[quote]mazevedo wrote:
LOL I was waiting to see how long it would take for this comment to show up.
[/quote]
Oh crap, am I now the jackass who says what everyone else is thinking?
[quote]Renton wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
I don’t know about the rest of you guys, But I’ve always wanted to dig a real big hole. Alls by mas self.
Seriously. Go for it. You’ll be the fucking king of that pool, and no one will be able to say otherwise.
There IS something very satisfying about this kind of work. When I used to work in a garden centre, one winter I had to dig a trench to lay down pipe for a watering system. It was dug in before we built 3 million square feet of glass houses.
The whole thing - especially the trench (4’ deep, 800’ long, one spade width, frozen ground) was deeply gratifying.[/quote]
How do you dig a trench 4 feet deep one spade width wide?
[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Renton wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
I don’t know about the rest of you guys, But I’ve always wanted to dig a real big hole. Alls by mas self.
Seriously. Go for it. You’ll be the fucking king of that pool, and no one will be able to say otherwise.
There IS something very satisfying about this kind of work. When I used to work in a garden centre, one winter I had to dig a trench to lay down pipe for a watering system. It was dug in before we built 3 million square feet of glass houses.
The whole thing - especially the trench (4’ deep, 800’ long, one spade width, frozen ground) was deeply gratifying.
How do you dig a trench 4 feet deep one spade width wide?[/quote]
Use a trenching spade. I dug the footings for my cabin with this. 28’ x 28’, and yeah it sucked.
I also removed a raised flowerbed from my yard that was about 12’ x 12’ by 18". Unbelievable amount of dirt, which I had to haul out in trash cans and dump in a field.
To the OP, as far as storing the dirt in your front yard, you will be amazed at the amount of dirt involved.
[quote]Testy1 wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Renton wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
I don’t know about the rest of you guys, But I’ve always wanted to dig a real big hole. Alls by mas self.
Seriously. Go for it. You’ll be the fucking king of that pool, and no one will be able to say otherwise.
There IS something very satisfying about this kind of work. When I used to work in a garden centre, one winter I had to dig a trench to lay down pipe for a watering system. It was dug in before we built 3 million square feet of glass houses.
The whole thing - especially the trench (4’ deep, 800’ long, one spade width, frozen ground) was deeply gratifying.
How do you dig a trench 4 feet deep one spade width wide?
Use a trenching spade. I dug the footings for my cabin with this. 28’ x 28’, and yeah it sucked.
I also removed a raised flowerbed from my yard that was about 12’ x 12’ by 18". Unbelievable amount of dirt, which I had to haul out in trash cans and dump in a field.
To the OP, as far as storing the dirt in your front yard, you will be amazed at the amount of dirt involved.[/quote]
How deep did you go? 4 feet deep will require sloping the sides won’t it?
[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Testy1 wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Renton wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
How deep did you go? 4 feet deep will require sloping the sides won’t it? [/quote]
4 feet, that is the minimum in Michigan. As long as it is not sandy soil the sides will not slope. However, once you get near the bottom it is a bitch because you run out of handle. Best to start out with a standard shovel.
[quote]Testy1 wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Testy1 wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Renton wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
How deep did you go? 4 feet deep will require sloping the sides won’t it?
4 feet, that is the minimum in Michigan. As long as it is not sandy soil the sides will not slope. However, once you get near the bottom it is a bitch because you run out of handle. Best to start out with a standard shovel.[/quote]
Thanks for answering Zap’s questions there mate.
I had good soil to dig through and it was a cold winter so it was possible to dig a fairly accurate spade width all the way down to 4’ without and angles to the sides.
As you say though, when you get down that deep it is indeed an absolute bitch.
Strangely satisfying when you are finally finished and can stand back and look at your handiwork though.
[quote]Renton wrote:
Strangely satisfying when you are finally finished and can stand back and look at your handiwork though.[/quote]
I have always loved trimming trees and cutting firewood for this same reason.
As far as what to do with the dirt, depending on the yard; do you have a cement deck, etc.? and the quality of soil, you could spread it around the yard and raise it a bit. Free Dirt signs are pretty effective as well. House builders are often looking for fill.
