The Completed Light Post with Bird Feeder Project!

Here's just a quick post to show you the light post made from a front porch post that I put together for Lowe's Creative Ideas.  Finches, wrens and cardinals have all been sighted visiting the bird feeder.  As an added bonus the birds get to land on the two hanging baskets to hang out and visit.  It's almost like an airport for birds complete with landing pads, runway lighting, and even a food court!

Inside the coconut coir hanging planters I planted pansies for the winter.  I think plants that spill out over the edges would be perfect for the hanging baskets.

Here's the original post on how I made the light post.

This next month's Lowe's Creative Ideas Project is called "Migration." It looks like we'll be finding a way to bring the garden indoors!  Who knows - maybe I'll bring the indoors to the garden!

The Greenhouse Project: Beginning the Framing

Another day is done for the greenhouse-shed project and a little bit more has been accomplished. It's moving along at a good pace; not too fast or hurried but careful and methodical. Yesterday we finished setting the posts and today we ended construction by putting up most of the framing for the first large picture window.

Before the window framing we did quite a few other labor intensive tasks.

• We cut and fitted 4"x6" timbers around the base to hold the posts together and hold the flooring (gravel) inside. 4"x6"s are very heavy and it was quite a chore to set them level them and screw them into the posts.
• After getting the 4"x6" lumber into place we went around the base and added metal plates to join the posts together with the 4"x6"s. Every post received two plates one on the front and the other on the back.
• The last job of the day was to actually frame up a window. We debated for a few minutes on what to do and eventually came to a suitable conclusion. (Prior to construction I came up with a design plan for the greenhouse but after a consultation with a structural engineer (and father-in-law ;)) I made a few changes to improve the stability of the structure. Those changes required a few adaptations for my shed-greenhouse plan.) Beneath the window we built a structure to hold the picture frame window. It's solid, very solid. We connected 4 inch 2"x4" pieces between two 2"x4"s and set them at 12 inches apart which made a very solid 7" tall base for the window.

Tomorrow I hope to get the wall framing accomplished. I'm also concerned that my work week might be ended too soon by the falling rain. Maybe the weather forecasters are wrong, it wouldn't be the first time!

A Stepping Stone Pathway (Backyard Remodel Part 2)

With every project comes some challenges. The biggest challenge for our backyard remodel and patio project was what to do with the septic line area since one of the most important things to remember with any major project is to avoid the utilities as best as you can. Unfortunately in our case the builder of our home did not put the porch and septic line in the best possible location for our plans. The steps from the porch led directly over the septic clean out pipe. I mentioned a few days ago about the step/landing I built to bridge that space but we also needed to deal with the area over the line itself. We had a two-fold problem: 1) No hard or permanent surface should ever cover the septic line in case it needed to be accessed and 2) I didn't want to mow into an odd shaped and small area.

The solution was simple and makes sense (aren't those are the best solutions!): Cover the area with an easy to remove mulch and use stepping stones to make a convenient walking pathway.


The step is 100% removable and so are the stones. If we ever needed to get access to the line all we would need to do is move the step, move the stones, move the mulch and landscape fabric, then dig to get to the line. Ten to fifteen minutes of work would be all that's needed to accomplish the moving.


Patios and Pigtails


The stones themselves are not extremely heavy. The total weight for all six stones was 180 pounds with the largest one weighing in at 49 pounds. That would be the one that my daughter is standing on in the picture above. They were on a pick pile at our local landscape supply place for $.20 a pound. I tried to find the stepping stones that matched the cobblestone patio the best and still maintained a natural look.


Taking it in Stride


The stones were inspected after the initial placement and determined to have been placed at too long of a stride. Adjustments were made and then a secondary inspection was conducted which was subsequently passed. The stride is perfect for those who are 5'2" tall but a little short for those of us who are 5'9". Compromise, just another step to having a happy home!

