the cleaned up ledge from the bottom looking up. Since Rex found the ledge, according to him, we are calling it Rex's Ridge.
This is on the side of Rex's ridge, you can't tell it very well from the picture, but they are like stairs going up the ridge. very cool.
So, that's it. It was a busy weekend & we got alot done. We also had a bunch of visitors who were in the area and saw the gate down. It is always fun to see and hear people's comments when they first see the place.
This past weekend was the first weekend we weren't up at the castle, but be assured, Andy was up in the shop working on things for the castle and our next trip up & I was able to spend some time organizing the box of papers we got from Edward's sister regarding the castle. I am trying to figure out how to incorporate some of that into the blog.
Stay tuned.
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