1 00:00:00,834 --> 00:00:03,269 ♪♪ 2 00:00:03,336 --> 00:00:06,539 -On "Ask This Old House," 3 00:00:06,606 --> 00:00:08,875 our experts travel across the country 4 00:00:08,942 --> 00:00:11,911 to answer questions about your house. 5 00:00:11,978 --> 00:00:17,984 ♪♪ 6 00:00:18,051 --> 00:00:21,488 Today, Nathan finds a solution for a sunny pool area 7 00:00:21,554 --> 00:00:23,857 that could use a little shade. 8 00:00:23,923 --> 00:00:27,394 Plus, we highlight two brothers who are carrying on the legacy 9 00:00:27,460 --> 00:00:29,262 of their great-grandfather's 10 00:00:29,329 --> 00:00:31,698 fourth-generation landscaping business. 11 00:00:31,765 --> 00:00:33,933 -Yeah, the loropetalums are very popular. 12 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,936 -Yep. -And Mark helps a landlord 13 00:00:37,003 --> 00:00:38,705 make some safety improvements 14 00:00:38,772 --> 00:00:41,808 to her tenants' cracked concrete walkway. 15 00:00:41,875 --> 00:00:44,477 Coming up next on "Ask This Old House." 16 00:00:46,513 --> 00:00:53,586 ♪♪ 17 00:00:53,653 --> 00:00:55,054 -Hey, Nathan. -Hi, Sammi. Nice to meet you. 18 00:00:55,121 --> 00:00:56,356 -Nice to meet you. 19 00:00:56,423 --> 00:00:57,724 -It's a beautiful spot you guys have here. 20 00:00:57,791 --> 00:00:59,592 -Thank you so much. I can't take any credit. 21 00:00:59,659 --> 00:01:01,494 This was my in-laws' home before my own. 22 00:01:01,561 --> 00:01:02,929 -Oh, really? -Yes. 23 00:01:02,996 --> 00:01:05,498 And luckily, now my children are growing up in the same home 24 00:01:05,565 --> 00:01:07,200 that my husband did. -That is awesome. 25 00:01:07,267 --> 00:01:08,768 And out back, you guys have a big pool? 26 00:01:08,835 --> 00:01:10,336 -We do. Want to come see it? -Yeah. 27 00:01:10,403 --> 00:01:12,305 -Okay. 28 00:01:12,372 --> 00:01:13,907 Alright, so, this is our pool area. 29 00:01:13,973 --> 00:01:16,609 -This is an awesome space. -Yeah, it's really nice. 30 00:01:16,676 --> 00:01:18,378 I love taking my kids out here swimming, 31 00:01:18,445 --> 00:01:19,913 enjoying it in the summertime. 32 00:01:19,979 --> 00:01:21,948 -Oh, yeah. -When the sun comes up 33 00:01:22,015 --> 00:01:24,651 and it gets really hot, we have no shade. 34 00:01:24,717 --> 00:01:26,286 -And that sun is coming up right now. 35 00:01:26,352 --> 00:01:28,721 And I'm guessing you get full sun all day long here. 36 00:01:28,788 --> 00:01:29,923 -Full sun. 37 00:01:29,989 --> 00:01:32,125 So even during, like, snacktime or lunchtime, 38 00:01:32,192 --> 00:01:34,527 it's really hard to find a shady spot. 39 00:01:34,594 --> 00:01:35,795 Okay. I feel like 40 00:01:35,862 --> 00:01:37,397 we're gravitating over to this corner here. 41 00:01:37,464 --> 00:01:39,599 Is this where you think a nice shady spot would be? 42 00:01:39,666 --> 00:01:41,067 -This would be perfect. -Alright, well, 43 00:01:41,134 --> 00:01:42,602 I definitely have something in mind. 44 00:01:42,669 --> 00:01:43,837 I'll grab some tools and materials, 45 00:01:43,903 --> 00:01:45,572 and we'll get started. -Alright. 46 00:01:48,942 --> 00:01:50,677 -Alright, so, what I think we should do 47 00:01:50,743 --> 00:01:53,446 is hang up one of these large shade sails. 48 00:01:53,513 --> 00:01:55,715 They're lightweight, easy to install. 49 00:01:55,782 --> 00:01:57,283 It's going to look great when we're done. 50 00:01:57,350 --> 00:02:00,086 But we don't really have a lot of structure around that area. 51 00:02:00,153 --> 00:02:01,921 We don't have any buildings that we can tie off of, 52 00:02:01,988 --> 00:02:03,690 so we need to create our own structure. 53 00:02:03,756 --> 00:02:05,158 And the way that I want to do that 54 00:02:05,225 --> 00:02:06,926 is by using these planter barrels 55 00:02:06,993 --> 00:02:08,261 and some pressure-treated lumber. 56 00:02:08,328 --> 00:02:10,129 I don't really want to put the posts fixed 57 00:02:10,196 --> 00:02:13,099 to your concrete apron. I don't want to introduce holes, 58 00:02:13,166 --> 00:02:15,301 tack on down into that, and have water go in 59 00:02:15,368 --> 00:02:17,003 and split and crack over time. 60 00:02:17,070 --> 00:02:18,538 I think this will be a great option 61 00:02:18,605 --> 00:02:20,740 because it'll be customizable. If you guys need to move it, 62 00:02:20,807 --> 00:02:23,443 make it bigger, just take it down completely, 63 00:02:23,510 --> 00:02:25,845 you know, you're not fixing it to one spot forever. 