Project #1 In the Books....Almost!

So it appears that all other projects have taken a backseat to the MAIN project of the summer. Of course that has been David's backyard and pool! To do a little recap.....hoping to get a head start on the summer and get David swimming for therapy early, we went out to open our pool in mid May. Some wonderful people came over to help clean it out and get it ready. We were on top of things and ahead of schedule when the pool began to fill. Unfortunately, the existing liner had somehow shrunk and after running water in it overnight....I went out to find the liner had pulled away, collapsed the pool and about 2,000 gallons of water had "watered" my yard all night. Some other wonderful people came over to try and help me fix the damage (we at this time did not realize the liner was the issue.) After fixing the damage, we tried again only to come out with the same results. NOW we knew it was the liner. The necessary repairs were once again completed and I was about to order a new liner, when we had one of our famous Kansas storms, complete with wind and hail. The pool collapsed and bent to the point of irreparable. So much for being ahead of the game. 

Thanks to the generosity of some other wonderful people....a pool was donated to David. Then, the unbelievable happened. Three men, two of whom were complete strangers before the pool....decided to volunteer and donate their time to put the pool up. Thanks to them and a few others.....Davids pool was going to be a reality. Working evenings and weekends when weather permitted, the project began. No one knew that it would be more than a simple pool raising. Instead though......it truly became a project! 

The original pool was a round pool and the deck had been built around it. The new pool however was an oval shape and thus the old deck had to be reshaped. The guys thought they would simply dismantle the old deck, save the boards, reshape it to fit the new pool and put it all back together. It sounded simple enough, but in Lisaland....nothing is ever that simple. Upon taking the old deck apart, the existing deck boards were rotted and damaged. It was a miracle no one had fallen through it. The only lumber that was usable were the actual posts. The deck also had to be reshaped and lengthened a bit to fit the new pool. So now not only did the guys have a pool to put up, but they also had a deck to basically rebuild. 

Once the old pool was completely dismantled and then removed....other problems began

to rear their ugly heads. One of the biggest problems was that the ground had to be completely redone where the old pool had been sitting. It was terribly unlevel which explained the six inch difference in levels from one side of the old pool to the other and it also explained why the liner no longer fit the old pool. The ground also had to be extended and prepared for the configuration of the new pool. We also found that rocks as well as other debris had worked its way up out of the ground over the years causing a disaster for the new liner. So the guys painstakingly had to map it all out and plant stakes to level it. Then....another kind person donated their time and their bobcat to come dig out the high spots and level it all. While doing this, the guys decided that not only was my pool site unlevel but my entire backyard was unlevel too. They were right of course and this was the main reason that having David in his wheelchair out there was almost impossible. This was when one of the guys brought in his tractor and proceeded to start leveling my entire backyard. Finally....after seven tons of sand was brought in, a couple of arguments with Lowes management and hours and hours of measurements, leveling, tractor work, shoveling sand and hauling lumber.....it looked as if there was going to be a pool and deck! The best part of all of this has been that David got to be a part of much of the process...rolling out onto newly leveled ground, hanging with the guys and getting his first tractor ride. He loved being a part of it all and I think it renewed the guys efforts to make this David's special place!

~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

This last Sunday....the pool was officially finished and the deck boards were all in place. David got to try his pool out for the very first time. He loved it! In fact....he loved it so much that he stayed in until he was almost too tired to get out. It was all we had hoped it would be for him as the deck is spacious, the new stairs into the pool are amazing for him and the pool itself is big enough to give him a truly amazing workout. He kicked his legs and feet all over that 18 x 33 pool and with the buoyancy of the water, his PT exercises were a breeze. After all....everything in a pool is fun.....right?!

As far as the pool goes...it is complete and the deck is in it's final stages of completion. By

the weekend all of the railing should be completed and another amazing person will move the electrical for all the pools needs. We have had one David fan donate lights to string around the deck and we are currently looking for a couple of pole tents to give the deck a bit of shade in the midday heat. Soon though, Project #1 David's pool will be in the books. I am sure that my wonderful volunteers will be so happy to be able to enjoy the pool instead of work on it. 

Of course, my summer projects are far from over, but with the pool and deck finished.....I will now have more time to devote to other things. And remember the completed firepit? Well it is back on the project list. It seems that with the leveling of the yard, it had to be dismantled. Fear not though.....it is coming back soon....bigger and better!!! 