The Backyard Remodel Tour Part 1

You may have noticed that the daily blogging has slowed down a little bit on weekends. It's been for a very good reason: The Patio Project. My commenting on other blogs has suffered as well but everything should pick up once the final touches have been made on the backyard remodel. It's become more than a patio project and really extends the full length of the house. Included in the project have been at least three new garden beds (one of which could easily be subdivided into three sections), a stepping stone pathway, the patio itself, a small deck extension, latticework installation, and a whole lot of sweat! OK maybe you could have done without that last bit of imagery...


Here's the before:




And now here's a look at the nearly complete project from the vantage of the bird bath garden. Around the deck is the latticework and one of the garden beds. The landscape timbers have been filled up with a combination of dirt, compost, and mulch. A few plants have been added but for now they will remain mostly empty. I'll see what kind of sale plants I can find this fall that I can add. The space between the birdbath garden and the landscape timbers is roughly 6-7 feet wide just wide enough for two passes with the riding mower to take care of the grass.




I put some labels into the picture below so you can see what plants are already there and some of the future plans. I moved a viburnum to the corner of the deck and planted a small birch tree form the Arbor Day Society. It's doing pretty well and has been protected from the munching mouths of deer. Two threadleaf coreopsis plants from this summer's wedding project have found a home in this bed next to a daylily from Frances. To the left of the picture and the center of the deck is a Phlox paniculata from Gail. It's probably better known around the Garden Blogger world as Practically Perfect Pink Phlox or PPPP. I think Gail likes it...

Unfortunately Tina, the Chocolate eupatorium didn't make it. I really wish it had survived, it would be such a cool addition to the garden!

Hopefully one of the pyracantha cuttings I took a couple weeks ago will find a home next to the house between the deck and the crawl-space access door.


Here's a glimpse at the corner of the house. Near the airconditioner is another viburnum. It's one of the snowball kind that is sterile and unfortunately that means no berries. I planted a crape myrtle to one day overtake the bathroom window for privacy reasons. This is also where much of the stone I've been importing from my in-laws property is being used.


That's it for part one of the backyard remodel project. I'll post part two about the stepping stone pathway later in the week.

The Deck Remodel (or The Deck Being Decked Out!)

Another part of our back yard patio project was fixing up the deck. I suppose you could almost call this project more of a backyard remodel. In my last post I showed you a step/landing I built to bridge the gap between our patio and the deck. Today's post is all about (and around) the deck. In the picture below you can see what our deck looked like before this weekend, a nondescript-builder-standard-pressure-treated deck. Our deck was kind of like the windshield wipers on a car, they are there and functional but you really don't talk about them! There's almost two feet of clearance under most of the deck, which would barely be enough to store things. I would love to have a deck I could finish off the underside as a storage area or even as a gathering spot but that won't happen with this house. To dress up this area we added latticework. You can even see it stored underneath the deck!



In these pictures you can see the completed latticework around the deck as well as the new landscape timber planter beds. The latticework encloses the deck area while still allowing good air flow. I plan to install finishing pieces later to cover the edges near the posts. The planter beds will need filled and then planted but the most tedious work is done: the building. I used an electric miter saw to make the cuts and deck screws to hold them together. The timbers aren't staked into the ground but their weight is enough to hold them in place. I tried to make the screws as inconspicuous as possible by placing them on the insides of the beds. In the top right picture you can see the drainage tube from the water downspout. I'm considering turning that into a dry creek bed that will direct water into the birdbath garden.


In the pictures below you can see how it looks from a short distance away. The landscape timbers need 2-3 more additional timbers and they will be complete, I just ran out of them! In the bottom two pictures you can see the types of cuts I made. The bottom left picture used two 22.5 degree cuts to make an angles edge on the corner. Against the deck and the latticework I put the back of the landscape timber planter bed. It should protect the latticework from the soil that will be put inside the bed to make the deck garden. There's another new garden name!



Here in this picture you can see the opening underneath the deck that I left intentionally. I wanted a way to get underneath the deck should the need arise. Gail asked me the other day in my post about the pyracantha cuttings where I would plant one. The answer is halfway in between the deck and the crawl space access door. There's a viburnum near that spot right now that I plan on moving this fall toward the deck and a little more forward. To the right of the timbers will be a gravel pathway to the crawl space access door.



