Sometimes you do a little job and you wonder why you haven't done it sooner.
The other Sunday when we were busy concreting, we had a couple of barrow full of concrete left over. I didn't want to waste it (I hate waste as you know) so my brother suggested I shutter a step for the greenhouse. Using half a pallet collar for the sides and a few lengths of batten as posts I quickly knocked up a rough shutter and filled it with concrete. It's not the first time I've made steps though but these were a bit easier!
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| Shuttered greenhouse step |
I left the top tamped to give some grip and tapped around the outside to get rid of some of the air after I filled it up. When I struck the shutter the next day I was quite pleased with my ten minute job, I'm now wondering how I used to open the awkward door on my greenhouse without it!
It has got me thinking though, we've got lots of concreting jobs coming up, footings, drainage, etc so having somewhere to put left over concrete would be a good idea. I'm going to make some shutters to form some concrete pig troughs and maybe a few other items.
What would you make shutters for to use up left over concrete?
you have some brilliant ideas Kev, I would be making up slabs with left over concrete, I never seem to have enough slabs are so useful :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah I thought about slabs as well, even concrete bricks rather than waste it.
DeleteIm with Dawn, slabs. We were offered poured concrete slabs for our stove hearth. £60 for the 3sqm. I loved the colour but we had already bought the stone.
ReplyDeleteI loved this blog, she no longer blogs but I will share with you my favourite post...
http://www.chezlarsson.com/myblog/2013/08/no27-in-concrete-the-finale.html
I love the simplicity of it. if you search on her blog she has made lots of things with concrete. And I love the look of her house. so bright, so clean. Oh yes it is lovely.
Have a great day!
That's a great link, it's given me some more ideas on what I could do with it. Cheers Sol.
DeleteWell, I would have suggested using it in the front porch to make a sunken doormat well but I guess it's a bit late for that now. Dawn's slabs seem like a good idea, or you could make a mini bird bath using some sort of former on the inside of the shuttering to make a well, covered with some plastic sheeting until it's all set. Or you could make some concrete planters, using two sets of shuttering one inside the other. I'm sure you'll come up with something brilliant as usual, I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI'm using quarry tiles in the porch so I might have a sunken doormat yet - it's been something I've been thinking about. A concrete planter might be a good idea as well.
DeleteA water "bath" for the girls to play with / in :) Not too deep, of course, but just deep enough.
ReplyDeleteI can't keep them out of the water as it is so I'm not sure I want to encourage it! Every little puddle they want to play in and get covered. I don;t mind but it does make a lot of washing!
DeleteWhat about an hard standing area for tipping soil or sand on, shed base, fence posts..? You can buy rubber concrete moulds on Ebay Kev.
ReplyDeleteThe concrete moulds look good, I might have to get some for slabs or something. Might be a cheap way to make my patio up when it comes time to slab it.
DeleteGood job!!! No ideas, but we call them [shutters] concrete forms over here. Forming the concrete into the shape we need it.
ReplyDeleteWe do call it form work as well. Over here there are specific carpenters called shuttering chippies that do the large concrete shutters on big jobs.
DeleteI was wondering about the word shuttering -- a lovely word and I wonder who first called it that --- I could look it up -- but your local knowledge would be fine :-)
ReplyDeleteI would make up a load of slabs ready for use in the future, as someone has already said you can get fancy moulds to do this with or just knock up your own.
ReplyDeletePlanters would be good, maybe a couple of long troughs too, just don't forget to poke a stick or something right through to make drainage holes.