64 00:02:25,912 --> 00:02:28,515 To put this together, we're going to use the barrels 65 00:02:28,581 --> 00:02:30,850 we're going to put the 4x4 posts in, 66 00:02:30,917 --> 00:02:33,119 and then we're going to backfill with this rock here. 67 00:02:33,186 --> 00:02:34,387 -I really, really like this rock. 68 00:02:34,454 --> 00:02:35,722 -This is beautiful. I think we should 69 00:02:35,788 --> 00:02:37,957 cap off with this. This one's a little bit cheaper, 70 00:02:38,024 --> 00:02:40,693 so it'll be really great for weight, just to fill it up. 71 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,897 And then to attach the sail to the pressure-treated stock, 72 00:02:43,963 --> 00:02:45,498 picked up a bunch of stainless-steel hardware. 73 00:02:45,565 --> 00:02:48,334 We have eyebolts, carabiners for the sides 74 00:02:48,401 --> 00:02:50,370 so we can take it off easy in the wintertime, 75 00:02:50,436 --> 00:02:53,806 and then also a 4x4 cap to dress up the top. 76 00:02:53,873 --> 00:02:56,676 I think we get started by setting the posts in the barrel. 77 00:02:56,743 --> 00:02:59,145 Excellent. -Alright, 78 00:02:59,212 --> 00:03:00,680 what I'd like to do is cut a few pieces 79 00:03:00,747 --> 00:03:02,181 of this pressure-treated 2x12. 80 00:03:02,248 --> 00:03:04,284 And what that is going to be is the base plate 81 00:03:04,350 --> 00:03:05,885 for our 4x4 to get attached to. 82 00:03:05,952 --> 00:03:09,188 So, I'm going to cut a few pieces 11.25 83 00:03:09,255 --> 00:03:11,991 so they'll easily fit in the bottom. 84 00:03:14,093 --> 00:03:16,796 Alright, one more. -Okay. 85 00:03:26,606 --> 00:03:29,208 -So, we can put this aside. 86 00:03:29,275 --> 00:03:31,811 You know, I find the center, and I do an offset. 87 00:03:31,878 --> 00:03:33,880 Do this to all three. -Mm. 88 00:03:33,947 --> 00:03:35,248 -We'll make sure that we're nice and square 89 00:03:35,315 --> 00:03:36,983 on the bottom of the post. 90 00:03:44,023 --> 00:03:45,892 So, you can pre-drill those. 91 00:03:45,959 --> 00:03:48,661 [ Drill whirring ] 92 00:04:01,608 --> 00:04:03,576 Alright, now we're ready to drill our holes 93 00:04:03,643 --> 00:04:05,111 for our stainless-steel eyebolts 94 00:04:05,178 --> 00:04:06,746 that we're going to put through the top. 95 00:04:06,813 --> 00:04:09,649 So what I'd like to do is come down 6 inches. 96 00:04:11,951 --> 00:04:15,121 Now we want to try and get these as square as possible. 97 00:04:15,188 --> 00:04:17,690 You sight one direction. I'll sight the other. 98 00:04:21,761 --> 00:04:23,096 -Oop. 99 00:04:26,432 --> 00:04:29,469 -Perfect. Now we can drop these in. 100 00:04:45,151 --> 00:04:47,720 -Alright. -So, now we're going to do 101 00:04:47,787 --> 00:04:49,789 washer and a nut. 102 00:05:06,873 --> 00:05:08,808 -Okay. 103 00:05:08,875 --> 00:05:12,378 -So, what I do is I'm going to start a couple of these screws. 104 00:05:12,445 --> 00:05:14,514 We have that nice layout from earlier. 105 00:05:14,580 --> 00:05:15,748 -Yep. -So, what we're going to do 106 00:05:15,815 --> 00:05:17,950 is you're going to sight that. 107 00:05:18,017 --> 00:05:20,253 -It looks good. -Okay. 108 00:05:20,319 --> 00:05:22,588 Gonna jump around a little bit. 109 00:05:30,663 --> 00:05:32,532 -Like it? -Looks good. 110 00:05:32,598 --> 00:05:33,866 -Alright, let's start the second one. 111 00:05:33,933 --> 00:05:35,501 -There we go. 112 00:05:40,073 --> 00:05:42,075 -Alright, that's all set. -Okay? 113 00:05:42,141 --> 00:05:47,647 ♪♪ 114 00:05:47,714 --> 00:05:51,317 Alright, so, this one is 14x14x14. 115 00:05:51,384 --> 00:05:54,620 So it's got a pretty good amount of coverage. 116 00:05:54,687 --> 00:05:57,890 So, what we're going to do is center this all the way around. 117 00:05:57,957 --> 00:06:00,526 So, what I did is cut this stabilizer. 118 00:06:00,593 --> 00:06:02,361 So, if you want to put that level on it. 119 00:06:02,428 --> 00:06:04,097 -Okay. 120 00:06:04,163 --> 00:06:05,698 And that's perfect. 121 00:06:08,534 --> 00:06:10,369 -What's nice about this is it's a planter, 122 00:06:10,436 --> 00:06:13,005 so it already has holes drilled in it for drainage. 