DIY Thread

Since people seem pretty handy here I thought I'd start a DIY thread. My wife and I getting the keys to our new house tomorrow so there are some things i'd like to do. In the back yard there's a clothing line with 3 metal poles in the concrete slab. I'd like to take out the poles, but keep the concrete. I plan on cutting it off as low as possible, but i want to avoid something people will trip over. I suppose I could take out the concrete around it to get it out, but that might be more pain than it's worth. Also we'd like to mount the tv over the fireplace, but it's brick with concrete around it. I wonder if there will be a gap to run the wires behind it? Probably not. Any thoughts / asshole comments would be appreciated.

 

Well, we can come up with plenty of those.

 

Wipe properly to avoid chaffage in said area.

 

I know the audience.

 

Might be easier to take the poles out of the concrete than just cut them off. If you have access or can rent a concrete saw, that may be your best option. That way you can patch the hole. The problem may lie in if the poles were cemented in before the other concrete was laid, would require a larger hole to cut. The tv can be mounted into the brick with the correct anchors, ask your Lowe's people etc. If you can't hide the cables in the brick, use those covers that they use for computer cables. One line coming down would be better than 3 or 4 lines coming down.

 

Get a sawsaw and cut as close to the ground a possible, and then get a grinder and grind to the slab. If you want to patch the hole, mix quickcrete and fill and smooth.

Or you could get a sledge hammer and bust the damn thing out and fill with dirt. Maybe throw down some grass seed down too. So the other people in the trailer park doesn't [itch bay].

 

thx. i'm pretty sure they poles were set with when the concrete was laid. saw makes some sense, but i imagine i have to start from the end of the patio or can i start around the pole? i was thinking maybe of jackhammering right around it and then patching it, but i don't want to crack the rest of the concrete.

 

this is similar to what i was thinking originally. the point is to not take the concrete out. originally i was just going to take it all out, but we later decided the future kids might want it to run their toys around.

 

You can cut out just the area that you want to cut, you don't have to start at one end and go to the other. If you don't want to crack it, the saw would be your best bet.

 

interesting thanks.

 

You can rent a concrete saw from a Home Depot or Lowe's, cut a small square around the poles and bust it up with a sledgehammer or just cut them close to the ground and grind them to the slab.

You don't have to start at the end of the slab.

 

I'm skeptical about drilling holes in chimneys, but I'm just paranoid. It should be fine. You can either tapcon or drill and put in anchors for the screws to hold the brackets.

You can get some decorative trim to cover the wires down the side of the chimney.

 

How high is the chimney and do you have any attic space?

You could possibly fish wires down and keep it covered like that.

 

thx justin

So am I. my wife thinks said decorative trim looks crappy so this is what i'm working with.

it goes to the attic. but i'm mostly talking about the hdmi and power cables. i think i'm going to have them run the direct tv cable under the house.

 

I like to turn a work project into fun time, I would use dynamite for the poles.

 

I should probably mention my level of DIY ability is high enough to think i can do these things without paying for it (certainly the concrete i can do), but low enough that a hospital visit isn't out of the question.

 

Just take a chain and tie one end to the pole and the other to the bumper of your car. Gun it. Repeat for all three poles.

You'll be done in no time.

 

Join the club. Or you could use this little experiment into something for the future! If you really don't want your wife to know that you have skills, mess it up. Don't be like me, I jumped in there and added a room, that has caused endless projects that I now get to do. Just something to think about!

 

my wife is mostly of the opinion that i will injure myself and i should just pay to get it done. her faith is touching.

 

Ah! She grew up watching Tool Time!