Shade Solution

So the trellis is proving difficult to design. It's a 17' span, and general feedback is that I need to go to 2x12 on both sides of the 6x6 posts to span that distance. 2x12 is going to look pretty big up there! and it's going to be mighty unstable with just 2 poles. best solution would be to go with a traditional square setup and bring it out over the hole island, but i dont really want that much structure. another alternative is to go with a metal beam but they are pricey, heavy etc.

So the latest "outside the box" thought I had was one of these. I would need a custom shape/size but could hang 2 two corners from the house and one from the fence. (or a new post sunk just inside the fence). I wouldn't have it cover the grill part, just the seating area (as a large sheet of canvas over a flaming grill being attached to the house seems not too clever). this will obviously cause me a problem with hanging a heater off the trellis, so I need to rethink that part.

This place does custom sizes, shapes and colors. custom prices seem to be about 600-1000 depending on the size, quality etc but that's likely less than the trellis with custom steel beams, and it could like pretty cool.

On the tile VS granite decision, I am leaning heavily towards tile - Despite the ease of cleaning granite I think a solid chunk of granite is going to look out of place in our backyard. Spoke with the tile guy tonight and he recommended a natural stone, like slate. He's going to send me a quote - he estimated it would take him about 4 days to do it properly (with mitered edges etc), so it's not going to be cheap! He's also quoting the stucco, painting and plumbing (which involves digging a long trench and cutting a trench thru the tarmac side path).

However, he's booked for the next 3 weeks, so the June 1st date would be out the window.

Some Tile Pictures

Unfortunately, the decision to use tile opens up about 6,000,000 choices. I've been digging around the internet to get some ideas and will stick some here so I can find them later. In no particular order.

Slate tile with small slate edging.....

Rustic looking tile, with diagonal countertops.....

Cool, small tile, different shades of grey.....

Example with just one tile, but diagonal countertop and straight edges.....

Cool, small glass tiles.....

Example of different sizes/shades tiles to add interest

Another example, this time introducing the diagonal layout.....

Cool glass tiles used for the backsplashes.....

Current State

Figured I should post the current state pictures. This is what it looks like now that I am done with the board, tape and have done a little cleanup.

And this is my awesome new beer tap. Unfortunately it is not yet connected to the the beer so it isn't all that much use.

Granite vs Tile

I am now done with all the boards, taping, etc. and ready for granite and stucco. However, after looking at it for a long time yesterday I am now thinking I may want to go with a tile countertop instead of granite. The concerns with granite are

1. Cost - it is ridiculously expensive
2. "Bulk" - it is a lot of counter, and it is going to look very bulky being a big uniform slab of single color
3. Color - I am struggling to find a color that will work well
4. The edges. If you look at the edges of the bars/counters in this picture you scan see it looks a little weird where you have the stucco on the front of the raised part under the granite

With tile I can address all these issues

1. It's much cheaper to buy, although the installation will need a professional and will cost me.
2. I can have different tiles for the backsplash, have multiple colors/patterns on the counters etc to break up the big space
3. Color choice & texture is practically unlimited (i.e. overwhelming!)
4. I can tile the whole raised part, which will look better.
5. An added bonus is that I can trim the top and bottom of the walls with a tile strip to add a little more interest.

I think the 2nd picture looks better (although it has the benefit of the footrests and the trellis) and now need to start researching tiles, tiling patterns etc etc.

We have a very good tile person who did our bathrooms and the outdoor BBQ tiling in the last house. We will likely use him (and I suspect I will also let him do the stucco as well, since he will do a much better job than me!). So this effectively means that my work is done, until it's time to hook up the beer and install the doors, drawers and appliances. (Oh, he's also a plumber so he can do the gas hookup too). It seems weird to be suddenly "done", as I was expecting to be stuccoing next weekend.

It's a Wrap!

After squeezing in a couple hours after work this evening, I am now completely done with wrapping the frame in the cement board! I haven't done all the tape and mud yet, but I am done with cutting, screwing etc. I do still need to cut the holes for the beer tap and the drip tray, which I will do tomorrow after work.

I tried to get the site cleaned up a little as it was really messy from the cement dust. Even after vacuuming and blowing a couple times I still think I'll be dealing with dust for the next 6 months! I will give it another cleanup after I've cut those holes for the beer.

This weekend will not be too much work as it's mother's day and also my wedding anniversary, so I'll be away from the worksite for a while. I hope to get enough time in to get the caulking done between the board and the stone deck, and get the tape/mud complete. To keep the thinset off the deck I need to put down some plastic sheeting, which I'll need for the stucco anyway. Then I'll be able to get the granite guys in for measuring early next week.

That means that it's likely end of the week after (5/20) at the earliest that the granite will installed, so I will have about 10 days to do the stucco and painting, which may work out.

Then I can get the grill plumbed week of 5/24 and I'll have plenty of time to do the finishing touches before end of May.

Day Off Work - Getting It Done!

Took a vacation day from work today to get the hardi-backer cement board done as it's way too noisy to do over the weekend. First I had to do the bottom of the counters and rough wire the LED lights.

Once I had that finished I worked on the counter top. This needed a fair amount of "work" since the framing was waht you could call "not quite" level. I got it done, and it's close enough that I won't be embarrassed to have the granite guys come and measure. After that I got most of the siding done, I just need to do the bar, backsplash top, fridge top and a few end pieces. Probably about another 2-3 hours of work to cut, install and tape/mud the screws/joints. I hope to get that done Thur/Fri after work.

Anna took this pic, it looks like the bar area works properly!

Looks like granite measuring will be early next week, and then I will start with the stucco. I have finally decided to do that myself instead of paying a professional to do it properly. I found enough dubious information on the internet to give me a false sense of security, so now I think I can do anything.

The Next Phase

I am finally done with all the framing (except for the missing bits I keep finding I need to add when I am screwing in the hardibacker and there is nothing to screw into). I fixed the wiggly corners (well, they are close enough), and got the cutouts all sized/framed correctly(ish) for the grill, burner and doors. It is now looking like a BBQ!

Once the framing was over I got going on the electric. I have done the outlets for the fridge, lights, keg and keg blower (which circulates cold air from the kegerator up the beer line to stop the beer in the line getting warm). I will finish up the rest of the wiring, and get the plumbing for the beer done tomorrow.

This afternoon I started on the hardibacker. This is cement board that gets screwed to the outside. I'm using 1/4" think on the sides and 1/2" thick on the top. It's pretty heavy but not too bad to work with. It makes a lot of dust (and noise) when you cut it (with a circular saw and special blade) so you need to wear a mask & goggles. I'm about half way thru covering the sides.

Tomorrow I will do a little more of the sides but wont finish it as it is a little too noisy for a Sunday and I don't want to piss off all the neighbors and have a visit from the local police. I will likely have to take a half day off work this week to get the boarding finished.
Once I'm done with boards, wires and beer lines, it's stucco and granite time! I am still working thru selecting the granite and the granite people but will get this done early this week. I am on the fence about the stucco - part of me says "get someone competent to do it", the other part says "go for it, how hard can it be?".......