123 00:06:13,072 --> 00:06:20,913 ♪♪ 124 00:06:20,980 --> 00:06:22,615 -Hanging the sail. 125 00:06:22,682 --> 00:06:30,723 ♪♪ 126 00:06:30,790 --> 00:06:32,325 -Alright, nice. -[ Gasping ] Oh! 127 00:06:32,391 --> 00:06:34,026 This looks awesome! -Perfect. 128 00:06:34,093 --> 00:06:36,095 Plenty of shade right over that seat there in the pool. 129 00:06:36,162 --> 00:06:38,397 -Yeah, I can sit, put my toes in. 130 00:06:38,464 --> 00:06:39,599 -Watch the kids. -Relax. 131 00:06:39,665 --> 00:06:40,767 -Hang out. -Yep. 132 00:06:40,833 --> 00:06:42,034 -Beautiful spot. 133 00:06:42,101 --> 00:06:43,402 Well, there's really not any homework to this, 134 00:06:43,469 --> 00:06:44,771 but some recommendations. 135 00:06:44,837 --> 00:06:47,039 You know, if you see a severe storm coming in, 136 00:06:47,106 --> 00:06:48,541 or it's wintertime, you want to take it down. 137 00:06:48,608 --> 00:06:50,443 You'll definitely prolong the life of it. 138 00:06:50,510 --> 00:06:51,778 Other than that, you're all set. -Alright. 139 00:06:51,844 --> 00:06:53,679 Thank you so much. -You're welcome. 140 00:06:53,746 --> 00:07:02,522 ♪♪ 141 00:07:02,588 --> 00:07:04,624 -As we travel across the country 142 00:07:04,690 --> 00:07:06,225 to tackle home-improvement projects, 143 00:07:06,292 --> 00:07:10,196 we often get the chance to work alongside talented tradespeople. 144 00:07:10,263 --> 00:07:12,331 Well, not that long ago, we partnered with 145 00:07:12,398 --> 00:07:14,200 a landscaping company out of Georgia, 146 00:07:14,267 --> 00:07:17,203 run by Donald Jordan and David Jones, 147 00:07:17,270 --> 00:07:19,472 and we quickly learned that their passion 148 00:07:19,539 --> 00:07:22,408 for landscaping goes beyond the profession. 149 00:07:22,475 --> 00:07:26,445 For them, it is very much a family affair. 150 00:07:26,512 --> 00:07:29,015 -I'm Donald Jordan. -And I'm David Jones. 151 00:07:29,081 --> 00:07:32,218 -And we're fourth-generation landscapers. 152 00:07:32,285 --> 00:07:35,454 -What I love most about my job -- 153 00:07:35,521 --> 00:07:40,159 I love that we're a family-owned business, 154 00:07:40,226 --> 00:07:42,695 and I get to work with my brother, 155 00:07:42,762 --> 00:07:45,131 and I get to do what I love to do most, 156 00:07:45,198 --> 00:07:46,899 which is landscaping. 157 00:07:49,202 --> 00:07:51,771 -It's good to tip from them right now anyway. 158 00:07:51,838 --> 00:07:54,807 [ Clippers clicking ] 159 00:07:54,874 --> 00:07:56,843 -The most rewarding part is being able 160 00:07:56,909 --> 00:07:58,377 to enjoy it with my brother. 161 00:07:58,444 --> 00:08:01,747 And you know, having that excitement is great 162 00:08:01,814 --> 00:08:03,783 because not a lot of people get to work 163 00:08:03,850 --> 00:08:05,751 with their siblings the way that we do, 164 00:08:05,818 --> 00:08:07,987 and it just works out perfect for us. 165 00:08:10,289 --> 00:08:14,026 -First, I wanted to play professional football, 166 00:08:14,093 --> 00:08:19,298 and then I just followed my grandfather around. 167 00:08:19,365 --> 00:08:23,035 And you know, watching him do landscaping every day, 168 00:08:23,102 --> 00:08:26,205 it kind of inspired me to want to do the same thing. 169 00:08:26,272 --> 00:08:30,176 So, this is an actual picture of my great-grandfather, 170 00:08:30,243 --> 00:08:32,712 Cleveland Roosevelt Jordan. 171 00:08:32,778 --> 00:08:36,616 And he became my biggest inspiration. 172 00:08:36,682 --> 00:08:40,219 I actually have this photo hanging in my man cave. 173 00:08:40,286 --> 00:08:41,921 You know, when I'm getting dressed in the morning, 174 00:08:41,988 --> 00:08:44,257 I take a look at it and it's kind of like, 175 00:08:44,323 --> 00:08:45,625 you know, "Go do what you got to do." 176 00:08:45,691 --> 00:08:51,230 ♪♪ 177 00:08:51,297 --> 00:08:54,333 -Oh, my brother -- yeah, he's a jack-of-all-trades 178 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:55,868 when it comes to landscaping, man. 179 00:08:55,935 --> 00:09:00,673 But I think he really has his hands on rolling pine straw. 180 00:09:00,740 --> 00:09:03,209 Nobody does it like him. It's just so easy to him. 181 00:09:03,276 --> 00:09:04,844 -Thank you. -So everybody calls him 182 00:09:04,911 --> 00:09:08,214 the pine straw man because he just does it perfectly. 