After getting the materials I needed to get started, I just needed some time to work. I got my chance this weekend. Thursday was the first chance I had, and the first step was to get a foundation in place.
I laid out the blocks in approximately the 3 rows of 4 that the plans specified. The next stop was to get the row of blocks closest to the existing carport lined up correctly and get them level with respect to each other. That was a real pain. Then, I had to get the rest of the blocks lined up with the first row and level. Invariably, the blocks would be off-level by about an inch, and the smallest blocks I had were about 2″. I had to improvise. It just so happened that there were some slate tile remnants left over from the previous owners’ renovations, and they made great shims. I also went ot Home Depot and bought a single package of roofing shingles to use as smaller shims. After laboring over a few blocks by moving it, digging and scraping with a sharpshooter shovel, replacing the block, and repeating, I discovered that it was much simpler to use the block itself as the excavating too. The weight of the block and the force I was able to exert made it relatively simple (although hard work) to get the blocks roughly level with each other. The remaining offsets were easy to take care of with my makeshift shims.