So there you have it! Project #1 is all but done. Like any project, it had its ups and downs but it was an amazing experience to know that people were willing to give financially and physically to make this a reality for David. You know who you are and you will never know how grateful I am to all of you! I have made wonderful new friends and learned so much about deck building and pool erecting. However, I hope it is a very long time before I have to use those new found skills again. 

Project #1.1....An Up Cycled Fire Pit

Projects!!!! Well to catch you up on the huge project that is my back yard, the deck frame is in place. It had to be in place before the pool could go up. Last night, a tractor was brought in and the ground where the pool will be, was scraped level. That will be new and novel since my my last pool became extremely un-level over time, earth movement and sand/dirt shifting. My last pool had an unintentional deep end which was almost six inches deeper than the rest of the pool. This could explain why the liner no longer fit!

Since last week, we have still had to dodge weather and work around work schedules (theirs not mine), but the deck frame is complete. After the pool is put up, then the deck boards will be put in place and finally the stairs and gates. These poor guys aren't going to know what to do with themselves when they don't have to drive to my house every day after work to put in another 6-8 hours. NOT! 

Last night when the tractor arrived, the guys let David give the tractor a spin. He had a ball. It wasn't all fun and games though as the ground is now pool ready. Hopefully today will start the pool set up and then we should be just days away from pool time beginning. I will be sure and keep you all posted as this project moves forward.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So as this huge project is going on, we have begun some smaller projects too. I think I may have mentioned that we were going to have a fire pit area. After a good bit of research and some Pinterest browsing, I finally came up with something I liked, was within my skill level and best of all was in my budget...free! Free always makes me happy.

Okay....this is where I forgot I was suppose to be documenting everything for this blog, so I forgot to take pictures along the way. However, I did take a finished project picture, so I guess I didn't completely drop the ball. I also planned to pull my how-to instructions from Pinterest but apparently I didn't pin them, so you will
jut have to take my word for how to build it. Again though....it is not rocket science and I have the completed picture for you. Here goes....

To make this fire pit, myself, Z and Z's girlfriend A, used a portable metal fire pit I already had. I had purchased it at a garage sale for about $10 several years ago. We had never used it much because a)it was portable and had a tenancy to move during high KS winds and b)it was just not very safe. The fire pit was on wheels and a stand with a base tray, a wire basket that fit into the base and then a lid. We proceeded to take it all apart and then when we got to the wheels and stand, I tried to unbolt them. Unfortunately after sitting in the outdoor elements for several years, the bolts were rusted on. I then allowed Z to take our trusty sledge hammer and beat the wheels and stand until they broke loose. This left holes in the bottom tray where the bolts had been which is fine because the tray needed to have the holes....I assume for ventilation.

We then laid the base on the ground and marked an area about 3-4 inches larger all the way around it. At this point, A and I began to dig the circumference we had marked and then we dug about 4-5 inches deep. We laid the base into the bottom of the hole and then put sand around the area between the edge of the tray and the edge of the dug out wall. Once this was done, we then reassembled the original fire pit putting the basket into the base and then covering the basket with the lid. After that, we took paver stones(we used 2x6x18 stones) and arranged the pavers around the fire pit building up the sides.

The completed project took less than 30 minutes and looks much better than the old fire pit and I believe it is also safer. I think I am going to fill the base with pea gravel or rock as most fire pits have some form of this in the bottom. The lid can also be removed and a grilling grate can be placed over the top to allow the fire pit to also double as a grill. Versatile and free....what more could a girl want???? I really can't wait to start putting our new creation to good use.

Currently with my torn up yard as the backdrop for this new up cycled creation, it doesn't look as amazing as I think it will when Project #1 is actually finished. Still though, it is something that we will be able to use and enjoy for a long time to come and will extend our outdoor season time, from early spring to late fall.

Okay....so there you have it. Since project #2 is actually going to be the basement room.....we will simply call the fire pit, Project #1.1! We are moving right along and progress is being made. So how are your summer projects going? Any you would like to share? You can either share them by commenting in the "comments" section of this blog or message or email me. I would love to see them and share them in my upcoming blogs.

Until next week.....wish us luck on Project #1!