Driveway removal project postponed

Call it cold feet...

We've decided to hold off on the driveway removal project until next spring. The economic turmoil has us a bit dazed and confused at the moment, so we've decided to hold off on non-essential projects. Having the driveway removed now would satisfy my desire to have this project complete, but it isn't a necessity. In fact, having it done in the spring has its benefits. This way, we're not stomping around in the mud all winter long.

Are others delaying house improvement projects until the economy stabilizes or improves?

BREAKING NEWS: Driveway removal scheduled

That's right, the driveway removal has been scheduled with Evergreen Concrete Cutting. If you've been following this blog for awhile, then you're probably well aware of the infamous driveway. Basically, our property is 75' wide and 200' long. The driveway runs the entire length of the south property line. Since the day we looked at the house I knew the driveway was going to have to go.

This summer, Kurt and I spent long hours breaking about 10% of the total driveway by hand. I convinced myself that we'd use the broken concrete to build landscaping walls. Well, plans change. We're hiring this job out and we're having the concrete hauled away.

On October 16th, they'll be breaking and removing a 90' long section of driveway. That'll open up approximately 1400 square feet of open space. In that space, we'll be adding a vegetable garden, building an outdoor dining room and planting a small orchard. That'll be a lot nicer than a huge swath of concrete. It may solve some of our water problems since the water can actually go into the ground!

We're leaving a 50' section of driveway at the front on the property. This will easily allow for the parking of three to four cars. Who needs more parking than that?

Stay tuned for pictures of the disappearing driveway!

The year in review

Wow, 2008 was quite a year. As far as I'm concerned, the landscaping season has come to a close. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the winds have started to pick up, the clouds are rolling in, and the sky is beginning to leak. I'm not one to give myself much credit for getting stuff done, and I rarely look back on what's been accomplished, but this year I can't help but look back. I think writing the blog forces you to make the trip down memory lane. It takes so many mini projects to get something greater done. Last night, as I was standing on the deck, I looked out and saw a total transformation. For just a minute, I didn't see all that we hadn't done, but rather what we'd accomplished. I must be getting older. This is what I saw:

As a comparison, this is where we started this year. Not exactly from the same vantage point, but you get the idea. I don't even know where to begin to quantify the time spent. I'm not even sure I want to know. What I do know is that all of this work keeps the therapy bills low! If I'm busy, I'm happy. If I'm not creating, then things aren't so good.

Looking back, here are some of the things we accomplished this year:

• Remove ALL of the garbage that the previous owners left over (thik 3-4 truck loads)
• Remove fence from around deck. Deconstruct fence panels and salvage panels.
• Square off deck and make it rectangular as opposed to a half-hexagon.
• Tear out first 25% on contrete driveway.
• Build pond and add Koi.
• Haul in and install 10 ton of basalt rock.
  
• Build big pond organic filtration system with UV clarifier.
  
• Install approximately 100 foot of waterline and run underground cables for irrigation control.
• Lay 100 to 150 foot of new paths out of crushed brick.
• Move winter drainage creek so fence can go in.
  
• Build first 50' of Craftsman fence along property line.
• Rotate shed 90 degrees and move it 8 feet back.
• Haul in 10 cubic feet of dirt and have it moved around.
• Remove brick planter box from front of house (75% complete)
• Remove boat from front yard.

That's all that comes to mind, although I'm probably missing something.

Not to worry, the blog won't be ending. Next up is a remodel of our upstairs space. We'll be turning one giant uninviting room into a 'quaint' bedroom and a television/entertainment room. As for the rest of the house: Kurt will be working on the kitchen, and we plan to continue stripping the woodwork.

The low bridge is in

First the high bridge and now the low bridge. Pretty soon we're going to start installing overpasses.

When I designed the landscape (and yes, all at this was drawn out before being implemented, which is a MUST), I took into consideration the vast amount of rain we get during the winter time in the Pacific Northwest. The specific area we live in was once a vast wetland, and every year it tries hard to revert back to its wetland-self (hence the ducks that show up every winter). This is primarily the reason we're installing so many raised beds. On any given day during the winter when you walk across the yard, water squirts up out of the ground. It stays saturated all of the time. Thankfully, we have a creek that runs alongside our property which runs constantly during the winter months. Without the creek, I'm pretty sure our property would just float away.

This was a concern when we built the pond. In goes the water falling from the sky -- the water line goes up -- and the pond eventually overflows. I built a low-spot in the pond which will acts as a spill over. The spill over should (if it works as planned) run into the rock creek bed I've designed that runs under the second low bridge. So, in the summer months the creek bed will be nothing more than a dry rock bed, which has a certain aesthetic quality to it. Once more of our concrete driveway is pulled up, the little creek will run over into the big creek, and the water will be whisked away. If this doesn't work, we may all drown.

I sure hope the ducks show up again this year. One needs something to look at to get through the gray months!!!

More History

For more information about the house our cabinetry was salvaged from.

http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1287422&more=0

The Making of a Craftsman Home

When Kurt and I purchased this home in 2007, it was because of it's potential to once again be an amazing craftsman home. Our craftsman home, like so many others, had been stripped of it's artifacts, it's old growth woodwork painted, and it was in need of someone who could see it's potential and bring it back to life again. Hence, why we named this blog 'the Making of a Craftsman Home.'

For sometime, we've known that we needed an outstanding craftmsman artifact to restore our homes charm. Home, I'd like to introduce this hutch, and hutch, I'd like to welcome you to this home.

About a week ago while surfing Craigslist, I discovered the hutch you see pictured here. I couldn't believe my eyes. This was EXACTLY what we'd been looking for. We knew that our dining room needed something grand to be "Craftsman", and this Craftsman hutch, constructed of Fir, is grand in every sense of the word. It wasn't too big, and it wasn't too small, this hutch was just right.

The hutch was saved from this 1916 Craftsman home located in the Hilltop area of Tacoma. Unfortunately, the home is being dozed to make way for a parking lot. How on earth the Tacoma zoning allows for that to happen, we'll, don't get me started. As much as I hate to see this house fall victim to progress, I guess its destruction is what's allowing us to add this masterpeice to our home. I'm just happy that we were able to save this handmade furniture, and bring it back to life in our home.

I couldn't be more happy to have found this. Our plan is to change the wall this hutch is on to make it appear 'built-in'. We're still working up the plan on exactly how that's going to work. We've also decided what color the rest of the woodwork is going to be in the house once we get all the paint stripped! We're going to do our damndest to match the color of the hutch.

Oh, and one last thing. We also salvaged two matching room dividers, which just happen to have leaded glass doors that match the hutch! These two units were not actual room dividers, but rather shelves that were up against a wall. That means the sides and backs aren't finished, which means we'll have some work to do matching the stain and the wood grain. Once installed, they'll sit as room dividers exactly as pictured in the image. Tapered pillars will run up to the ceiling, and will intersect with the box beams, which we plan on installing in the living room.

We've got our work cut out to make all of this work, but I'm pretty sure we're up for the challenge. I plan on preserving the history of these artifacts by printing out photgraphs of the house they were removed from, noting it's address, and putting all of it together in an envelope that can be attached to the hutch. I feel it is important to preserve their history. My grandfather was a carpenter, and I have a deep love of hand crafted beauties that runs deep in the bloodline of my family. Seeing is believing, but the story behind them is what brings them to life.

The bones of the bridge are in

It's beginning to look like a bridge. Let's hope this doesn't turn
into an I-35 disaster scene. The approach on the left side of the
bridge is a little steeper than I was hoping for. That can always be
fixed later. Now, I need to install the right side approach. Maybe
next week.