Chris Cantwell operates a skateshop in Bradenton, Florida, and even though it’s got a really nice skatepark, Chris decided he needed his own concrete. I once built a 6 foot tall miniramp in the front yard of a house I was renting, but Chris’s vision and execution is so much more amazing. The closest thing I can think of is that small front yard skate obstacles set hidden somewhere in Seattle, and this is at least an order of magnitude larger. The Seattle front yard was built for a little kid, nothing over2 feet or so. The owners got some flack from the neighbors but the zoning was OK. I remember seeing it in a video, and I’d swear I posted it here, but it’s getting harder and harder to find old posts on S&A – We’re past 6k posts on the blog part alone. Chris’s project is also legitimate in the eyes of the city where he lives. Check out the pics after the jump.
– Thanks to Tito for the tip.
From Chris:
My neighbors were not into it when they started seeing random dump trucks dumping ripped up parking lots in my front yard.
But before I started pouring, I went down to my county admin building and cleared it with them, showing them pics and what not. They asked what it’s for and after explaining it was for skateboards they said oh, if it’s for skateboards we consider it “playground equipment” so no permits necessary.
My only limitation is to not infringe 15ft to center of the road for my front easement….
Skater:Logan
Skater: Logan
Skater: Hunter – I took a quick glance, I thought he had a severely dislocated shoulder.
Skater: Hunter
15 comments
Peyton
That’s amazing! Do you know the general transition radius?
skaterdave
So you don’t need rebar if you use all that rock for backfill?
chris
I used wire mesh, $7 per 4×8 sheet & added 2 ft long pieces of rebar placed about a ft apart to tie section to section… but proper would to have also cut through the slab all the way where the tranny meets the flat, drill in and secure rebar pins and tie those to the wire mesh… this piece is just sitting on top of my driveway… I also used silka bonding agent in the knotch out to help prevent it from chipping up when it cracks, that’s added as you pour so its still wet when you fill with concrete.
Christiandeath@yahoo.com
I just showed the wife this, she said ‘your making me mad stop’
kevin
keep pouring , my wife is the best too i poured a 40 foot long kidney pool
way up here in montreal canada .i believe to be the first in the great white north!
tallboycan
He’s dramatically increased or decreased the re-sale value of the house, depending on the buyer…
chris
the only mark would be the 5 inch wide kntch out where the tranny meents the flat of the driveway, I didn’t rebar it to the slab… the other side of the driveway will be… there’s a shit load more going in
chris
I do have the most amazing wife ever for her to let me do this. We turned the garage into a room before the build. This was my first experience with concrete, learning with each pour, each section get a little better from the garage out to the street & I finally stopped being a dumbass and got a truck for the that last section. fuck dem bags! Thanks for the post Skate & annoy!
Christiandeath@yahoo.com
What type of Crete did u get? I seen too many beginners pour plaster type Crete that gets reduced to a power…
chris
I was mixing 80lb bags of 5k psi & adding a shovel full of portland per bag. The last section by the road was 3k psi.
freezine
Realtors call that “curb appeal”.
Christiandeath@yahoo.com
I’m guessing the jack hammer comes out before the realtor does
francisco
This rules!
kevin
i will keep you in mind next winter when i hit the gulf side of florida
great job. your neighbours must love you!
Christiandeath@yahoo.com
Damn…he blocked off a 2 car garage!?! My wife would kill me