Building a deck: to tarp or not to tarp (to prevent weed/grass growth)

[mxnerd]

They actually make a snow plow that fits my wheelbarrow. RS could plow a path and haul the gravel at the same time.
I had it filled with decomposed granite the other day, I have to admit my hand got a little tired holding the lever down that makes it go. By the fourth trip I was pondering ways to add a seat.
My laziness knows no limits.

We need a Boston Dynamics Robot.

 

[Red Squirrel]

This is where I wish I had a bigger property I would have room for toys like that. Even if I got one I would have nowhere to store it. A mini backhoe/excavator would be a fun toy really and very versatile, like a Kubota or similar. They're actually not THAT expensive.

 

[Greenman]

This is where I wish I had a bigger property I would have room for toys like that. Even if I got one I would have nowhere to store it. A mini backhoe/excavator would be a fun toy really and very versatile, like a Kubota or similar. They're actually not THAT expensive.

Bout $22k brand new, I've been shopping. I'm actually looking at the "micro" excavators. With the tracks retracted they'll fit through a 28" wide opening (I think that's like 300,000 millimeters to you folks that use that crazy 10 based system). I've had a chubby for one for a couple years now, it's getting near time to scratch that itch.
I should also not that they only burn about half a hogshead of fuel in an 8 hour work day.

 

[BoomerD]

I'd spray the area with a good vegetation killer...should stop anything from growing in the ground for up to 1 year. Cover the area with a good, heavy-duty weed cloth, (not the flimsy perforated black stuff) they a few inches of crushed rock for drainage and to help keep weeds from growing later. (Weed seeds can blow in to almost anywhere...and if they can get a start, will root in almost anything)

Keep in mind, your F-150 will probably only haul about 1/2 yard of dirt/rock, etc. check your weight capacity carefully.
plastic wheelbarrow? Did you get it at Toys-R-Us?

 

[Greenman]

I'd spray the area with a good vegetation killer...should stop anything from growing in the ground for up to 1 year. Cover the area with a good, heavy-duty weed cloth, (not the flimsy perforated black stuff) they a few inches of crushed rock for drainage and to help keep weeds from growing later. (Weed seeds can blow in to almost anywhere...and if they can get a start, will root in almost anything)

Keep in mind, your F-150 will probably only haul about 1/2 yard of dirt/rock, etc. check your weight capacity carefully.
plastic wheelbarrow? Did you get it at Toys-R-Us?

Then overload the crap out of it. I once put so much gravel in an F150 the rear tires popped. The suspension was never quite the same after that, or the front end alignment, and the tailgate, almost forgot the tailgate.

 

[BoomerD]

Then overload the crap out of it. I once put so much gravel in an F150 the rear tires popped. The suspension was never quite the same after that, or the front end alignment, and the tailgate, almost forgot the tailgate.

I see idiots on the highway all the time towing way too much RV with too small of a truck. "But the RV salesman told me my truck would tow it just fine!" Little do folks realize...if you overload your truck and that overloading causes an accident...you're liable...and your insurance might not cover you.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah I probably would not put more than a yard of gravel in my truck. But that amount is a big amount to move by hand and at some point it needs to be moved by hand so if I needed that much for a job chances are I'd be hiring it out.

 

[herm0016]

i have moved stone in my pickup a few times, its worth it to rent a dump trailer for 80 bucks a day. i can do 6-8 loads in a day depending on the end situation. delivery is only 85 bucks for up to 15 ton, but if i do that i can not dump it right where it needs to go and have to move it via a 4 ft front end loader on my tractor.

 

[mindless1]

There's no room at all to do that. I have a really tiny yard.

Your picture is misleading, makes it look like there is plenty of room to back a truck up to that area, if you go fast enough to knock down any landscaping that's in the way.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Your picture is misleading, makes it look like there is plenty of room to back a truck up to that area, if you go fast enough to knock down any landscaping that's in the way.

The issue is getting there. That's the largest open area of yard I have. Either way I'd be going on my neighbours yard then there is now way to turn properly due to trees and shed.

 

[mxnerd]

Picture not attached/shown.

Apparently this is off topic.

Somehow Google Chrome's Ghostery extension blocked the photos, probably because it's hosting on your own website.

Now I can see the photos using Firefox without Ghostery. Turns out probably Ghostery think it's mixed HTTP & HTTPS contents then blocked it.

 

[hardhat]

Rent a concrete buggy and use that to get the gravel back there. It will unload for you.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah not getting into that. If I wanted to put gravel I would have done that before I put in the footings so I can put the footings on top (this is just a floating deck not going to frost level). Just need to get this built. I think I'll just omit the tarp and all and if there's stuff that starts to grow then I'll deal with it at that point.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I used 6mil black plastic under most of mine....and pea gravel to hold it in place. There were a few places where the plastic got moved and grass shot up toward the light....

Definitely put something down under there. I was able to handle my issue by dragging a strip to cover the exposed area after shooting a string under the 16' deck and threading the plastic underneath.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Any issues with water pooling or mold etc? I might just do the tarp then, basically same idea as plastic and I already bought it. If I do have water pooling I can just drill holes in it through the deck boards using a thin long bit that fits between the boards. I'm hoping I get a decent stretch of time off next schedule so I can start on this while it's still nice out. I'll just shovel as much of the snow as I can and put the tarp over. The deck will sit on top of the tarp so it's not going anywhere, and I'll put bricks around on it too that I kept from my fireplace demolition.

 

[Micrornd]

I'd probably be renting heavy machinery to do a lot of the landscaping work.

If you can't drive a pickup truck into your back yard, then your idea of heavy machinery and mine are really different

 

[Red Squirrel]

If you can't drive a pickup truck into your back yard, then your idea of heavy machinery and mine are really different

I was talking about if I owned a bigger property. (acres) I'd probably be renting backhoes and stuff to do lot of the work. Nothing crazy like mining trucks just regular machinery.

Though there is heavy machinery that is smaller than a truck and can fit in tight spaces. It's a different class of heavy machinery but still the same idea just smaller. Idea behind it does the heavy lifting for you.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Well never ended up doing this. On the days I was off, of course, it rained. My luck SUCKS with that. Now we're left with an icy/crusty snow surface so I would never be able to get down to the lawn, and all the lumber is frozen together and overall it would just be too miserable so decided to just leave it.

So next summer once the snow is gone I will try to source out the proper weed guard stuff and just use that.

 

[Red Squirrel]

So I found what I needed. "Landscaping fabric" is what I had to search for.

Just ordered this:

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/landmaster-4-ft-x-100-ft-contractor-grade-fabric/1000669040

The snow is mostly gone now so I'll be able to start on the deck during my week off that's coming.