New Driveway Prep, Before & After (Plus, A Running Total Of The Cost)
You know how you can wait years for something, never see any progress towards it, and then when it finally happens, it feels like things are moving forward at lightning speed? Yeah, that’s how things have felt around here these last couple of weeks.
First, after planning and dreaming about a workshop for years and years, the moment finally came and it was built in a day (for the most part). And now, we’ve decided to have our driveway poured after eleven years of not having one, and once the ball started rolling, it seems to have gained speed very quickly.
All of the initial prep work is done. That work consisted of removing a whole lot of junk trees that had grown up over the last few years. (I know calling hackberry trees “junk trees” can be a bit controversial for some people, but most people around here call them junk or trash trees. But even if these trees had been oak or pecan or something really nice, they still would have had to be cut down, unfortunately. So I’m glad they were hackberry. I don’t feel as guilty cutting those down.)
So here’s what it looked like before they got here yesterday morning (although the 11-foot chain link gate had already been removed)…
And here’s what it looks like now after they cut all of the trees down yesterday, sent them through the wood chipper, and then came back early this morning and ground all of the stumps down.
I can’t believe how much better that looks already! It’s going to look so good with a concrete driveway!
I also had them do some trimming on the pecan tree in front to remove all of the low branches that were scraping the top of my van every time I’d pull to the back.
Then there were these two really big piles of limbs from the emergency limb removal that had to happen the morning the guys arrived to build my workshop. The picture is a bit deceiving. I don’t think it captures just how big these piles really were.
So all of that got picked up and sent through the wood chipper.
They also did quite a bit of trimming and clean up behind the workshop. There’s still so much that needs to be done, but right now, the driveway is the focus. I just needed the piles left behind from the workshop, and anything that will be in the way of the driveway to be removed.
As a funny sidenote, I have to laugh that every person who’s been to our property in the recent days (concrete guy, tree trimming guys, the guys who came out to remove the fence and gate) have all remarked about how we have an empty lot behind us. 😀 They’re always so shocked to find out that that’s part of our lot. I’m telling you, it’s very rare to have such a big lot inside the city. That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to buy this house.
And then they also cleaned up all of the big piles of brush that I had piled up from the limbs I cut down before my workshop was built, and they trimmed the trees back that were hanging low over where the driveway will extend behind my workshop.
And one final thing. They got rid of the junk tree that keeps growing in this area in front of the breakfast room. They cut it down, and then ground the stump. So now I need to put something on it so that it will never come back. That thing grows like a week. When I trimmed it to do the electrical outlets on the side of the studio, the thing had grown AGAIN to at least 20 feet high, if not higher. My mom has one at her back fence that grows about a foot a week, if not faster. It’s insane!
So everything is now all prepped and ready to go. Fence and gate removed. Trees removed. Stumps ground down well below ground level.
So what was the price for that prep work? $3,600.00. That seems like a completely fair price to me because all of that was some hard labor, and it would have taken me a month of solid work to get it all done had I tried to do it myself. This way, it all got done in two days, and now there’s no delay for the concrete guy to start his work.
Like I said, this has been a process of slow, slow, slow, slow, slow…..FAST! Hopefully we’ll see some driveway forms begin built on Monday! And I will definitely be asking him beforehand about a French drain where the workshop ramp meets the carport, as some of you suggested. I appreciate those tips, as I never would have thought about that myself.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
That’s why you should always wear your seatbelt, because of projects going from zero to 60 in a matter of seconds. At least that’s the way it feels here on our farm. That was a fabulous price for the tree cutting and removal, dang, I wish they were that cheap up here. Ask the concrete guy to pour a pad in front of the breakfast room, then you’ll have a lovely extra patio, put your water feature on it, and be able to get out there and enjoy it, and have something lovely to look at from the windows. When we had all our concrete poured for the front of the house project, we had them add a little patio in front of the master bedroom, WOW, what a difference and we are so excited about how we will decorate it, well, I’m the excited one, my husband just stands there and says, “Yes Dear”. Have fun, this is a great time in the project process.
Cheers!
Oh! I love this idea! A great use of a little strange space and it will stop that pesky bush from growing back again!
THIS! Even better than my idea! (see below) They may even have extra concrete at the end of the pour that they could use for that small area! I would think you will have at least two trucks coming for the driveway and ramp! If you want to do this, be sure to mention it as soon as possible, so they can figure it in the loads. (Probably tell them when they are laying the framework for the pour.)
Well, I’m firmly on Team Hackberry, but
I understand the necessity. Nice progress.
This is so exciting! You’re going to love coming home and seeing a beautiful driveway to welcome you!
The driveway looks great! What will you use to get rid of the tree roots you don’t want growing back? We had an elm cut down three years ago and now we have an elm bush! I hate it!
Once your driveway is cured, it will be a huge help to your contractors who will be working on your addition. Just be sure to wait the full amount of curing time (maybe 30 days?) before driving on it or allowing trucks to do so. Your concrete contractor will know this information.
Concrete is, without question, the best choice for you for the long term. A great choice.
I got some tree/bush killer at Home Depot and drilled holes into my tree stump (that kept putting off shoots) and applied some every week until it finally gave up the ghost. Took a little effort, but it finally worked.
Looking good! Check out Bonide’s Stump-Out Stump & Vine Killer. It’s a liquid you paint onto the cut edge of a stump to prevent regrowth and sprouting. Might be a good product for in front of the TV room.
Wow! What a great price for all that work! It already looks so good, but it will be wonderful with a new driveway. You’ve certainly earned it!
I agree with you about the hackberry trees. We have 1.25 acres that is covered in trees. The only ones that have given us trouble are the hackberry trees. We had one cut down that began rotting at the base. It never sat in water and even the tree guys didn’t know what was happening. Thank goodness we had it cut down because it probably would’ve landed on our recently remodeled kitchen. We currently have a hackberry leaning on a live oak thanks to Hurricane Beryl.
I’m so glad Lori Ann suggested a patio in the area where your little nuisance tree was. We had a space similar to yours and we built a deck. It turned an awkward, unused space into a very useful and very used space.
Can’t wait to see your new driveway!
Kristie, at my house we have a saying. We think it to death ( sometimes for years) but when we decide… hold on!
Sometimes the longer that we wait and then it becomes a reality the faster it seems to happen.
Hold on! It’s going to be fabulous.
You can sterilize that area in front of the breakfast room either with chemical (which I don’t like to use!) or a home made mix of vinegar, rock salt (or any salt) and liquid dish soap in some water. Put it in a pump sprayer and spray the area. It should kill anything growing, and sterilize the soil so nothing else will grow there. Then you can make a sitting area with brick, stone or whatever, or add a fountain, bird feeders and stone or gravel on the soil. If you want flowers or shrubs, they would have to go in pots or planters, as the soil would kill them, at least for a year or more!
Oh! One thing I almost forgot when mine was poured, you may want them to place conduit (2″ ground PVC, etc.) from the house to the side yard and from the house to the workshop, so you can pull electrical or irrigation. This saved me a lot of headache and $$$ later on.
What a huge difference a day makes!!!
Totally agree to add some electrical pipe under the concrete for any future electrical requirements for your workshop and gardens.
We did this recently in readiness for a future outdoor kitchen/BBQ area.