Here's the view from the backyard toward the house. To the right is the birdbath garden and up ahead you can see the patio that was still a mess when I took the picture. Since the picture was taken the patio has been cleaned off and the Japanese maple garden has been planted with some of it's new residents.

Now I need to consider what to plant in the new beds! Of course I have to fill them the good soil first. Do you have any suggestions for what to plant in The Deck Garden? It's a full sun location most of the year.

A Step to Bridge the Gap

The first major task I tackled this week with our patio project was this step landing. It was a problem that had to be fixed. When we had our home inspected before we purchased it the inspector noticed that the deck needed one more step to fit codes. That wasn't the only problem here, the stairs led right out to the septic drain access pipe. It was a bad spot for the builder to put it. Here's the solution I came up with: cover it all with a removable landing!

I built this 100% removable landing step to bridge the gap between our patio and the deck. The step covers the drain pipe but can be removed by two people easily and one person if needed. I used 2"x6" pressure treated lumber to make a 46"x48" box. I put another 2"x6" board to serve as a brace to attach the tread boards and to give extra support. Then I attached 8" stilts made from a 4"x4" to each corner. Once I put it in place I screwed in the 1.25"x6" tread boards to the frame.


I have one more board to place but I have to cut it lengthwise to about 2.5 inches wide. I'll have to borrow my dad's table saw to do it but that should be easily accomplished this week. You can see in the picture below a drain pipe on the left of the landing. It will funnel the downspout from the roof away from the deck and patio out into the yard and toward the bird bath garden.

Here's a closer look at the step.

A view from the front.

A view from the deck.

I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. It's removable for easy access and very stable. It can also double as a stage for my performance loving 3 year old daughter! What's not to like about that?

More Patio Progress

This past week I have been diligently and furiously working on the big patio project. Everyday through the past month there has been a little progress but never more than this week. Maybe it's just because I can see the project almost complete. Or maybe it's because I've worked myself to death while trying to bring this patio project to a close. (Obviously that's just a figure of speech or else I wouldn't be typing this!) Whatever the case is I'm very excited with how the patio is shaping up.

Here's the short list of the week's accomplishments.

1. Completed the patio to deck bridge/landing/step. I'm not sure what to officially call it and I do have one more piece to fit into it but the landing is safe, sound and usable as it stands right now.
   
2. Installed the latticework around the deck. Finally! That's only been on the to-do list for a year!
3. Installed a landscape timber raised bed around the deck. I still need to fill, mulch and plant the beds. Of course the planting is the fun part! Or maybe it's visiting the nursery to get the plants...hmm.
   
4. Filled in the semi-oval shaped garden bed on the western side of the patio.
   
5. I planted some things into the western oval-shaped garden bed. I officially dub thee The Japanese Maple Garden. (insert trumpet fanfare here!)

I'll go into greater detail about these projects (with pictures) this week so stay tuned!

Cobblestone Patio Project Update 4

The cobblestone patio is close to finished, very close, but not quite done yet. I had hoped to have the it done before my daughter's third birthday (this past Wednesday) but Fay had other plans. The rains delayed my work for several days both while it was raining and afterward since I had to wait for the sun to dry out the sand. We really needed the rain so I wasn't too disappointed.

Here's a look at where the patio was as of Monday morning. I've cleaned up the step landing and it is now nice and flat. The paving stones are all laid out and leveled except for the ones on the right side of the picture that will eventually be a pathway that turns out into the yard. I'm still not sure exactly how I want to complete that area right now. I'm leaning toward shortening it a little and converting it into a mulched walkway. On the right side of the patio (toward the backyard) I've put together a small landing for the grill that still needs finished. It has the paving stones but they haven't been set with the sand yet.

To the left of the grill I spaced one of the mugo pines I picked up off the discount racks a few weeks ago. I made sure there was plenty of space between the grill and the pine since the heat from the grill could potentially damage the pine. If you look closely you can see my newspaper sticking out from the mulch. It will get covered when I finish mulching the bed.



