Front Yard Landscaping

The front yard was in need of a makeover.  One of the landscapers we had give a quote said that landscaping has a life span of about 15 years.  Ours was nearly original to the house, so overdue to be redone. In addition, our front walk was sloping toward the house and cracked in a couple places.

The "Before" Photos

The "After" Photos.   New paver sidewalk, new shrubs, new rock.  All around a cleaner, lower maintenance front  yard.

Laundry Room Remodel - Finished

We finished the laundry room this weekend.  The cabinets, sink and fixtures are all Ikea.  We also replaced the tile in the laundry and throughout the entry... about 300 sqft of tile.

"Before"

Neighbor's Fence is now Our Fence

The neighbors to the east are selling their house. They had a surveyor come out and plot lot lines and it turns out that the 100 ft. cedar fence they built (before we moved here) was actually built entirely on our property... by about a foot. So their fence is now our fence.

Good thing it's a nice one.

Pergola and Deck

Spring is here, so we have a couple projects going. The first was a pergola and deck. I considered doing this myself, but frankly, I think I'm getting lazy as I get older. We hired Klingbeil Construction and they were able to come out they day after we got the bid and they completed it in two days.

We have to let the greentreat timbers used for the posts and beams dry out, so no stain until the end of summer.

Joy of Winter

We're blessed to live in Minnesota.  Nature gives quite a show about every three or four months - moving from spring to summer to fall to (finally).... winter.

Winter provides lots of seasonal recreational opportunities: sliding, skating, sledding, skiing, shoveling, snowball fights... uh....snow-blowing... hmm....salting sidewalks....  um.... starting diesel engines that spitefully resist your best efforts to get them going when it's less than 1 or 2 degrees.

Another great thing about living in Minnesota winters,  we get yearly opportunities renew our wardrobes - swapping out last year's fleece for this year's mock fur, last year's puffy down coat for this year's heavy wool.  And because we're so cheap, we indulge in the concept of putting on an extra couple layers inside to save a few dollars on the monthly fuel bill.

But all this (tongue-in-cheek-while-teeth-chattering) appreciation of winter goes out the window when you have cold-weather issues with the guts of your house.

Last weekend, we sent a little (tiny?) bit of frying pan grease through the garbage disposal and through the kitchen drain.  When it hit the drain pipe that runs along an exterior wall, it instantly congealed into a thick, impenetrable and waterproof blockage in the drain pipe.  Fast forward through Draino attempts, drain snakes, prayers and pipe rapping to free the clog - to this week where I decided to open the basement ceiling to deal with the problem directly.

Running a hair dryer directly against the pipe for a few minutes finally cleared the clog.  Then I attempted to jam my arm up into the ceiling far enough to squirt some expandable foam against the outside of the pipe.  There was no insulation against the pipe previously, so the temperature inside that drain pipe was surely below freezing.

While I had that portion of the basement ceiling apart, I also took the opportunity to fill a number of other cracks in the outside wall where cold air was pouring in - where the gas line entered the house, where the electrical service entered the house, etc.  Probably still many small cracks and holes to fill, and I'm considering a larger tear-apart to properly insulate/seal, but at least I got a start.

Time will tell if the drain pipe keeps warm enough now.  More sub-zero temps on the way all this week.

Labor Day Weekend Project

Labor Day Weekend means you've got to labor at something, right? That's the way I interpreted it anyway. I finished this side patio from my left over wall blocks and made the planter out of green-treated lumber. The planter could use a couple more coats of stain, but I'm pooped.

Here's hoping I can score a 20 minute uninterrupted nap in the hammock!

Retaining Wall Caps - Done

Wow, been awhile since we did a major house project. Guess I've been lazy.
I decided to cap the retaining wall in the back yard. Also decided that the wall is one row of blocks too high, so I'm going to take the top row and build some stairs on the side of the house, then cap off everything so it looks cleaner.

Menards dropped off 70 landscape block caps today. These are the industrial size blocks. The blocks are 66 lbs each and the caps are 35 lbs each. This will be a good chance for both exercise and sun on weekends this month.
One hour into the project and I've already smashed a thumb. The caps are looking nice though.

By the way, I had a landscaper bid this project and they came back with a price tag of $5000. I bought the caps myself for $400. So, assuming no major trips to the hosipital, I'm saving $4600 by doing this myself.

Updated 6/28/2009 - Done. A bit of backbreaking work, but all done and worth the money we saved.