The Deck: Part Two

6:30 am - My alarm sounds and I begrudgingly open an eye. We have to be at Home Depot at 7am to return the wood we have on "will call", rent a truck, pick out new boards, and bring them home.

7:00 am  - We grab a cart for the wood (this in itself seems to be a feat to track down this morning) and head to the decking section to get the 2"x8"x16' pressure treated boards. As it turns out they are stacked up higher than I can reach. I ask a (very helpful!) employee to help Dan while I head to the service counter to return the wood on "will call" and rent the truck.

8:00 am - We start loading the 16' boards on the truck. This is way more work than it looks. It takes us 30 min to get them in there and the door closed.  On a scale of 1-10, my crankiness is at a 5 now.

8:30 am  - I get the keys to the truck. When I get back outside Dan has an odd (yet gleeful) look on his face.

Me: what?

Dan: I have something to show you?

Me: Um, what? 

Dan: Come here . . .

We start walking over to the pallet of concrete blocks as he points between them. I crouch down to see this:

Do you see that little kitten face? We tried to catch it for awhile, but it was too hard to get to.

9:00 am: We head to the house to drop off the boards.

9:45 am: Back at HD to get the other boards we need to the railings etc. When you're at home making the list, 30 - 1"x6"x8', 12 - 2"x4"x12', 32 ballusters, and 6 - 4"x4"x10' boards don't seem like much. But, when you start loading them up . . . you realize how much that is.

By the time it took to load the wood, drive to the house, and unload the wood - it was close to 11am. We hadn't even done anything yet.

to be continued. . .

The Deck: Part One

While the main structure of our deck is perfectly fine, the twenty year old floor boards and rickety railings had to go. I've been talking about this project for awhile. Years. We tackled the fence and stairs in 2008. Three years later it's time to do the deck boards.

Here are some before pictures:

You can see from that last picture that the railing was incredibly sturdy.  Moving the grill was a piece of cake. I wheeled it inside and it took about 45 seconds - it was a one (wo)man job.

On Friday night we picked up our zipcar to head to Home Depot to get the boards for the deck.  We spent about 30 minutes picking out the boards and loading them up before realizing there was no way we would be able to tie them onto the roof  of our rental SUV as expected.  So we pushed them up to the service counter to get some insight to what our options were.  It turned out renting a Home Depot pick-up was the best route for us.  So, we left the wood at "will call" and vowed to return at 7am the next morning to pick it up.

While we were picking out the deck boards Dan had questioned the thickness (they were 5/4). I insisted they were the right size. Until we got home and realized the boards we had on the deck were 2" (really 1.5") boards and I had to eat crow. Which meant all the wood we had laboriously picked out (and was waiting for us) was wrong.

So, wrong wood, wrong car. Not a good way to start a project. At this point, I started to think we were over our heads.

to be continued. . .

On the agenda. . .

This weekend we are hoping to finally re-do the deck, which entails ripping up and replacing the floor boards and building new railings. The one thing I am dreading is carrying our huge 160 lb. grill down the stairs - though I suppose we may be able to wheel it inside the house for the day. But, it will be worth it once I get to smash all the gross and broken deck railings off.

Then, back to more painting. . .

Backyard Teaser

Here is a "moodboard" of some recent additions to the backyard. The real photos will be posted in the near future.

Planning . .. and more planning

Dan has been asking to have a work BBQ party for two years. We have yet to do it. But, the plan is under way. Since the weather remains nice into the fall we are planning for an early october bash. The grass should be fully rooted by then and hopefully we will have the deck re-done as well (the plan is to start this weekend - yikes!). In laying out our outdoor space I am creating three areas: a large dinner area (on the patio), a chat set space (on the grass) and a small bistro table (on the deck). This way we can have an outdoor space for all occasions. I still want a hammock and a fire pit, but the space is a little too small and the end result would be a flaming hammock and 55 spaces to sit for the two people who live there. Next house.

Which brings me to my next point. There are so many things I want to incorporate into this house I keep telling myself I can do the ones I don't choose in the "next house". So, I think I should start a "next house" section. All the ideas I can't use now, but will want to save for the future. Hence "Future Plans Friday". Every Friday I will give out some ideas too big or too much for our little rowhouse. This weeks is fire pits:

You can get your standard fire pit:

This one is under $50 from Wal-Mart.

Or, you can really kick it up a level with a built in fire pit like some of the ones Colorado Hearth & Home have. Check them out here.

Either way, it seems pretty fun!

The Grass is Always Greener

Looks like the grass is greener on OUR side of the fence now! While it still needs time to fully green up, it looks pretty good. I think it makes a big difference:

Before:
After:

we have a ghost . . .

Who apparently likes to do yard work. Last night I came home from work later than usual and noticed the backyard has been raked, weeded and all the furniture was arranged. Since we are getting the sod put down next week we were just letting things go. Our tenant has never done yard work before so I don't know why he would start now, and we have a six foot locked gate in the back so I don't think it was our neighborhood guy. It is a total mystery, I will let you know when I find out the answer.

