Part 1 - How to Build a Patio - Ultimate DIY Installation Guide

Part 2 - How to Build Patio Seat Walls & Columns DIY

HOW TO BUILD A FIRE PIT

No cuts, no muss, no fuss. Doesn’t get much simpler than today's fire pit project, but there are a few tips and tricks in today's video that most people are not aware of. How long did you work on that? 30 minutes. The majority of that by himself, and we're going to show you guys how to do it, what to expect, and some technical details that are going to make your life a lot easier. Is there a footing on this fire ring? We're actually using the paver patio itself as our footing. We're going to be building up with Western wall blocks. Then we're going to set the fire ring into that.   So this fire pit is going to sit on the patio surface.

Footings

All right, one of the things that I want to point out is that there is some contention within the industry about whether you should pour a separate footing for the fire ring, or...

Speaker 1: So the story starts out, we built these beautiful boulder retaining walls on this property that we're going to sell. And after we get the walls all done, my wife looks at me and says, "Well those look nice, but how's anybody going to get up to the upper patio if they want to get there from the driveway?"

Speaker 1: You could've said something before I had the walls finished, Honey.

Speaker 1: And so I looked at Frank, and I said, "Hey, let's build some stairs over the retaining wall, and then let's build a bridge to the patio."

Speaker 1: Now normally guys, I don't like to build stairs over. I kind of like to build them through and incorporate them in, so I want to hear from you on this video as you watch it, let me know. Do you like this idea? Do you like this design? Good, bad, or in between, lay it on me. I just want your guys' opinion on this one.

Speaker 1: Oh here's another fun thing I do Guys. On today's video I take all of Frankie's tools and I ask him, "Just use...

Stan: Check this out.

Stan: All right guys, it's the best and worst, and one of the worst is actually going to surprise you because it surprised me. The latest and the greatest inside the landscaping and construction industry and it's all brought to you today by Volvo Heavy Equipment. You see, Volvo brought me out to Houston, Texas where I was able to tour the world of asphalt. I'm also going to be bringing you footage from the world of concrete and everywhere else I can find cool stuff.

Stan: Make sure you guys subscribe because coming at you right down the pipeline, Frankie and I are in the process of building a plywood sink. Yep. A sink out of plywood. That should be an interesting one, right Frankie?

Frankie: Yeah, should be.

Stan: What are we waiting for? Let's get into it.

Stan: Now this one is called the Steel Wrist, it allows you to rotate the bucket indefinitely 360 degrees, has a built in grapple on the back of it, allows you to tilt the bucket from side to side giving...

Stan: All right, guys, we're bidding and estimating today, but we're not just doing any bids and estimates. We're looking at some pretty massive projects. One of them is right here. Another one is out on another site.

Stan: Whoa, actually, guys, we're not actually going to go look at that other job, because I realize that it's a lot of numbers. These are big projects, and I don't want to overwhelm you and get you confused. Some of you guys really want to start learning how to do bidding and estimating, so I'm going to break this into two separate videos. 

Stan: Today, we're going to be looking at the project I'm on, and down the road we're going to be looking at another project, entirely different.

Stan: Now, you're going to see this huge variance between the numbers. On this job, guys, the low bid was $54,000, and the high bid was over $137,000 for the exact same job with the exact same set of specs, and it actually isn't surprising.

Stan: Don't let this get you afraid. 

Stan: All right guys. Today, it's all about our favorite part of owning equipment. Running it? No. Who wants to run it and smash down buildings and have fun playing in the snow? Everybody likes to grease it and maintain it of course. Today, we're going to punch 30 some odd years of maintenance into this video and give you all the best tips and tricks, so that maintenance doesn't have to be such a chore because if you're anything like me, I honestly would rather be driving a piece of equipment than maintaining it, but maintaining it is what keeps the money rolling in instead of your piece of equipment going to the repair shop. 

Stan: So, I'm going to share with you all of the best things that I've learned that my father taught me and that my guys along the way have picked up from other people inside the industry. What are you waiting for? Let's go maintain some equipment. Yee Ha.

Stan: All right guys, it's 40 degrees in Minnesota and it finally feels like mother nature's not...

Speaker 1: All right, guys. Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was speechless today, that's for sure. It's snowing, as you can see, and I should be prepping and getting ready to go out plowing all night long, taking out the equipment. Is prepping code word for sleeping? But instead, I'm going down to the repair shop because my guys destroyed a brand new snow plow. It's one of those things where, as an owner of the company, I have to take responsibility because I didn't catch the continuing ongoing mistakes that were being made. But sometimes as owners you can't be everywhere. There you go. You know what? I just made an excuse, that's BS. It's my fault. It's not their fault, it's my fault. I should have caught them, I should have warned them and showed them the right way. I didn't do it so the snow plow that got destroyed, brand new snow plow that got decimated. That's on me, guys. So, we're going to have some fun today. Yeah, not every day goes the way you want it. Today we're...

Stan Genadek: Just plowed a driveway out in under 20 seconds.

Stan Genadek: I thought I knew all about snowplowing 'cause I've done it for 30 years, until I went to Michigan into this one area where they get lake-effect snow, 100 plus inches per year. Now I've gone out snowplowing a total so far this year of nine times. These guys have gone out 48 times. This is like snowplowing 2.0.

Stan Genadek: Their equipment is next level. They've got the be able to move massive quantities of snow as fast as possible, and what I found when I went to Michigan was they're kind of on a different playing field than we are over in Minnesota.

Stan Genadek: I made it. This is the home of Short Iron Fabrication. I love shops like this. This is my kind of people right here.

Stan Genadek: There's the man. There's Jason. How you doing, Jay?

Jason: Good. How are you?

Stan Genadek: I'm good. I'm good. So, this is the little 12-footer you're working on.

Jason: Twelve footer. Kind of an entry-level blade.

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