183 00:09:10,616 --> 00:09:14,186 -David is best at pruning. 184 00:09:14,253 --> 00:09:17,990 Give it a little haircut. -He's best at pruning, 185 00:09:18,057 --> 00:09:23,296 he's best at design, freestyling. 186 00:09:23,362 --> 00:09:26,933 -Freestyling, for us, it would be coming to a project, 187 00:09:26,999 --> 00:09:30,303 and, you know, the customer may have a set of thoughts 188 00:09:30,369 --> 00:09:33,172 or ideas that they may want, and then we get to the job, 189 00:09:33,239 --> 00:09:35,841 and sometimes rolls like, "Oh, man, 190 00:09:35,908 --> 00:09:38,210 I think I'm gonna -- think we're gonna do it like this. 191 00:09:38,277 --> 00:09:39,345 What you thinking?" 192 00:09:39,412 --> 00:09:40,579 Then, he's like, "Well, sit this way. 193 00:09:40,646 --> 00:09:42,481 You want to sit, and let's see how that looking." 194 00:09:42,548 --> 00:09:45,751 Then, you know, the customer always accepts what we do. 195 00:09:45,818 --> 00:09:48,187 They love it because it's like a different approach. 196 00:09:48,254 --> 00:09:56,395 ♪♪ 197 00:09:56,462 --> 00:09:59,165 These gardenias smell lovely. 198 00:09:59,231 --> 00:10:01,367 -Yeah, the loropetalums are very popular. 199 00:10:01,434 --> 00:10:02,368 -Yep. 200 00:10:02,435 --> 00:10:04,670 -This is a go-to for natural color. 201 00:10:04,737 --> 00:10:06,906 You get green, you get a little pink, 202 00:10:06,973 --> 00:10:11,777 get a little burgundy color, all in one. 203 00:10:11,844 --> 00:10:12,979 It's one of my favorites, man. 204 00:10:13,045 --> 00:10:16,182 I just like the colors that it pops off, 205 00:10:16,248 --> 00:10:19,251 the big blooms that it gives. -Yeah, 206 00:10:19,318 --> 00:10:23,289 everybody wants a pop of color and low maintenance. 207 00:10:23,356 --> 00:10:25,891 That's the dream. 208 00:10:25,958 --> 00:10:29,662 -My great-grandfather really paid a lot of attention, 209 00:10:29,729 --> 00:10:33,666 a lot of detail when it came to, uh, 210 00:10:33,733 --> 00:10:38,604 sculpting and pruning and trimming topiaries. 211 00:10:38,671 --> 00:10:41,540 You would always see him in the garden, trimming, 212 00:10:41,607 --> 00:10:44,744 making animals out of them -- roosters. 213 00:10:44,810 --> 00:10:47,513 He'd always give you a friendly wave. 214 00:10:47,580 --> 00:10:52,084 It was definitely photo props for Easter, 215 00:10:52,151 --> 00:10:54,387 with the tulips. 216 00:10:54,453 --> 00:10:57,957 Many family members came by to take nice photos 217 00:10:58,024 --> 00:11:01,694 in their nice dresses and, you know, suits. 218 00:11:01,761 --> 00:11:03,396 It's my favorite landscape. 219 00:11:03,462 --> 00:11:06,432 And it's part of the reason why we kind of fell in love 220 00:11:06,499 --> 00:11:09,268 with wanting to carry the torch. 221 00:11:09,335 --> 00:11:13,806 Happy that we're continuing a legacy that he started. 222 00:11:13,873 --> 00:11:15,775 I mean, that's where the legacy piece 223 00:11:15,841 --> 00:11:19,578 comes from within the business. So we're paying homage to him, 224 00:11:19,645 --> 00:11:21,313 and we hope that we're making him proud. 225 00:11:21,380 --> 00:11:22,782 -Yep. 226 00:11:22,848 --> 00:11:25,484 -Coming here, you kind of get a little reminiscent feeling... 227 00:11:25,551 --> 00:11:28,020 -Oh, yeah. -...of what it was like. 228 00:11:30,556 --> 00:11:33,292 -So pretty. 229 00:11:33,359 --> 00:11:36,028 -The next phase for the legacy -- 230 00:11:36,095 --> 00:11:39,065 we want to continue to build, we want to continue to expand, 231 00:11:39,131 --> 00:11:42,802 and we just want to continue to push the envelope 232 00:11:42,868 --> 00:11:44,837 and go as far as we can, 233 00:11:44,904 --> 00:11:47,606 and we can leave a legacy for our family. 234 00:11:47,673 --> 00:11:51,043 Just making sure that, you know, we continue to grow -- 235 00:11:51,110 --> 00:11:54,447 excel and grow as far as we can -- we can go. 236 00:11:54,513 --> 00:11:58,017 Hey. Yo. Looking good? 237 00:11:58,084 --> 00:12:00,286 -It's all done. -Alright. 238 00:12:02,822 --> 00:12:05,024 -If you've got a contractor in your area 239 00:12:05,091 --> 00:12:06,792 who you think is worth celebrating, 240 00:12:06,859 --> 00:12:10,996 we'd love to hear about them. So write in and let us know. 241 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,002 -So, I'm on my way to a hardscape project. 