Win a Nexus 10 Tablet - Tell us your greatest backyard win!

I say the most epic thing I've created in my backyard are snow sculptures of my favorite childhood characters that incorporated my kids.

Miguel Valenzuela

That's not a deck ...this is a deck (from Crocodile Dundee) ...

We long planned a patio area, and keep putting it off until we finally decided what shape to make it.

While the concrete placers did the actual concrete pour, I had to do the digging out, and preparation, with help from my father for the boxing.

We elected to place polystyrene under the slab to retain the warmth, and extend the frost line.

This then was topped with polythene to stop the damp and the reinforcing mesh and bar at each corner and break point.

Because the area is 120 m2 (1300 sq ft) water runoff was dealt with by a 50mm (2inch) fall to the grass and a 150mm drain hose to a deep soak hole.

All this prior to putting the actual boxing in.

Due to the careful planning it works really well.

The guys doing the concrete placing were glad of the polythene since the only day they had was one of the hottest for the month.

We had it cut to look like very large tiles.

The next issue was putting the table I made back.

Getting it out was easy, just back up the tractor and lift it out.

But there is no way I wanted to risk the new concrete with that weight.

So my son and I did it the hard way ... since there weren't 10 burly blokes around.

(As the photos show it was dark when we finished)

Once it was over the specially sculpted (with the chainsaw) I lowered the forks and it was there.

In case you're wondering just what the table started life as, it was the remains of a tree after my mate in Kaikoura had it milled.

It was so heavy, his tractor could only lift one end, to get the trailer under it.

My little tractor didn't stand a chance, so we used the swing I built a few years before, to get the trailer out.

And in case you think all the effort has been spent just on the backyard.

Once I built the second garage I(yes they were assembled with these hands and some helpers) we needed to extend the gravel parking area and the first 50m of the driveway.

This isn't just flat as the run-off was directed away from the garage entries or where the visitors park.

The fun part was the roller (except when it was frozen the next morning)

My son Corey decided that was a fun new toy so was very keen to assist. 

Looking back these and many others were enjoyable "Backyard wins".

Mark

I would say my deck all built by my own bare (Well Gloved) hands, it took quite a while but I use it often to sit there with laptop, enjoying the sun and answering Community member Questions, a great place to dream up new ideas for projects, relax and answer questions on all things electronics and code, ... Perfect.

Oh, and the Fort was built by myself for the kids too as they did not want to hang out with the grownups on the deck

My greatest backyard win was taking my daughter out side with our chalk boards painted MDF, and having her hold it up for her 1st day at school!

Its a win cause she knows what she wants! and she is only 6 years old!

OK, my kid is my best build .. but here are a few, with images :-)

First off, had a 128gb USB drive that the case broke on, needed to protect it, so I did the best I could

Liked it so much I made 2 more :-)

The Cars still worked perfectly, and the blinking status light shows under rear wheel well.

I also made an 8' x 2' planter for my wife to grow an urban garden, then 2 smaller 2x2 ones for the kids:

I installed an android tablet as the radio in my old truck, looked better after I cleaned up, the background showed the eq for whatever was playing, played through car stereo, had cellular access, Bluetooth connectivity to phone, etc. WAS So Cool and would do it again in aheart beat, traded truck for a Motorcycle later, 1800cc vroom vroom

and Last but not least, Firelight dinner I made for me and the wifey one night over the summer, I did something right on the grill b/c she is still talking about it LOL

---Did I qualify? Win? LOL .. Now Im hungry