The Bricklayer Alternative Workout
This workout was both physical and mentally tiring. It required two solid weekends without special equipment. Lots of shoveling and heavy lifting. Lots of core strength working things into the right balance and ensuring proper hydration...of the ground off my new patio! I was mulling how to do this over last summer. I even had a person come out and give me an obnoxiously priced quote to pave it. I considered a deck versus a concrete pour versus pavers versus brick. I opted for the brick. The job was complicated due to the sloping grade in front of my house and the fact that my house itself is sagging a little. This made the grading interesting, but I was able to get something that looked promising. This "alternative" workout had several phases. Dig out This was the biggest pain as what was there was gravel packed into clay-ish soil. I just had to fight through it. A spade shovel and a heavy foot allowed for some good progress. I got the area dug out at least 5 inche...