242 00:12:17,069 --> 00:12:19,038 This one happens to be a repair. 243 00:12:19,105 --> 00:12:21,740 And what happens up here in New England is, 244 00:12:21,807 --> 00:12:24,777 we have what we call the freeze -thaw cycle. 245 00:12:24,844 --> 00:12:27,313 And when that occurs, a lot of rocks, 246 00:12:27,379 --> 00:12:31,517 stones, and boulders underneath our hardscape get pushed up 247 00:12:31,584 --> 00:12:33,652 and they get pushed up with such great force 248 00:12:33,719 --> 00:12:35,654 that they can actually crack the hardscape. 249 00:12:35,721 --> 00:12:37,756 To prevent that, we always make sure 250 00:12:37,823 --> 00:12:40,092 that we do a good job with our prep work, 251 00:12:40,159 --> 00:12:41,861 which we can talk about later. 252 00:12:41,927 --> 00:12:44,196 But if you do end up with a crack in the hardscape, 253 00:12:44,263 --> 00:12:45,798 we're going to be able to fix it. 254 00:12:45,865 --> 00:12:51,837 ♪♪ 255 00:12:51,904 --> 00:12:53,606 -Elsbeth? -Hi, Mark. Nice to meet you. 256 00:12:53,672 --> 00:12:54,840 -My pleasure. How are you doing? 257 00:12:54,907 --> 00:12:56,408 -Good. How are you? -Alright. Great. 258 00:12:56,475 --> 00:12:58,377 -So, we bought this house a couple years ago. 259 00:12:58,444 --> 00:13:00,312 It's an investment property. -Okay. 260 00:13:00,379 --> 00:13:01,480 -It's a two-family. 261 00:13:01,547 --> 00:13:03,349 We currently occupy the top unit, 262 00:13:03,415 --> 00:13:05,184 and we're renting out the bottom one. 263 00:13:05,251 --> 00:13:08,154 We hope one day to rent out both units 264 00:13:08,220 --> 00:13:10,189 and move into a forever home. 265 00:13:10,256 --> 00:13:13,359 Until then, we have a very long to-do list for it. 266 00:13:13,425 --> 00:13:15,227 -Right. -We are finishing up 267 00:13:15,294 --> 00:13:16,362 getting the house painted. 268 00:13:16,428 --> 00:13:19,565 We have a walkway up to our tenants' unit 269 00:13:19,632 --> 00:13:21,233 that has some pretty big cracks in it 270 00:13:21,300 --> 00:13:22,635 that we would like you to look at. 271 00:13:22,701 --> 00:13:24,270 -Okay, why don't you show me the walkway? 272 00:13:24,336 --> 00:13:26,472 -Right this way. -Alright. 273 00:13:26,539 --> 00:13:28,073 I know you're doing a lot of work. 274 00:13:28,140 --> 00:13:30,743 I'm a landlord myself, so... -Oh, man, it doesn't end. 275 00:13:30,809 --> 00:13:32,278 -Never ends. 276 00:13:32,344 --> 00:13:33,812 -So, these are the two big cracks 277 00:13:33,879 --> 00:13:35,481 that we're concerned about. 278 00:13:35,548 --> 00:13:38,217 We didn't really know where to start with the project, so... 279 00:13:38,284 --> 00:13:40,619 -Okay, a couple things that I noticed 280 00:13:40,686 --> 00:13:42,454 on my way over. One of them, 281 00:13:42,521 --> 00:13:44,456 and most importantly, was these control joints 282 00:13:44,523 --> 00:13:46,292 that are cut into the walkway. -Yep. 283 00:13:46,358 --> 00:13:48,360 -Those are cut in right after the pour. 284 00:13:48,427 --> 00:13:50,829 And the reason we do that is because up here in New England, 285 00:13:50,896 --> 00:13:53,465 we know this walkway is going to move with the seasons, 286 00:13:53,532 --> 00:13:55,367 especially the winter season. -Yep. 287 00:13:55,434 --> 00:13:58,204 -So we're actually just pre-cracking the walkway. 288 00:13:58,270 --> 00:13:59,405 -Okay. 289 00:13:59,471 --> 00:14:01,373 -What I noticed over here is you can see 290 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,109 that the pre-cut they put in was not deep enough. 291 00:14:04,176 --> 00:14:06,946 And that's why this pad snapped in this direction. 292 00:14:07,012 --> 00:14:08,247 -Okay. -And over here 293 00:14:08,314 --> 00:14:09,615 probably the same thing, 294 00:14:09,682 --> 00:14:11,951 except this one invited a lot more water in, 295 00:14:12,017 --> 00:14:15,454 which turned into ice, which activated the freeze-thaw. 296 00:14:15,521 --> 00:14:17,489 And that's why you can see the damage over here 297 00:14:17,556 --> 00:14:18,891 is a little bit more than over here. 298 00:14:18,958 --> 00:14:20,593 -Okay. -But I do have a few tricks 299 00:14:20,659 --> 00:14:23,429 that we can utilize, and I think we're going to 300 00:14:23,495 --> 00:14:25,164 be able to match this walk perfectly. 