Stream Finishing Part 3: Pond Patio
Once the pond was installed, I realized there would be a wide space between it and the fence… much more space than warranted by a lovely garden backdrop. I decided to create a seating area.
Tossing pavers down on the dirt solved the immediate problem of the mud pit left behind by the construction crew, and prevented the area from becoming overrun by weeds. As the season progressed, I considered it quite a successful proof of concept.
Now for the real deal.
My first patio experiment back in 2016 was decent enough, but I’m already mad about the shifting pavers and endless weeds. I suppose it’s time to learn how to do it the RIGHT way… if it goes well, maybe I’ll re-do the first patio to match. Besides, I like these pavers better than my home-poured ones.
Belgard Portland 21-in L x 15-in W x 2-in H Silex Concrete Patio Stone
The only color in stock at Lowe’s was a grey-ish ‘Silex’, so I also bought some brown concrete stain to brush over the blocks.
The ground is hard-packed from having the excavator drive around on it for a few weeks, so I’m not too worried about renting a compactor. But I will start with landscape fabric, followed by leveling sand and paver base panels. They’re kind of expensive, but I expect to get a more perfect finished product and need less sand.
Pavers placed into the mud needed to be lifted and cleaned off.
With paver base leveled and landscape fabric down, it’s time for smooth sand, underlayment panels, and pavers.
Taking shape
Irregular edge blends into the gravel and stone edge of the pond.
Alliance Gator Maxx G2 Intelligent Polymeric Sand for Paver and Natural Stone Joints UP to 4”(Diamond Black) 50 Ib Bag
Black polymeric sand
Patio, planters, and chaise lounges… Maddox approves!
Taking a well-deserved rest.
Yard Attack
When you spend as much time in the yard as I do, it’s frustrating when your efforts are foiled by invaders.
Invader #1: Slugs. These guys target the hostas in my flower garden, and the basil in my herb garden. I’d heard the cup-of-beer trick, but since I didn’t have any skunky beer hanging around, I opted for my own brew with a recipe from The Art of Doing Stuff. I now keep a bottle of Slug Chug in the greenhouse and refresh the cups a couple times a week.
Invader #2: Lawn Fungus. Several lawns in the neighborhood have been affected. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it turns the lawn a fairly vibrant shade of yellow. Just a few days after applying Scott’s DiseaseEx Lawn Fungicide at the curative rate, my strip of side yard seems to be going back to normal. At least it’s not bright yellow. Or spreading.
Invader #3: Rodents. I’m not sure which variety… moles or voles or chipmunks… but someone has been eating the bark off my wisteria tree. It has been completely girdled, which means certain death unless I can perform some surgical miracles. I’m attempting to learn how to graft a bridge that will allow nutrients to cross over the barkless area. I guess we’ll find out next spring if I’ve been successful.
Summer Storm
Holy cow… microburst. Time to get out the rakes and shovels and clean up the neighborhood.
Solar Driveway Light
Related: Entrance Lights
Well, no WONDER the circuit trips every time there’s a heavy rain. Ugh.
The guys who installed the underground tubing for the irrigation were perplexed why the buried wire for the driveway light didn’t offer more resistance… normally they’d feel it and navigate the machinery up and over. I suppose that would have been true if the underground wiring was properly installed… in a PVC conduit buried at least 18” below grade. Oh, no… not at this house.
This wire was not encased in anything, and probably only 6” below the surface. Even worse, it had already been broken and crudely patched back together in several places. It doesn’t take a whole lot of common sense to know that a giant wad of electrical tape is NOT the way to fix a broken underground wire.
Giant wads of electrical tape
Even after splicing the wire with a kit made for this job and confirming power on either side, I still wasn’t getting power at the light post. I chased the wire until it went under the maple tree, and then I gave up. I ripped it all out… and found three more breaks (also crudely taped) closer to the light.
Yeah, so solar will have to do for now. I’m not trenching through my yard today. At least I can get rid of the string of Romex that is loosely draped under the front door.
Diggin' Dog
I added a special dirt-box to my yard so the girls have a place to get their digg on.
My girls Sadie & Maddox like to eat dirt. They find a really good patch of dark, organic, earthy goodness and bite right into the ground... it's pretty funny to watch. Their bowels are now part of the geologic process, pooping out little rocks.
The trouble is... I don't want holes in my lawn. I got this idea from my Aunt Betty when she lived out in Sequim, Washington. If your dogs have an insatiable urge to dig that can't be trained away, the next best thing is to give them an appropriate spot to sink their claws. Make it neatly edged, loaded with a mix of clean pool sand and yummy dirty organic topsoil, and be mindful (if it's near the fence, like mine) that they can't tunnel underneath. Throw in a few fun finds (Kongs, bones, etc) for your inquisitive friends to unearth. Every time they start to dig in an undesirable place (like under the barbecue), redirect them to the digging box and praise them when they start to dig there.