Here's the right side of the grill landing where I planted the other mugo pine. Behind the mugo pine you can see a glimpse at my small and measly herb garden. The big plan I had for my herb garden layout was never accomplished, there were just too many other things to do this year. Maybe next year. But this little crop of herbs has been good enough for our needs. We planted it with basil, oregano, lemon balm, and rosemary.




What's left to do you ask? Or maybe you didn't but I'll tell you anyway. I need to fill the corners with specially cut stones, finish sweeping sand into the cracks, mulch around the garden beds, and plant a Japanese maple in the raised bed. Then maybe we'll get to enjoy some spiced hot apple cider outside on the cobblestone patio on a cool autumn day.

Previous Patio Project Posts:

• The Beginning of My Patio Project
• Patio Project: Update 2
• Cobblestone Patio Project Progress Report (Update 3)

A Gardener's Garage Remodel

This month's Creative Ideas Project with Lowe's and Growing The Home Garden is all about organization!  By using a $100 gift card donated by Lowe's I've redone a part of my garage to make it more useful for our whole family - not just the gardener!  I think the main problem people have with organization is that they don't have placed to put things.  I know that is true with our family.  Just having a location for our stuff makes keeping organized a lot simpler.  This remodel has also created a place to store my gardening supplies which I really didn't have before.  The project is not completely finished yet but let's take a look at how it looks today!

The garage has always been a place of entry for our house.  We use it much more often than either the front or back doors and so its a natural fit for a bench to take off dirty shoes.  I suppose I'm the one with the most dirt and mud on his shoes on a regular basis. To help us here in the garage I built this bench.  I call it the one legged bench!  I'll bet you can't guess why...

...yep it only has one leg!  Creative name don't you think?  This bench is a built in bench screwed into the wall studs on all the important corners.  It rests on the one leg where there is no stud to screw into.  I should have removed the children's lawn chair before this picture so you could get a look at my leg.  As you can see I still have tools and stuff around the bench area since it isn't completely finished yet.  I want to paint the bench then put up several coat hooks just underneath the shelf.  Under the bench itself will go three plastic containers to put our infrequently used shoes in to keep bugs and spiders from making homes in our footwear.

Another garage organization issue we had was finding a place for our bikes.  The bikes were sitting in the way of everything we needed to reach.  The kids toy area and my garden shelves were essentially blockaded and as a consequence stuff just ended up finding homes on the wrong side of the blockade.  I hung the bikes from four hooks that were screwed into two 2x4 pieces of lumber.  The 2x4s were screwed into three studs each for plenty of support. 


Before the garage remodel there was a set of shelves in the location where the bikes are now hung.  The shelves were moved to my garden supply area where I keep my potting soil, perlite, fertilizers and other gardening essentials. I keep the soil in large plastic containers and mix my own potting soil as I need it.  Before the shelves it was a pile of boxes.  Now its a neat and organized soil supply area!

I still have some work to do on this project but that's what I was able to accomplish over the weekend!  Once I have the bench complete I'll post a more detailed post in its construction.

I hope your weekend was as productive as mine!

Cobblestone Patio Project Progress Report

Here's look at where I'm at with my cobblestone patio project. It's still not quite finished but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. It's been a couple weeks since my last update on the patio and my progress has been very intermittent. Last week I woke up on Wednesday morning nearly immobilized with a terrible back pain that eventually subsided but took days out of my project time. It felt like I pinched a nerve or had the worst back cramp you could possibly imagine. I've been able to get some quality work done this past week which is one reason why my posting and commenting on blogs (both this one and other garden bloggers) has been erratic.

Now that I have my excuses out of the way I'll give you a quick tour now of where the patio is and what still needs to be done!

When you come around the side of the house you will see and entry sidewalk. This part of the project will be finished next year as we add another length of it but for now a three foot length and a step down onto the main patio will greet the patio guests. I roughly (OK very roughly) laid out the paving stones in one possible arrangement before I set them in stone (pun alert!). To the right of the sidewalk will be a raised planting bed edged with stone. Into that bed I plan to place a Japanese maple and a few other plants to be determined later.


