After we bought our house I had to take out the tree in the middle of the circular driveway. I turned out to be diseased ad there was nothing that we could do for it. So I suddenly had this hole and I had the perfect place for a flag pole. I wanted to put one up on the property somewhere anyways so I thought this worked out perfect. I went out and started flag pole shopping. I found an aluminum segmented pole that was rated for 125 mile per hour winds. It was 20 foot tall and came with a 2 foot sleeve to concrete into the ground in order to mount the pole into. So I concreted the sleeve in the ground and installed the pole. It was a nice 18 foot pole and everything was good. Well we had a storm and the winds hit 75 miles per hour (which was 50 miles per hour less than it was rated) and the flag pole bent severely. I called the company and they sent me replacement segments and suggested that I add a raised concrete pedestal to the pole and add cement inside the bottom section or two of the pole. So this is what I did but, when we had the storm that took out the antenna mast the last time with winds hitting 125 miles an hour the flag pole was just snapped off like small tree. My son and I were outside tying things down when we heard this loud crack and the flag pole came crashing down. So scratch flag pole number 2.
After a couple of years with my broken flag pole just sitting there we inherited a flag pole from my in laws since the were moving. This was a nice and heavy overbuilt steel flag pole. We also got a lot of blocks, pavers, stepping stones, edging, brick and more. Not a lot of any one thing but, a lot in total. So I decided that I couldn't possibly leave the pole on the ground so here come flag pole number 3.
I figured that if I was going to build flag pole number 3 that I wanted it to be solid without a worry of it coming down like the previous 2 poles. I also had always planned for an herb garden around the flag pole and I had already ran and irrigation line so I figured now was the time to put it in.
So I started with the existing pedestal and added 2 up right stabilizing supports and I welded support braces to the up rights and wrapped flat steel under tension to lock the up rights in place. I also added anchors to lock everything inside the concrete. On top of the pedestal in between the uprights I welded a support system for the mounting plate that I made. I also measured and spaced out the blocks for the herb garden.
Once that was done I measured and stacked up the blocks to make the stairs and setup a form for the concrete base.
Before I started filling the form with concrete I started filling some inner space with the broken pavers, bricks and edging. I also added more as I was putting in more concrete. I wanted to use what I had so I could add weight and structure without having to buy more concrete. I then setup the form for the larger pedestal to concrete the rest of the support and anchors for the up rights. My form was a little short so I had to concrete most of the pedestal then come back the next day and move the form to finish.
Next I dug and leveled a small trench for the first course of blocks for the herb garden. Then I stacked the next 2 courses and tweaked them to smooth out the circle. Next I cut up some old T-posts and hammered them down inside each hole in the blocks except for the 8 holes where I plan to put my solar lights. I used 1/2 inch rebar for those holes. The rebar was measured so that I had plenty of length to mount the solar lights on.
After I removed all of the forms I started mixing earthen concrete. That's a mixture of clay subsoil with the concrete. It takes longer to dry but, dries as hard as concrete and is a more green solution than straight concrete. The trick that I learned was not to add more the 45% by volume of the clay to the concrete. This works great for the fill and locked the wall together great but, I haven't tried to use the earthen mix with anything that was load bearing. I've read that you can but, I've had yet o try it.
Then I used the earthen mix to fill in all the gaps and start to smooth out the sides and top of the wall and stairs. I also used it inside of the wall if there was any gaps and to close up and on the bottom sides of the stairs to fill everything in and shore things up.
Next I mixed and applied stucco to the outside wall and pedestal and smoothed out the stairs, base and top of the pedestal. I had some fun with the stucco since I like the rough finish rather than a very smooth finish. It took me a few days to get it all done.
I finally got all of the stucco on and leveled out. I also had to come back a couple of times to fill in the cracks that developed. I also had to come back and fill in and the front and sides of the bottom step.
So with the stucco done it was time to put up the flag pole in order to mark and fit the cross member / pivot that I designed in to the flag pole. The purpose of the cross member is to act as a stiffening support so that stress on the pole gets transferred through the up rights as well as the bottom of the pole. The second purpose for the bar is as a pivot. I did this so if anything has to be repaired the pole can be lowered and raised again without having to lift it by hand like we did for the fitting of the bar. All I can say is that I'm proud of my boys, since it took 3 of them working with me to get the pole up and in place. Then it took all 4 of us to take the pole back down so I could finish up the work on the pole, get it painted and install the weather vain.
Next I welded 2 short pipes on the on the pole over the holes I made for the cross member bar. I did this to add strength around the holes and give the pivot point more strength. After cleaning up the welds and making finishing the holes on the butt plate I sanded then primered the pole with a self etching primer then painted the pole with a gloss white paint. Then I installed and adjusted the weather vain. Next I added the pulley at the top of the pole and the cleat at the bottom of the pole. Once the rope was added the pole was ready to mount.
My boys helped me again to mount the the pole. Once the pole was mounted I added the clips to the rope so I could test hang the flags. While the pole was down I also primered and painted the cross member bar, uprights and exposed mounting plate.
Next I painted the exposed surfaces. However I didn't want to use regular paint so I made some lime wash and added some solid colorant like what is used for colored cement. I mixed it well and painted it on. I applied 2 coats over everything and a few spots needed 3 coats. I used the lime wash because once it bonds with the cement the color is permanent and does not rub off. If any cracks develop they can be filled with some lime putty and painted over with another coat of the colored lime wash and everything will continue to bond together and get stronger over time without chemicals or solvents.
The last things were to add the weed barrier, run the irrigation to manifolds for the soaker lines, back fill with a composted growing soil, and plant some herbs. I also installed my solar lights. I'm happy with how this came out. Since we finished building this flag pole and planter it has weathered several extreme storms without any issue.
I also forgot to point out that the pivot is designed to lower the pole towards the front gate opening as you can see from this picture. This was done to make it easier to clear everything when it is necessary to lower it down.
Just a quick not about the planter. This has been wonderful and extremely productive all year round and really adds to the aesthetic appeal of the flag pole. I cook with the herbs, onions, leaks and garlic from this planter almost daily. It's been wonderful.
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