shed building..

Today we had a shed building at our house. It started with levelling out the area where the shed would be situated. We did a good job but I'm not sure it will be enough. I think we might have to see if we can get the patio built in that area as well and then put the shed on top so the floor is more stable. The ground is soft under the shed in places and so the floor moves and, while that's fine for now, when winter comes I'm not sure that will still be the case.


I was disappointed that I wasn't able to do all the building with just the help of Wonder Schmud. We had to get quite a lot of help from Mr.B. and it was really hard to watch at times. It was a very painful process for him and that always makes me feel bad. He was already dealing with a lot of pain from all the added activity of Wonder Schmud's weekend away and then graduation. I didn't want him to have to do anything but supervise and watch.


We had a few little glitches along the way. What building project would be complete without those? First we weren't sure all the parts were there. Then we decided we could probably make do if we had to so we continued. It took longer than we expected it would from the reviews we read online about the product but there was nothing inherently difficult about it, really.


There was an issue with areas we'd already set in place, moving on us. And then there was a little problem with the ridge pole being uneven. Eventually we got it all together though and it's looking pretty good.


I still think we may have to put some sort of more stable base underneath before winter, whether that be plywood or patio blocks. I'd hate to see damage happen because the base is not solid enough underneath.

What kind of projects have you done that would be considered home improvement? Do they usually go well and do you enjoy them?

Dee..

bye-bye junipers..

This is the east side of the cedar trees before the removal of the junipers. This is the spot where the new shed will sit, between the cedars and the fence. It will fit perfectly in there.


Then this one shows the west side of the same cedar trees. The junipers wrapped all around the south side of the cedars and to both the east and west. Beyond the grill is where the house is located.
And this next photo is the "after" shot. The pile of branches in the back corner is debris that needs to be hauled away yet and there are piles of cedar needles (?) to be raked and disposed of. The stumps need to be ground down and then the shed building will happen on the first available day. Then we will be calling some landscapers to put in a stone patio between that south fence behind the cedars from the gate to the house.


Lots of work going on! Stay tuned for a photo of the shed... still to come! :)

Dee..

yard work..

Yard work is one of my favourite chores to do. No matter what the weather, there's something to be enjoyed. Today was a fine example of this.

The day started out bright and sunny when I first awoke to take Wonder Schmud to work at the grocery. Too bad it had been a short night or I could have managed to stay up and get started early. Yes, I went back to bed even though it was already 8am. ;) I didn't sleep the whole time from then until 10am but I did doze and relax. It's one of my favourite times of day when I can go back to bed like that. :)

Anyway, by the time I got up again, it was clouded over. I picked up Wonder Schmud from work and then mowed the front yard while was grilling burgers for lunch. (Dang, that boy can grill a mean burger! Mmmm!!!) It was a bit of a dull day but it wasn't too hot or too cool, and there were no bugs to try to distract me from my task. It went quickly and the front lawn was done by the time lunch was ready.

After lunch, I went out to finish the mowing of the backyard. The sky had brightened considerably and I was no longer thinking we'd get more than a few drops of rain. I felt pretty confident that there would be no precipitation. I went outside to mow the back lawn and found that the lawn was already a little long for the mower... and wet underneath... so the mower plugged a couple times during the course of cutting it. It wasn't difficult to clear the clog (which I had to do several times) and the sun actually came out and shone for a short while. It was positively balmy out there! I took a little break to check in on the boys who were playing Left4Dead in the basement as part of Wonder Schmud's graduation celebration continuing from yesterday.

When I went out to do the trimming and some raking, I wasn't able to finish. Would you believe it was raining?! The air smelled so fresh and clean outside and it was quite enjoyable in spite of the drops hitting my backside. It wasn't a heavy rain, obviously. It was just enough to get things wet. I was also glad it wasn't windy because it wasn't all that cold. I still didn't get completely finished but the time spent out there was still quite a nice way to spend this holiday Monday.

Welcome to Saskatchewan, where if you don't like the weather you only have to wait 5 minutes!

Dee..

outdoor renovating..

We've had a wet spring with some flooding in the area. Many basements have had water come in, including ours. We aren't really in a low-lying area so I believe if the grade around the house was in proper repair then we likely wouldn't have had any water come in. We considered landscaping last year but then did the siding and soffits instead. So, now this year we MUST do some landscaping to take care of that grade and get the ground sloping away from the house again. This will also mean moving my strawberry plants... and my tulips and irises. Digging for me to do in preparation...

The spacing between the houses is not all that wide in our neighbourhood so we've been trying to come up with a plan to help with spring drainage. I think maybe we've figured something out. We'll make the whole side from concrete blocks sloping away from the house and draining into a pseudo drainage ditch lined with eavestroughing or weeping tile. My only concern with weeping tile is that the water may not run off fast enough unless it's a more open kind of thing. I guess we will have to chat with whatever landscaper we hire to see if they have ideas of what to use.

Another thing I'd like to do is create a little patio out back to have the barbecue on... and where we can have a little bistro table. I have an image in my mind but I'm just not sure of all the details yet. Our yard is so dark that a little lighting would be good but that could be something of the solar variety so we don't have to run power lines. One of the biggest issues is the junipers under the cedar trees. They get looking so scruffy and we'd like to get rid of it but our gas and power lines run right through their root system and so we don't know how well removing them will work. Another question for the landscapers, I suppose.

The front step (made of concrete) has been cracked since we moved in and for a few seasons now has been home to a nest of wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets. That definitely needs a facelift as well. We had thoughts of a small deck out front but I'm leaning away from that idea because of cost. I think a small concrete patio might be a better option though the step would need to be a little bigger than it currently is. Dreams... It's fun to think about what to do and what it will look at. It's just difficult to balance the dream with the reality of finances and the timing needed.

Dee..