Mine is a simple 3x5' box made with pressure treated wood. (If your dogs chew on wood, you may opt for a non-PT option.)
The digging box sits at the edge of my yard, in the semi-circle of mulch designed for the dog agility equipment & other play things.
Happy girls going to town in their new digging box!
18 Trees
More sun, fewer acorns, and less scraggly dead junk.
I'm biting the bullet and having trees removed. EIGHTEEN trees. And the thing is... this won't even make a dent in the forested sanctuary of my back yard. The biggest difference will be to the front yard, where 4 out of the 5 trees will be removed.
I feel somewhat guilty about the oak... it is a nice tree. At least, it's nice until early November, when I start to curse its name. The leaves of my maples fall politely all at once, and I dedicate one afternoon to mulching them for my garden beds. The leaves on the oak, on the other hand, start falling around Halloween and continue to fall until March. And then there's all the other droppings... the tree is always pooping sticks onto my yard. It's also decorated with widow-makers: giant broken limbs hanging 60 feet up, just waiting for the perfect storm to knock them loose.
And then there's the ACORNS. Millions of them. The yard becomes like the ball pit at Ikea, if the balls were marbles with tiny sharp prongs that stab the bottoms of bare feet. I swear the squirrels throw them with force... my bedroom is a percussion instrument. I *!@%$* hate acorns.
Giant oak and three dying firs... these are on my top-ten list of trees to remove.
Then there are the scraggly ugly trees in the back yard that are irritating to mow around and add no beauty. There are a few crowded fir trees that are becoming weak and attracting carpenter ants... they're dead vertical fire starters. A couple others have made sport of dropping onto my fence.
Above: One of the black birches in a small stand decided to let go one winter storm. Just as well, since I keep having to rip out the root-runner babies.
Left: A storm in December 2014 snapped this leaning maple in half. I'm not sad to see them go, since its brother is bigger, and leaning farther onto my property. It worried me that someday they'd hurt more than just the fence.
Sadie surveys the wreckage.
Loam spread in the front yard.
The yard before, with 14 trees scheduled to be removed.
The yard after, with plenty of trees left.
Movie Night
New fun way to enjoy the yard... neighborhood outdoor movie night!
Neighborhood movie night! We rolled out the projector and screen, and lit the bonfire for making s'mores and popcorn that rises in an expanding aluminum foil bubble. The grown-ups hung back by the table (and, more importantly, beer cooler) while the kids stared wide-eyed at the screen and recited the lines to Despicable Me. What a great night!
Patio
Backyard patio flanked by gardens for entertaining, lounging, and growing.
Before
A narrow walk of sunken pavers connected the back door and screen room stairs, and then trailed off into the yard. The two bushes had outgrown the attractive size, blocking the windows and leaving black splotches on the outside of the house.
During
After
I love stepping out of the basement French doors onto my patio.
Screen Room Demolition
Time for a major change... no more looking out the living room window at the screen room.
When I bought the house, I couldn't figure out how best to use the screen room. It was disconnected from the house, and hovering above the yard... this was a great concept that was badly executed. It became storage. Storage with a rotting floor, shaky stairs, torn screens, and squishy roof. What a mess. I was getting the house re-roofed, so I needed to cut bait.
This was not a job for one. Especially not this one. I hired a local gentleman who does home rejuvenation projects, and occasionally hires the son of my neighbor. Two short days later, the room was gone, and I was left with a sandy slope. (See my Terraced Vegetable Garden for how it turned out.)
I appreciate bug protection, but I want to entertain in the yard, not above it.
The screen room is a collector for pollen and dead bugs.
Crud underneath.
Roof mush needed a spatula moreso than a crow bar.
Ready for haul-away
The sandy slope beneath filled with debris.
Much nicer.
Outdoor Dining Set
Perfect outdoor dining set
I love my new dining set! The seats have a swivel/rocker base, are squishy without absorbing rainwater, and have a circular base that won't sink into the grass.
Bonus: solar-powered LEDs built into the umbrella!
Fire Patio
I used a concrete mold to make a 10-foot non-combustible surface for my fire table.
In the City of Manchester, a residential fire permit allows a small, contained fire so long as it is located 25' from any combustible structure and sits above a 8-foot-across non-combustible surface. I had the fire chief visit my house to pre-approve my location. My neighbors (most of whom have fire pits) seemed perplexed... "You got a permit?" #LifeFreeOrDie
Sadie likes to be in the middle of the action.
Kids from the neighborhood are happy to help.
Materials:
Concrete mold: Quikrete Walk Maker
Quikrete Sand Topping Mix, since the regular concrete mix is too coarse
Behr Concrete Stain in Loden
Brick Landing Removed
Brick landing gone in favor of grass.
I removed the landing at the bottom of the stairs off the deck. The brick pavers were starting to crumble and cave in from the chipmunks tunneling underneath. The sod that got pulled up to make the fire patio filled in some of the area, and I've seeded the rest.