301 00:14:25,231 --> 00:14:26,498 -Perfect. -Alright, let's get going. 302 00:14:26,565 --> 00:14:27,900 -Great. -Alright. 303 00:14:30,436 --> 00:14:32,371 Alright, Elsbeth, the first thing we're going to do 304 00:14:32,438 --> 00:14:34,673 is make those cuts we were talking about. 305 00:14:34,740 --> 00:14:37,643 Let's make sure we gear up with our safety stuff. 306 00:14:37,710 --> 00:14:40,145 Of course, we have the dust mask. 307 00:14:40,212 --> 00:14:42,648 We have eye protection. 308 00:14:42,715 --> 00:14:45,684 We got to put our ears in. 309 00:14:45,751 --> 00:14:47,186 [ Tool whirring ] 310 00:14:47,253 --> 00:14:48,587 This is going to be easy 311 00:14:48,654 --> 00:14:51,290 because I'm just going to take the tray on my saw 312 00:14:51,357 --> 00:14:53,192 and I'm going to ride it up against this kickboard 313 00:14:53,259 --> 00:14:54,793 that's going to give us the straight line. 314 00:14:54,860 --> 00:14:56,161 -Okay. 315 00:14:56,228 --> 00:14:58,264 -Just do me a favor and follow behind 316 00:14:58,330 --> 00:15:02,134 with this vacuum cleaner and collect the dust. 317 00:15:13,946 --> 00:15:16,915 Why don't you cut this joint? I've already marked it out. 318 00:15:16,982 --> 00:15:19,084 So all you have to do is get that saw going 319 00:15:19,151 --> 00:15:20,452 and run it right through. -Okay. 320 00:15:20,519 --> 00:15:22,187 -And I'll get the dust. 321 00:15:31,096 --> 00:15:33,365 -Oh. 322 00:15:33,432 --> 00:15:35,768 -Excellent. 323 00:15:38,270 --> 00:15:40,039 If we were doing this entire walkway, 324 00:15:40,105 --> 00:15:41,674 we'd probably go rent a jackhammer. 325 00:15:41,740 --> 00:15:44,209 But because we have such a small section, 326 00:15:44,276 --> 00:15:46,145 we're actually going to have some more fun today 327 00:15:46,211 --> 00:15:47,579 with these sledgehammers. -Alright. 328 00:15:47,646 --> 00:15:50,316 -So, what you want to do is bend your knees. 329 00:15:50,382 --> 00:15:51,617 -Alright. 330 00:15:51,684 --> 00:15:54,853 -Hold that hammer as close as you can to the head. 331 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,556 And then, just like swinging an ax, 332 00:15:57,623 --> 00:16:01,427 over the top and down on the ground, 333 00:16:01,493 --> 00:16:03,028 and we'll pick this thing apart in no time. 334 00:16:03,095 --> 00:16:04,296 -Sounds good. -Ready to go? 335 00:16:04,596 --> 00:16:05,998 -Yep. -Right now. 336 00:16:06,065 --> 00:16:14,239 ♪♪ 337 00:16:14,306 --> 00:16:22,481 ♪♪ 338 00:16:22,548 --> 00:16:30,723 ♪♪ 339 00:16:30,789 --> 00:16:38,964 ♪♪ 340 00:16:39,031 --> 00:16:41,900 Elsbeth, look what I found. See this rock right here? 341 00:16:41,967 --> 00:16:43,235 -Yep. This is the guy 342 00:16:43,302 --> 00:16:44,670 that did all the damage, right here. 343 00:16:44,737 --> 00:16:47,072 -Okay. -Any other big rocks 344 00:16:47,139 --> 00:16:50,943 we're going to want to take out, this is all pushing up 345 00:16:51,009 --> 00:16:53,312 on the bottom side of that walkway. 346 00:16:56,014 --> 00:16:58,450 Alright, Elsbeth, what I always tell everybody, 347 00:16:58,517 --> 00:17:00,652 when we're doing masonry in the landscape, 348 00:17:00,719 --> 00:17:02,755 is the prep work is the most important. 349 00:17:02,821 --> 00:17:05,858 A big factor in the prep work is going to be this gravel. 350 00:17:05,924 --> 00:17:08,160 It's there for drainage, but it also absorbs 351 00:17:08,227 --> 00:17:11,597 the pressure of a rock being thrown up by the frost. 352 00:17:11,663 --> 00:17:13,532 The gravel will absorb that pressure. 353 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:15,067 And then, when the frost goes away, 354 00:17:15,134 --> 00:17:17,469 the gravel fills back in and everything stays level. 355 00:17:17,536 --> 00:17:18,370 -Mm-hmm. 356 00:17:19,705 --> 00:17:23,108 -So, you can even spill it out in piles, 357 00:17:23,175 --> 00:17:27,079 because we're going to end up raking it through 358 00:17:27,146 --> 00:17:28,714 before we pave. 359 00:17:37,022 --> 00:17:38,957 And I'll push it in here. 360 00:17:41,660 --> 00:17:43,228 And tamp away. 361 00:17:45,731 --> 00:17:47,166 And you're going to let the weight of the tamper 362 00:17:47,232 --> 00:17:49,802 do the work, just like that. Excellent. 