This morning as I was having my coffee I noticed a small black thing in the yard. It was a baby kitten who has decided that the nicely raked yard is now his/her litter box. Awesome.

Seriously, I can't wait for the grass. . .

The beginning of the end

On Friday, I came home and was pleased to see this:

Remember what it used to look like?! Saturday, the guys came back and added the gate for the fence and some last details, I put the table on the patio and we enjoyed breakfast there on Sunday. It was great!:

The, you walk up the fantastic steps to see this:

Gross splintered weathered floor boards. Ah, the projects never end. I wish we could have had someone come out to replace the floor boards and put in a new railing, but it was way, way over budget. In the end, demolishing the planters ourselves cost us 10% less than to have the landscapers do it. It was NOT worth it. But, I had no idea. All part of the learning process I guess. The landscapers who did our yard are Diversified Contractors. You can reach them at Diversifiedcontractors at yahoo dot com. They were timely, professional, willing to work with out budget and our specifications. I would use them again for sure!

At 30% over budget on the yard, and still more work to be done, this turned out to be quite the project, in the end we will probably be 50% over budget. Oh, and that is what I say now, by the time we are done . . . who knows! I now see how everyone on home renovation shows go over budget. Or, if they stay in the budget - it doesn't look that great. It wears you down. You end up just saying "OK, go ahead" to an upgrade or more hired hands to do the work. Oh, and home renovations are EXPENSIVE!! Also, there are so many cool things to do. I think I ended up thinking along the lines of "we're going to do it, so lets just make it awesome". And, it is. It will be. We both feel like we have doubled our living space. Next up, plan a party! We should probably have some grass first though. . .

Ding Dong the yard is done!

The yard is done! OK, almost done. We still have to get some storage closet things and put down the sod (which will have to wait until the cooler month of September). But, we have a fence and a kick-ass patio! It was finished on Saturday and we had a great time hanging out there Sunday morning. Then it rained and ruined my chance to take some good final pictures. That will have to wait until later.

Though this was the major step, there are still a few things left until the yard work is completed:

- Replace floor boards and railing on deck (October)
- build lattice cover for air conditioning unit
- make a storage section
- lay sod (September)
- flower boxes (September)
- waterproof and paint (late October for fence and stairs/late March for deck boards)

The guys who were working on the fence and patio were amazed by the transformation and noted our yard looks twice the size of our neighbors (though it is the same).

Hopefully I will have some pics tomorrow or tonight!

More Yard Photos . . .

I know, it looks like a disaster. But, it is coming along quite nicely! We have some fence up now. . .

Yard Photos. . .

Here are some pictures of the yard. Before the patio looped out on the right side, we added more on the left to make it a square pattern. The fence is going up and the flagstone has begun. Also, you can get a gander at the new stairs! It looks funny with the old deck, but the boards will be replaced there as well.






Here are some Penny pictures . . .

America's Birthday

Being that it was America's birthday and all, we decided to celebrate with a little vacation. However, don't you worry, work was still being done. We just weren't doing any of it. The stairs are done and it was an annoying process. The guys who did it did not take away any of the materials so we are left with a pile of scrap lumber. Is that par for the course? I don't think so. Anyway, he is coming over for the final payment soon, at which time I will discuss that with him.

The fence/patio people did not show Monday as they are "under the weather". Which is fine with me because I didn't want to get up early and go over the job again and discuss the new developments, etc. Also, shelling out dough day after day can get a little overwhelming - I like to space out my check writing.

Pictures to come later. . .

Yo estoy estupido . . .

Here are some shots of the backyard as of last night (Oh, and I think the dumpster is finally leaving today). There was some breakdown in communication and when I said "move the stairs over here" what I meant was: "take down crappy stairs, put up new shiny safe stairs". Which is what I said in the first meeting, but there was somehow a breakdown in communication in the subsequent conversations. This is what happens when you meet with a deckmaster six weeks or more before the job starts and you don't speak his language. Anyway, its all resolved and the new stairs will be up in the next two days . . .

So. . .yeah. . .um,

I had to push the stairs back to Wednesday, the dumpster people haven't called me back to pick it up and my patients is running thin with the whole parking-on-the-street deal, and I was too busy with family parties, dinners and picking out puppies to get work done. Now, it is Monday - no work done today. Tomorrow I have an appointment at 6:30 and then I have to knock down the fence/half brick wall in order to get the stairs in. So, yeah, um, I'm stressed.

Takin' care of business

I am starting to see the green grass at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday I managed to schedule the work to move the deck stairs and the patio/fence work. The deck guys come on Monday (MONDAY!!!) June 30th. The fence and patio people come the following Monday, July 7th. We have not had workers in our house for a whole two weeks now - so its time to get some work accomplished! After this is over, we are on a serious hiatus from external help for at least two months. Not only it is a huge financial burden, but it is also very hard to have people in and out of the house all day. Dan and I worry about someone letting our precious kitties out into the wild, or not locking the door when they leave and getting robbed. Among other things.