Here's a glimpse of the patio with the paving stones not quite set yet. I still need to work sand in between the cracks to stabilize them. I'll recover the edges of the patio with soil and hopefully plant a thyme around the edges of the patio. That will have to wait until I find the time and have the thyme!


Here you can see some areas that are set with sand in the cracks. The areas that are set are very solid.


In the center is where the planting bed will be and to the right will be the sidewalk that will extend to our garage door sidewalk. It's only one level now but next year we'll add a second tier.


I've got a few corners to finish up. I like the rounded edges since they make it seem a little less formal but they do require a little more finagling. I still have to carve the individual paving stones to fit the remaining gaps on the edges. Fortunately the stones aren't too difficult to size up but it will take a little time.


The patio is taking a little longer than I planned, but don't all projects? I should have it finished by the weekend if I take a few minutes each day to work on it. I can't wait for it to be complete!

Project Patio: Update 2

This week we've gotten some serious work done on the patio area but there is quite a lot still to do; isn't there always? Thursday I brought a truckload of sand to cover the gravel. The sand helps when setting the stones in place by creating a soft layer that is easily manipulated for leveling the stones.




Here is how it looks with 250+ paving stones put in place. They are made of concrete and shaped to look like rustic cobblestones. I need to set about 150-200 more paving stones to complete the patio. Some of those stones will need to be cut to fit the irregular shaped corners and curves. That'll be fun!



This was hard work but I had a lot of help from my brother-in-law Matt. Thanks!

Here's the beginning of the patio project.

The Beginning of My Patio Project

This past weekend I jumped headlong into the patio paving construction process. I mentioned this project in my August project post and here's how it all begins. My first step was laying out the edging stones to figure out the layout of the patio. Now you might ask "wouldn't it be better to draw a layout of the patio first?" You might be right but this worked pretty good for me. I laid the stones (which are about 12 inches long, six inches deep and four inches high) in the general shape I wanted the patio to be. Then I adjusted the patio in different ways until the edging stones fit with what we wanted. We probably changed its shape about 3 times, but all were minor changes.



Then on Friday my gardening partner (my almost three year old daughter) and I began excavating the grass from the area. The edging stones around the patio area helped to mark the turf area we needed to clear. My partner lasted about 30 minutes but it was the thought that counted, she just wanted to help!




This is where we are now. Saturday I unloaded a cubic yard and a half of limestone gravel. I had them mix crushed gravel and regular gravel together when they loaded it into the truck. The crushed gravel will pack down better and makes it easier to lay the paving stones. The gravel allows water to drain through the stones. While the gravel is spread it still needs to be evened out and the edging stones need to be leveled. I'll do that gradually over the course of the week. After those steps I'll pick up a load of sand and cover the gravel then set the paving stones. It's good to finally see some progress on one of our major projects!

Stay tuned for future updates!

My August Project List

August isn't a great month for planting plants here in Tennessee but it is a good time to get other projects done. That is if you can stand the heat! I have several things that I would like to get finished before the beginning of fall and I thought I would write a list to help keep myself organized.

Here's what I have planned:

Project 1
Finally install the latticework around the base of our deck. The deck looks very unfinished and plain right now. Once I get the latticework installed it should close off the underside of the deck effectively.

Project 2
Install the raised bed landscape timber planters. After completely the latticework I want to build one level of a raised bed around the deck and part of the house. It's not a hard project but it will take a little time.

Project 3
Build the patio. This project has been on my radar for quite some time. Thanks to Uncle Sam and his economic stimulus check writing abilities we have the funds available to install one. We chose to use paver stones with a retaining wall edge. I think it will come together very nice in the end but it will mean a good deal of work until then. It's a project with many parts:

1. Layout the edging stones to get an idea of what the shape of the patio will be. Done
2. Clear the area of weeds and grass. In progress
3. Level the patio area.
4. Dig the edging trench.
   