363 00:17:54,173 --> 00:17:57,443 I'm going to add some water to the process. 364 00:17:57,509 --> 00:17:58,744 -How come the water? 365 00:17:58,811 --> 00:18:01,713 -The water just helps the stone slide into place 366 00:18:01,780 --> 00:18:03,849 when it's being beat down? -Okay. 367 00:18:11,190 --> 00:18:13,392 -Next move is the forms. -Okay. 368 00:18:13,459 --> 00:18:15,394 -And these are going to be very, very simple. 369 00:18:15,461 --> 00:18:18,297 All we have is precut 2x4. 370 00:18:18,363 --> 00:18:23,702 So I'm going to take mine, and I'm actually going to jam it 371 00:18:23,769 --> 00:18:26,738 into the edge of the concrete that we left, 372 00:18:26,805 --> 00:18:28,373 like that. 373 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:30,776 That's going to help it lock down. 374 00:18:33,545 --> 00:18:36,281 I'm going to go to this edge over here. 375 00:18:41,186 --> 00:18:43,188 So there's actually no need for a level, 376 00:18:43,255 --> 00:18:45,724 because I'm going from Point A to Point B. 377 00:18:45,791 --> 00:18:47,392 -Okay. Normally I would be 378 00:18:47,459 --> 00:18:50,162 very concerned about a pitch to drain the water. 379 00:18:50,229 --> 00:18:53,332 But this 2x4 going to this edge into the back edge 380 00:18:53,398 --> 00:18:55,334 is going to give us that pitch automatically. 381 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:57,669 I'm level there. 382 00:18:57,736 --> 00:18:59,838 I'm going to take a hammer. 383 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,343 Again, that's going to be the level of our concrete. 384 00:19:04,409 --> 00:19:08,180 It's going to be level with existing. 385 00:19:08,247 --> 00:19:11,350 Just in case we do get pressure, 386 00:19:11,416 --> 00:19:13,619 we'll put another stake right in. 387 00:19:18,156 --> 00:19:19,525 And again, we're going to want to keep that 388 00:19:19,591 --> 00:19:22,194 the same height as the form. -Yep. 389 00:19:22,261 --> 00:19:24,997 -This is just number-9 wire. And that's going to just 390 00:19:25,063 --> 00:19:27,232 keep the entire pad together. -Okay. 391 00:19:27,299 --> 00:19:29,735 -Now that that's down, we are ready to mix. 392 00:19:29,801 --> 00:19:32,070 -Alright. 393 00:19:32,137 --> 00:19:33,906 -These bags come pre-mixed, 394 00:19:33,972 --> 00:19:35,874 so they have the correct amount of Portland cement, 395 00:19:35,941 --> 00:19:37,543 they have the correct amount of lime, 396 00:19:37,609 --> 00:19:39,845 and they have the correct amount of aggregate. 397 00:19:39,912 --> 00:19:42,781 So, Elsbeth, all we have to do is now add some water. 398 00:19:42,848 --> 00:19:44,283 -Okay. -Alright? 399 00:19:44,349 --> 00:19:47,152 I always start out with 2 1/2 gallons, 400 00:19:47,219 --> 00:19:48,820 which is basically half a bucket. 401 00:19:48,887 --> 00:19:50,989 -Okay. -And then all I do is 402 00:19:51,056 --> 00:19:53,759 move the concrete around. 403 00:19:53,825 --> 00:19:55,661 Like that. 404 00:19:55,727 --> 00:19:58,196 -And how do we know how much water to add? 405 00:19:58,263 --> 00:20:01,033 -I have to consider the consistency that I want. 406 00:20:01,099 --> 00:20:03,735 If I want the concrete to be a little loose and fluid, 407 00:20:03,802 --> 00:20:06,271 I add more water. 408 00:20:06,338 --> 00:20:08,907 But for what we're doing today, 409 00:20:08,974 --> 00:20:11,009 we're going to want it on the stiffer side. 410 00:20:11,076 --> 00:20:12,644 -Okay. 411 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,282 Alright, Elsbeth, this one's ready to go. 412 00:20:17,349 --> 00:20:18,817 -Alright. 413 00:20:18,884 --> 00:20:25,223 ♪♪ 414 00:20:25,290 --> 00:20:31,597 ♪♪ 415 00:20:31,663 --> 00:20:33,165 -Yep, go right up. 416 00:20:35,167 --> 00:20:38,403 Okay. 417 00:20:38,470 --> 00:20:40,405 So, now we're into the screeding part, 418 00:20:40,472 --> 00:20:42,507 and all we're going to do is take this 2x4. 419 00:20:42,574 --> 00:20:46,078 We're going to go back and forth until we get to the old walk. 420 00:20:46,144 --> 00:20:48,580 And if you see any low spots, let me know. 421 00:20:48,647 --> 00:20:49,815 -Okay. 422 00:20:49,881 --> 00:20:51,249 -Right on your edge, you're a little low. 423 00:20:51,316 --> 00:20:53,852 So I'll take the excess in the front. 