Planning

Colin and I are always planning future projects.  We are always thinking of ideas, researching something, and sketching out ideas on scraps of paper, graph paper and on Google SketchUp.  It is fun to dream up projects.  I sometimes think that planning the project is the best part.  There are so many options and possibilities, but once you start to build, you have shut the door on those other options.

Our recent project planning is our garden, particularly the part of our yard that is now the end of our driveway.  Our driveway is plenty long for our one car, and the driveway is the sunniest part of our yard.  We have long wanted to turn that area into a garden.  Finishing off the back steps of the porch is the first step.  Here is the most recent iteration of our project (drawn by me in Google SketchUp):

 

I had to include the picture below, just because of the car.  I went online to look up the component for the grill and then wonder if anyone had uploaded a Ford Explorer.  They had, and in our unique blue Eddie Bauer edition color!

Drainage for the Retaining Wall

As we learned recently with the recent flooding, drainage is very important.  Water comes down the hill in the spring, and water (and snow) fall off the porch roof.  Colin started to install a perforated pipe and landscape fabric to drain the water away from the wall.  We're not sure of the water's final destination.

Building a Short Retaining Wall

There have been a lot of trucks in our neighborhood this week.  Most of the truck activity is related to the massive flooding and road damage we had on Tuesday afternoon.  There were three payloaders clearing mud and rocks on Tuesday, and there was a lot of truck activity on Saturday when they rebuilt the road at the top of our small hill.  We also have had trucks delivering material for our latest project.  We are building a small retaining wall at the back of our porch to raise the level of the ground.  We would like to have a more level slope (rather than one that slopes steeply towards the house).  Monday, we had some landscape timbers delivered, and on Saturday we had gravel delivered. (The same gravel truck brought gravel to our neighbors up the hill.  They had some significant part of the yard wash away.)

 

Yesterday and today, Colin installed most of the retaining wall.  It was hard work in all this heat and humidity.