The backyard demolition really has been a lot of work. I think if I would have to do it over again, I would have paid the landscapers to do the work. Doing it ourselves saved about 50% of the cost. However, it took us a month, we had to give up our parking to a dumpster, watch the dumpster, etc. Also, the physical labor was intense. If the planters had been filled with straight up dirt it would not have been that bad, but they contained lots of cement chunks and other debris.

The next debate is whether to lay the sod in August, or wait until the end of September? I just don't know if I want to live with a dirt yard for all that time.

Sweet Rewards

Maybe when the backyard is done, and we'll get this sweet hammock as a reward for a (fingers-crossed) job well done. Because, after all that work, we'll totally need to spend more money.

back to the situation at hand

The last thing we need to do in the yard is knock down the last remaining brick wall and then the crew can come in for the patio/fence/stairs work. When it comes down to the renovations we have done I can't help but be overwhelmed by all the choices. This one proves no different. While I decided on flagstone for the patio, I had to choose the design I wanted. Done. Now we have moved onto the fence, which I have now chosen:This image is of a stained fence, ours will be regular cedar or pressure treated wood. My original goal was to get all the yard work done by July 15th. Not so much. I think we are looking at August 15th now.

Glory days!

It has been a great and productive weekend. I was finally able to get the large mirror off my floor and up above the mantle, some books in the bookshelf and plenty of work done on the backyard. I am exhausted, but it was all worth it. I hate having those projects hanging over my head. Much more to be done, but at least I was able to rearrange the living room/dining room into a functional space. Here are some pics:

The backyard I had some help with , and by that I mean I got three guys to come and do all the work while I supervised. It was pathetic. But, time is running out and I need to get the project rolling so that is that. Right now, the fence posts on the left are hanging on for dear life. Lets home the rain storms we are in for this week don't knock it down. It should be about 2 weeks before we can get the new fence up and I am not ready to share a communal backyard with my neighbors dog, or his poop.

She's a brick . . . yard.

With the heat wave, the thunderstorms, and our laziness, the backyard is really taking a long time. We have the dumpster for two more weeks so we really need to get it done by then. I think I am going to have to hire a few helping hands for a day or two this weekend. We have made some decent progress though:

There is really no more pile of bricks, instead just a pile of brick pieces. I suppose it is time to invest in a wheelbarrow. So, more to come on that soon.

In the meantime we have been getting some quotes to replace the gutters in the front of the house. They are built into the facade and are just old. Last night we had the roofer over to talk about our options (he had looked at the situation last week). This guy, Steve, talked for an hour and a half straight. At one point Dan started coughing and I found out later this was a weak attempt to cover up his laughter. During the ramblings about the new fake slate options and the copper gutters that last up to 90 years and I won't even be alive then and copper costs more than gold now (yay.), my mind started to turn off and all I heard was static. Seriously, it was the most exhausting conversation I have ever had with someone. Also, who knew gutters were so expensive? After he left I was so tired I could hardly form a sentence as we stumbled to the local watering hole for something to eat ('cause no one was cooking, that's for sure). I wonder if maybe that's a strategy he has, tucker you out so you just hand him your life savings to stop talking. It almost worked, though I don't think a signed contract would hold up in court as out signatures would end up as slanted lines from weakness.

On another note, my neighbors lovely grapes are growing quickly! It just so happens all the fruit is on our side of the lattice. Shucks. I am not sure if we can really eat the grapes though. Anyone know? I see the birds eat them a lot. But, if I find they are people-friendly, those birds are going to be in for a battle. Seriously, I will mount 62 plastic owls on my deck and make sure my cats sit at the backdoor making that weird cackling sound they make when they see birds (what is with that?). My neighbors would love that.

It's getting hot in here. . .

Nature is cruel! This weekend (ie: full days I can work on the house) was filled with sunny blistering hot days which broke records and made us break out in a sweat. Not the days you want to be hauling bricks. But, we did some work and made a noticeable dent in the pile on Saturday. I did not go out of the house on Sunday, instead I finally organized our bedroom (um, yeah, it took 5 hours). Dan worked outside for an hour and a half and got a bunch more of the brick moved into the dumpsters.

So, you know how I like to break stuff right? Well, the building behind my office is being demolished, like the whole thing. My office window is about 20 feet from the building and I have the best view of the cranes, the smashing, and the O.M.F.G.-that-is-a-mini-bulldozer. I spent about 20 minutes one day watching them remove the outside wall. It was magical. Then, I had to stop because I noticed that they were watching me. I waved and put my Gizmo figurine in my window to watch them instead. Oh, yeah, I have an originally Gizmo and you are so jealous.

Also, I totally painted part of the fireplace with the wrong paint and now I have to get some more and do it again. Bummer. But, I can't really do anything until the heat wave is over (Wednesday!) so I will be taking it easy until then.