[quote]tedro wrote:
How much space do you have? The pool companies may not have a mini excavator, but somebody will or you could rent one.
Check this guy out, 39" wide.
http://www.bobcat.com/excavators/compare/323
These things are a lot more fun to run than a shovel, too.[/quote]
The guy from the pool company contacted me after I left him that link in an email.
He admits that it is possible to use the 323 but it would be highly impractical because the scoop is so small. Every round trip would take forever and being that it’s on tracks it would fuck off my concrete driveway.
At this point it’s looking like it will come down to two options:
-
Use the standard Bobcat with tires and get the job done in one day with neighbor’s permission and my promise to restore his flower bed.
-
Get the wheel barrow and shovel and prepare for a few months of hard work. I would probably save a few thousand dollars and have some crazy stories to tell. Plus all the neigbors from all sides would be able to see what’s going on…it would be like the scene from “The Burbs” where Hans Klopeck is digging up the yard for bodies. I will do it if I run out of options, and you can bet there will be a thread and pics provided.
[quote]mazevedo wrote:
tedro wrote:
How much space do you have? The pool companies may not have a mini excavator, but somebody will or you could rent one.
Check this guy out, 39" wide.
http://www.bobcat.com/excavators/compare/323
These things are a lot more fun to run than a shovel, too.
The guy from the pool company contacted me after I left him that link in an email.
He admits that it is possible to use the 323 but it would be highly impractical because the scoop is so small. Every round trip would take forever and being that it’s on tracks it would fuck off my concrete driveway.
At this point it’s looking like it will come down to two options:
-
Use the standard Bobcat with tires and get the job done in one day with neighbor’s permission and my promise to restore his flower bed.
-
Get the wheel barrow and shovel and prepare for a few months of hard work. I would probably save a few thousand dollars and have some crazy stories to tell. Plus all the neigbors from all sides would be able to see what’s going on…it would be like the scene from “The Burbs” where Hans Klopeck is digging up the yard for bodies. I will do it if I run out of options, and you can bet there will be a thread and pics provided.
[/quote]
There’s no doubt that if you use the mini-x you would still need another guy on a wheelbarrow or a gator and trailor, but going back and forth with it would be silly. It won’t be as convenient as a bigger back hoe, but I gaurantee you that it will beat using a shovel.
Hopefully your neighbor is cool, that is obviously the best solution.
My good friend and his family dug a swimming pool by hand over a summer and poured all the concrete built the whole thing themselves. Now he did have a retarded uncle with that special strength to help shovel and haul wheelbarrow loads of dirt which is an advantage.
A lot of work but it can be done.
Me and my friends built a multi acre paintball field with huge trenches, bunkers, etc.
Digging is fun.
[quote]Hadow Khan wrote:
10 Friends
1 Weekend
A shit load of beer.
[/quote]
Don’t forget the rock music. I suggest Metallica’s …And Justice for All and Kill 'Em All and every ACDC album. You will finish in 16 hours and have a blast.
We had a similar situation w/ putting in our pool - limited space with neighbor’s fence and the city park off our back yard. Decided to use a Mini-X and do pretty much all of the work, including the pool install, ourselves. It was an exceptional amount of labor, required several friends, and alot of grilling and beer. Very rewarding though, and saved quite a few dollars.
We just finished the project this past July, willing to answer any questions you may have.
another install pic
[quote]98V wrote:
another install pic
[/quote]
Great job.
In my opinion you should just do this
http://www.betterthanyourboyfriend.com/the-infamous-ghetto-indoor-pool.htm
[quote]JohnnyNinja wrote:
In my opinion you should just do this
http://www.betterthanyourboyfriend.com/the-infamous-ghetto-indoor-pool.htm
[/quote]
That’s funny shit
[quote]JohnnyNinja wrote:
In my opinion you should just do this
http://www.betterthanyourboyfriend.com/the-infamous-ghetto-indoor-pool.htm [/quote]
HE SHOULD HQAVE PUT IT ON THE SECOND FLOOR, OR BETTER YET THE ROOF
update ?
Bump.
He must be busy digging.