That’s great! High five from America!

I used pocket hole screws. No it doesn’t matter but the heads of regular screws are different than pocket hole screws and they tend to drive too far if you’re not careful.

They are Holland tan and charcoal pavers. 8x4x2

Sorry for the late reply. This was a while ago but I remember it being like 600 total but I had bought 1200 because I was doing other projects. (See the paver edging video)

That jig is a called a pocket hole jig. It comes with a drill bit specific for it. I used 2 and 1/4 pocket screws.

I added the high clearance steps after making this video. Kiddo had a hard time without them. He could clamber up and in but he basically had to jump out of the truck. After getting the steps it solved the problem and everyone had an easier time. I believe with the AEV edition you would have the option swap out for steps. I like the high clearance ones because they don’t negate the 2 inch lift.

That’s awesome! My little guy used to sit on ours and wait for me to pull in the driveway from work. I miss when he was that little. Tell him congratulations on starting first grade.

Yes it’s in my list of projects. I only do a couple videos a year though so it might be a while.

In front is dirt and grass, behind is build up dirt. It’s been 4 years and still looks great. Did have some minor problems with the uprights being knocked over by the kids here and there

Paver sand is below the pavers. Polymetric sand is used in the gaps

Live longer than me!

2.5 inch for the regular screws and 2.25 pocket hole screws

what made you upgrade?

Glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for the feedback about the screws. Didn’t think about that.

@@OutdoorBeards yeah the pocket hole part was weird just didn’t know how big of a drill bit to use - where do we share the pics?

You can send them to [email protected] and they will get to me. Would love to see the finished product!

I used 2.5 inch pocket screws and 2.5 inch construction screws.

@@OutdoorBeardsI didn’t ever catch how many screws I will be needing

@@BenDover-j8x I didn’t count. I just had a small box of both and that was enough.

2 by 4 or 2 x 4. Referring to the thickness and width of the wood.

Lmao

It was too hot for shoes! Lol

Definitely follow the grade. Unless you’re wanting to re-level your whole yard. Set a 10-12 foot 2x4 down on the grade and put a level on top of it. Note where the bubble is on the level. Then do the same thing in the video but adjusting where the bubble sits. Also, depending on the severity of the grade you may need to include the rubber paver edging keep the sand in place.

@OutdoorBeards great 👍🏽. Definitely appreciate the suggestion. I will follow the grade; levelling the whole thing would be too much of an undertaking and I'd have to get it done professionally

When I haul my trailer I get 9, around town is 14-16, long trips on the highway is 21. At least that’s my experience.

Quickcrete instead of sand would be a great idea, however you would have to use the plastic/rubber paver edging to hold back the quickcrete. Otherwise the grass in front of the flat paver will not have enough space to grow roots. I went back later and added quickcrete behind all the vertical pavers to hold those in place. Turns out kids can be rough on the edging. Also, I would not do that in areas where tree roots might affect the edging down the line as it would be difficult to fix.

Helllo! The edging has some grass coming up through here and there. I think it’s in areas where I didn’t quite get the gap full with the poly sand. I do use a string trimmer along the edge just because I prefer the look. If I don’t then the grass kind of leans over the horizontal paver and obscures the nice line. As for concrete below and behind. This depends on your area. Where I live the soil is more like a clay, so the dirt that’s on the yard side is pretty solid and holds the horizontal paver in place. The reason I had to go back and put concrete behind the upright was the dirt I put back there was garden soil for my wife to plant flowers and such in. That soil is much softer so the concrete hold the upright in place. You could just use the rubber or plastic paver edging stuff which holds both the sand and pavers in place but it’s expensive. Concrete is cheaper. If using concrete be aware of trees near by. If a tree root messes with the edging it will be much harder to fix if concrete is involved.

Good luck! Hope it goes well

That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!

The pocket screw are the ones for 1.5 inch wood. I think they are 2.25. Could be off on that. Anytime I used a regular screw they were 2.5 inch.

@@OutdoorBeards thank you for the info. Im going to try to build this exact bench. It’s my first time building something. Any advice for a first time builder?

@amart63 what a great question. I have some good ones from different mentors I’ve had over the years. Enjoy the process. It’s one of those “the journey is more important than the destination” things. The process of building is where the joy comes from. Normally when I finish something I am proud and a little sad at the same time. Mistakes are a good thing, see them as such. They teach you more than success. We work with things that are dangerous, I have a 3/4 thumb as evidence, respect your tools but don’t fear them. Fear makes you tense up and is the worst thing to be when using power tools. Don’t compare your work to others, compare it to your previous works. I think that’s the best one for a new builder. People will be amazed at your finished project while you will know every flaw. Have fun and let me know how it turns out!

@@OutdoorBeards that is great advice. I took a screen shot of it so I can look at it and reference during the process. Thank you for your time once I’m done I’ll reach out to you see if I can send you some pics. Thank you again you really helped. Also you said that when your done your proud but sad that it’s complete, that is the same feeling I get when I’m done building a lego set or when I assembled all the furniture in my house. I’m sure this is going to bring lots of excitement into my life and I will try to enjoy the process. Thank you again sir

You can email the pics to [email protected] I look forward to seeing it! Side note: I grew up on legos. Miss those days.

Ivory Silk Japanese Lilac. My wife chose them because they are not root invasive and will eventually provide shade. They bloom pretty white flowers in the middle of spring

Hey sorry I missed this. I’m normally much better about responding fast. Regarding pocket holes on the back of the armrest. Yes it would be stronger, however, I don’t think there is enough space to get the drill in at the proper angle to install the pocket screws. Which is why I went through the back. That joint is not going to be holding a bunch of weight so I don’t think strength is a big consideration. For the screw holes, as long as you don’t bury the screw head this should not be a problem. But if you bury the screw too deep you are opening up wood fibers to the elements.

Thank you for the reply, much appreciated

Thanks!