The Driveway

Brian got home yesterday, one day ahead of schedule.  We are so happy to have him back home!  Here is what I thought he might be doing this morning after three weeks of non-stop work:

Some of the crossword puzzles I saved from the newspapers while he was gone.

Instead, he is outside doing this:

Trying to get our driveway ready to be re-poured with the help of his dad.

I think he likes his work better anytime he gets to use a giant digger like this one.  

Here is the story of our driveway.  Brian has never cared for driveways that start as a single driveway at the road and widen to a double wide driveway at the garage.  That is the way our driveway was when we bought the house.  It turns out that widening the approach is more complicated than other jobs, since it is city property.

Now that we are pouring cement in the basement, he figured it was the perfect time to go ahead and widen the approach to the driveway at the same time.  We found a contractor who is licensed with the city to do the work.  He showed up Saturday to tear out the approach.  He made a cut into what he assumed was a standard 4" thick driveway and began to pull.  But, the whole lower slab of our driveway cracked and came out and we discovered we have been living with a sweet 7" thick driveway all this time.  Who knew?

Here is the impressive pile of cement we ended up with when all was said and done.

Here is the massive dirt pit where we are preparing to pour a new driveway.

This is another view from the garage.  It was suppose to be a smallish strip -- you can see the width from the old driveway over to where Katie is sitting -- and a new approach.  Now it's going to be a little bit more.

The weather is nice, my husband is home, the kids are happy about that, and we are getting ready to re-pour the driveway.  Honestly, I wish we were using all that money to go to Disneyland.  But, I suppose it will be nice when it is finished.