424 00:20:53,919 --> 00:20:57,322 We'll go back do the same thing. Excellent, excellent. 425 00:21:02,861 --> 00:21:05,130 Now we're going to use our mag float. 426 00:21:05,197 --> 00:21:07,265 It's short for magnesium float. 427 00:21:07,332 --> 00:21:09,534 What it does is it takes out all the high spots, 428 00:21:09,601 --> 00:21:11,503 it fills in all the low spots, 429 00:21:11,570 --> 00:21:14,106 and it actually brings the cream up. 430 00:21:16,575 --> 00:21:18,176 Alright, we're going to use the edger 431 00:21:18,243 --> 00:21:22,414 to peel the concrete off of the form. 432 00:21:22,481 --> 00:21:23,849 Then, we're going to use the spacer 433 00:21:23,915 --> 00:21:27,486 to cut in our control joint. 434 00:21:27,552 --> 00:21:29,554 And lastly, we're going to use a sponge 435 00:21:29,621 --> 00:21:32,491 to expose as much aggregate as possible. 436 00:21:32,557 --> 00:21:36,962 And that's going to help us match the existing walkway. 437 00:21:37,029 --> 00:21:38,497 Alright, Elsbeth, what do you think? 438 00:21:38,563 --> 00:21:40,065 -Looks great. -Okay. 439 00:21:40,132 --> 00:21:41,700 Well, I'm going to leave you with a little bit of homework. 440 00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:42,934 -Okay. -See these forms? 441 00:21:43,001 --> 00:21:44,636 -Yep. -Wait 3 or 4 days. 442 00:21:44,703 --> 00:21:47,272 Take those out. Backfill. We save some dirt. 443 00:21:47,339 --> 00:21:48,306 -Mm-hmm. -So make sure you use that 444 00:21:48,373 --> 00:21:49,574 for the backfill. -Okay. 445 00:21:49,641 --> 00:21:52,344 -And again, when we did that dab with the sponge... 446 00:21:52,411 --> 00:21:54,346 -Mm-hmm. -...what that did was expose 447 00:21:54,413 --> 00:21:55,814 a little bit of the aggregate. -Mm-hmm. 448 00:21:55,881 --> 00:21:57,582 -We're going to need Mother Nature's help on that. 449 00:21:57,649 --> 00:21:59,117 So a little bit of rain, a little bit of snow. 450 00:21:59,184 --> 00:22:01,520 But after a year, this concrete should look 451 00:22:01,586 --> 00:22:03,221 exactly like that concrete. -Great. 452 00:22:03,288 --> 00:22:05,257 -Alright? -Any salt this winter? 453 00:22:05,323 --> 00:22:07,859 -So, I tell everybody, "Never, ever, ever 454 00:22:07,926 --> 00:22:09,995 use salt on any masonry products. 455 00:22:10,062 --> 00:22:11,530 -Okay. -What you want to use is 456 00:22:11,596 --> 00:22:14,366 brick sand. That has zero salt in it. 457 00:22:14,433 --> 00:22:16,802 You just throw it down. It gives you the grip 458 00:22:16,868 --> 00:22:18,870 if you do have ice or anything like that. 459 00:22:18,937 --> 00:22:21,039 But sweep it away in the spring, and you'll be good to go. 460 00:22:21,106 --> 00:22:22,174 -Great. -Alright? 461 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:23,308 -Alright. -Thank you. 462 00:22:23,375 --> 00:22:24,409 -Thank you so much for coming out, Mark. 463 00:22:24,476 --> 00:22:26,244 -Alright. Well, thanks for having me. 464 00:22:26,311 --> 00:22:28,146 And if you have questions about your house, 465 00:22:28,213 --> 00:22:30,782 we'd love to hear from you. So keep them coming. 466 00:22:30,849 --> 00:22:33,185 Until next time, I'm Mark McCullough 467 00:22:33,251 --> 00:22:35,587 for "Ask This Old House." Alright, 468 00:22:35,654 --> 00:22:36,788 left you with a little bit of homework. 469 00:22:36,855 --> 00:22:38,657 -Not too bad. -But not too bad. 470 00:22:38,724 --> 00:22:40,592 -I can manage. -Yeah. 471 00:22:41,860 --> 00:22:44,463 -Next time on "Ask This Old House"... 472 00:22:44,529 --> 00:22:46,932 this homeowner can't get his grass to grow, 473 00:22:46,998 --> 00:22:50,569 but Lee has a solution. 474 00:22:50,635 --> 00:22:53,371 Then, Ross walks us through the considerations 475 00:22:53,438 --> 00:22:58,176 you need to make before switching to heat pumps, 476 00:22:58,243 --> 00:23:01,413 and I team up with maker Sara Nadarajah 477 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,482 of Rocky Canyon Rustic 478 00:23:03,548 --> 00:23:07,285 to build a replica high-end side table. 479 00:23:07,352 --> 00:23:10,355 All that on "Ask This Old House."