You know how sometimes something seems so simple? And it just isn’t?
For over 4 years I have wanted to add concrete rainwater “thingys” under the downspouts from our gutters…..Currently the water just pours out onto unattractive hunks of concrete.
No idea what to call them….splash box/splash blocks…..whatever they are, we need them.
A beautiful Saturday morning seemed like the perfect time to do something about this. So off to “Gay Church”….or the Home Depot, as most people call it.
Just gasp at the crap that Home Depot is passing off as splash blocks…….
What the hell are those?
PLASTIC is what those are. The first big rain and those things will be in our neighbor’s yard.
Ditto for Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware. Same Crap. Didn’t they still make them in concrete?
So we headed home and Googled Concrete Splash Block.
They closest purchasable ones we could find were all the way in Ft Worth…..but no address was listed. (Why on earth would they want people just Stopping By their business?)
OOOhh, and contrary to popular belief, Dallas and Ft Worth are NOT the same city. In fact, they are about 40 minutes apart.
The phone was answered with a, groggy “Hello”. Not the “Thank you for calling Blah-Blah-Blah Concrete, this is Carl,” like I was expecting.
Carl, I’m just guessing here because he never did tell me his name, suggested that I call Senox. They’re located closer to Dallas – Carrollton anyway – but probably not open on the weekends.
I Googled Senox, and dialed the number …… the phone just rang,…… and rang,…… and rang. Nope, not open on the weekends, and who could run a business with NO answering machine?
Concrete manufacturing people apparently.
I tried another concrete business, the guy on the end of that phone number didn’t sell them but thought that Spectra might. But they were only open 2 Saturdays a month. (50% chance of someone being there)
No Spectra on Google…….but there was a Spectrum. Gave them a call……no answer. (50% chance of someone NOT being there as well) At least Spectrum invested in an answering machine.
I gave up.
Now it was Jamie’s turn.
He Googled Gutter Supply, and dialed the first business listed. ABC Supply.
Supply of what? we weren’t sure.
They didn’t have any splash blocks in stock, but suggested that he try their other Dallas location.
Good news, the other Dallas location of ABC Supply has some in stock AND was open on Saturday…..but only for another 35 minutes. (It was 10:25 in the morning)
Unfortunately, the other “Dallas” location was also really in “Garland”……..about 20 miles away.
Could we do it? Could we make the 20 mile drive in about half an hour?
After a stop for gas and Red Bulls (AND a turn-around back home because we left in such a hurry that the motion sensor on our alarm was still active……..and a Doberman was running loose in the house) we made it to ABC Supply in Dallas/Garland. With 5 minutes to shop.
Look what they had………..
Pallets full of concrete splash blocks.
FULL, I tell you.
It felt like we’d found the Arc of the Covenant.
“We’ll take 3,
No 4,
No 5.”
At 4 bucks each, 2 bucks cheaper than the Home Depot plastic thingy, “We will defiantly take 5”
Now we have gone from this ugliness…..
To this loveliness……
We even stopped by our stone supply place for a few big rocks to hide more of that ugliness.
This is a big win for us, BIG WIN…and we’ll take it.
(BTW, we know that they are backwards, but since most of them are on inclines…..it seems to keep the rushing water from eroding the yard)
Happy Saturday, everyone.
THE CAVENDER DIARY 
Thank you for the laugh! ;,)
Glad for your happy ending!! Yours is the best blog I read!!!
Sooooo entertaining as always. To top it off, I never knew there was such a thing! I need to go outside and see what’s under my gutter–lol.
OK, I NEED these! First of course, I need to buy the extra four feet of gutter that the former owners coud not be bothered with, so if you ever think you have a lock on ugly, just check out my house!! I saved myself a trip to HD and Lowe’s, but I wonder where I can buy these babies here in Maine (or as I like to call it, “on the tundra”.) But you have given me hope.
OH, BTW, I actualy HAVE one of those concrete thingies in my yard, it is about two feet to the eft of the gutter, so…yeah.
I Love, ove love your blog!
I LOVE you guys!!! I would SO have done EXACTLY what you DID: drive all over hell and half of Georgia to get what I WANTED!!! I was thrilled to learn about this company…I work in Garland…so now we can get 5 or 6 of these for our humble abode!!! We DID try the plastic ones before….they SUCK!!! Thanks for doing all the heavy lifting for us when it came to locating the best deal EVER!! Love your styling, BTW!
Do you have it installed backwards? Do you want a dam at the end, ensuring that the water makes it back to the foundation? Just sayin.
Dawn that was my thought too….seems like you are encouraging the water to run back against the foundation of your home and in reality you would want it to run away from the foundation.
and mosquitoes too because it will occasionally hold water at the end for very short periods of time in the Texas sun.
#1, Ours are in backwards too. I never would’ve thought of it until the landscaper replaced them that way after doing some work. I think it makes erosion less of a problem indeed.
#2, Yours look very nice how you have them but please make sure water is being directed *away* from your foundation. My husband is a forensic engineer and he tells me so many stories in which water around the base of the house is the enemy. Ugly or not, an extender on the bottom of the downspout might be the way to go.
Can’t wait to find my own “concrete thingys”! I only hope I don’t have to go to the extent that you did…which by even voicing that thought, will now turn this little project into a disaster…that is how it always goes!
We got ours at a landscape nursery, but we also have dug out and attached the black plastic like 6″ tubing from the downspout down into the ground and run it out, away from the house so many feet, or you can run it into your garden or shrubs. But that can be back breaking, depending on where you want it to end. But totally enjoyed your post, as always!
The end result is very pleasing but please turn the blocks around. You would not believe the gallons of water that come down a gutter and you really don’t want all that water pouring into your foundation. You guys are great!
Not backward!! This is the way all are supposed to be located. Named backsplash because the water hits the barrier in front then splashes ” back”! This slows the water.
Less erosion this way.
Only problem is the tiny bit of water left harbors mosquitoes! A big no-no.
Good thing we live in a super dry climate
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Going thru the same machinations in Ft. Myers, Fl trying to find a a quality splash drain that won’t wash or blow away in a strong storm which we have frequently. All of our experiences support my theory that most big box business really only inventories what is convenient for their business and not necessarily what the customer really wants or should have for the best solution.