5. Spread gravel in the edger trench.
6. Install the edging stones.
   
7. Lay down landscape fabric. (One of the only places I would use it!)
8. Spread gravel.
9. Spread sand over the gravel.
10. Lay the paving stones down.
11. Work sand in between the paving stone cracks.
12. Enjoy my hard work!

Project 4
I hope to build an arbor out of the old patio wood I acquired last fall.

Project 5
Build a perennial seed starting bed from the patio wood I mentioned in Project 4.

It's kind of intimidating to list my projects out like that but I've worked on sand and gravel based patios a couple times before and I know what is involved. I listed them with numbers but they aren't prioritized. I'll do what I can do when I can do them! There is no rush on Projects 4 and 5 I just listed them to keep them in my mind!.

Converting a Cabinet for a Garden and Garage Workspace

Recently my mom had her bathroom remodeled. In the process she replaced on of her bathroom vanities and I thought that it might make a good workstation for my many DIY and Garden projects. I'm very pleased with the result which now will provide a clean solid work top, cabinet space, a pegboard area for tools, and best of all it is mobile! I purchased my materials for this cabinet renovation at Lowe's in association with the Creative Ideas program.

Materials

• Outdoor Paint (can be adjusted to match any color you wish)
• Cabbot Premium Wood Stain and Sealer
• Screws and Washers
• Wood Glue
• 1 - 8 ft. piece of quarter round trim
• Plywood cut to one 24" x 35"
• 3 - 8 ft. 2"x4"s
• 4 caster wheels (two locking)
• Finish nails
• Epoxy
• Powerstrip (optional)

You will also need several tools for this project. I used a miter saw, skill saw, drill, screw drivers, sander, paint brushes and rollers.

I began by working on the countertop. I cut it slightly longer than the cabinet length which came to around 25 inches and cut the width to 24 inches. This allowed for some overhang and a larger work surface area. Once the countertop was cut I sanded it down thoroughly and attached the quarter round pieces to three of the sides. I used finish nails with predrilled holes and wood glue to attach the quarter round. When the quarter round was cut I made sure to match the angles of each corner for a tight fit.

When the glue dried on the quarter round sections I filled in the gaps with more wood glue and allowed it to dry. I wanted to reduce as many possible holes and gaps in the surface top as possible. Then I stained the top with a dark stain. You can choose from several different colors of stain but I liked the dark counter tops which will be matched up with a rich tan/light brown color for the cabinet paint. While that was drying I worked on the cabinet.

The cabinet needed sanded down thoroughly to remove any finish coat that was there previously. I also added 2x4 pieces to make a base for the cabinet wheels. I cut one piece to cover each side of the inside of the cabinet bottom. I put the length sides on first then the width sides attached to them. Then I used the screws and washers to attach the wheels to the bottom of the cabinet. Once it was mobile I began painting. I covered all surfaces with the outdoor paint inside and out. Since this is a garage project I wanted all surfaces to be water resistant.

While the paint is out paint both sides of the pegboard. It needs cut before you paint it to the length of cabinet and about 4 feet tall. My sheet came in 4'x4' pieces so I only needed to make one cut with my skill saw. I also cut two more of the 2'x4' pieces to 5' in length and brought them over to paint. The 2'x4' pieces are the frame for holding up the pegboard.



Time to go back to the countertop! When it was all dried - which I allowed at least one night for - I prepped it for an epoxy covering. I mixed the epoxy as the instructions instructed and applied it. It took a couple pours to get a complete covering. I've never worked with epoxy before and while I am pleased overall with the result I had trouble with getting an even coverage on the quarter round edges. I left it overnight to finish hardening.

Next I attached all the remaining pieces together. The pegboard went directly on the back of the cabinet which I held on with clamps until I had the bottom screwed into the cabinet. Then the 2"x4" supports which screwed in to the cabinet and the pegboard. Last I put the cabinet counter on top of the cabinet.

I even added a powerstrip to the side for convenient power access. The result is a weather resistant cabinet with a smooth (bar-like) counter top. The smooth top will make it easy to clean up after planting plants and will also be a great place for a variety of projects!