We've gone vertical!

 In the past few weeks, the foundation was poured and the walk-out stairs were completed. We're back to a concrete slab now, but there's lots of infrastructure below that slab that wasn't there before for drainage and gas lines.

We also left our mark in the stairs.

Last week was an off week for work here. But this week, things are moving again, and we've gone vertical. Posts are in and headers are coming next.

 

Porch - two weeks in

 It's hard to believe we've been at this project for two weeks already. There was a slight delay this week with some rain, but other than that, things are moving along, though it doesn't look like much yet.

In the past week, a lot of dirt was removed so that the foundation walls and new drainage could be installed. Some additional drainage work also had to be done to keep water from running towards the kitchen door, so that work got more of the old patio involved than originally planned.

Trenches were dug for the footing for the foundation wall to sit on.

These two pictures show most of the yard before the additional concrete was cut up for the additional drainage.

Here the plywood is covering up the big channel in the concrete that was cut to run a six-inch drain away from the whole area (did I mention this wasn't the original plan?). We also found a buried clay pipe that was draining water from the garage that was probably buried when the house was built, so that was tied into the new big pipes.

Mid-week they built the wood mold for the foundation walls.

This is just the temporary drainage arrangement. I didn't get a good picture of all the pipes before they started shooting in the gravel, but there's four downspouts, a sump pump, and a floor drain all in there, not to mention some insulation.

Not the best picture, but it's the best action shot of them shooting in the gravel!

That looks cleaner!

And here's our lovely channel, also filled in with gravel and waiting for concrete.

Next week, electrical work starts! And there's a five-week wait for trusses because we're not the only people doing home projects. :(

Our Next Project!

 With so much time at home and so many mosquitoes in our neighborhood (thanks trees!), we decided our family would really enjoy a screened-in porch. It has taken several months of planning but the project is finally underway.

Here are the architectural drawings showing where the porch will be, relative to the existing house. Our basement walk-out needs some structural work and a new roof over it, so those problems are being addressed with this project too.

Looking West

Looking North

Looking West

Floor Plan

After an unplanned survey and two-week delay, work began this week! Here is the area before work started. The structure with white siding and a flat roof is being removed; it is covering the walk-out currently.

Here is how it looked after Day 1 of demo!

You can see the bowed wall in the last shot. Gotta fix that!

And after Day 2.

Hoping it is finished for when I host book club next month (that might be a bit ambitious...)!

Front Landscaping

It's taken a while to get these pictures up, even though the landscaping has been done for several weeks! We had to wait about a month for the landscape lights, but those are in now too, so work out front is done.

The new plants should bloom throughout summer and shouldn't have to be trimmed at all, which is a big positive for us, considering all those hedges in the distance have to be trimmed every 1-2 weeks all summer.

With the lighting and all the new plants in, here's how it looks. We're looking forward to the plants filling out!

Now it's time to move on to the next project: a screened-in porch!

Landscape Plan

Summer means outside projects, so we've been planning for some landscaping work as well as exterior painting before fall. Hopefully it all stays on schedule.

The front landscaping hasn't been updated in about 30 years and several large bushes are making it difficult to use our sidewalk, so it's time for an update.

The landscaper drew up this plan to add some height to the plants, tie in with existing plants like the hydrangeas and arborvitae, and update the irrigation system and landscape lighting for the beds.

After two hours of work by the crew of nine, much of the removal of old plants is done.

They say they'll be done tomorrow!

Ridgewood Plat

I wanted to share this piece of history. It's the original plat of our lot. We have lot 8 and 25 feet of lot 7, down towards the west end, or at least that's what we think.

Originally our street was not supposed to be a cul-de-sac, but somewhere along the way it ended up as one.

Furnished and cozy

Thought it was time to share some pictures of rooms with actual furniture in them. We've recently put up more pictures as well as the holiday decorations, inside and out. It's slowly feeling more like a home and less like a hotel.

And for the holiday pictures. here's a few of inside. I'll try to get some of outside soon!

Happy Holidays!