3/28/10 other stuff

So on DIY today i saw a retaining wall and it made me start planning out the retaining wall i want to put in this summer. If you are entering our driveway there is a small retaining wall followed by these ugly steps then grass. Well i want to extend the retaining wall to the other side and rebuild the steps while im at it. If i rebuild the steps i should continue and redo the walkway, its cracked concrete. So the sloped yard that is there where i want to place the drive way will need a retaining wall, it will be about 4 - 5 feet tall and need drainage, that will be tough, if i run a perforated pipe down the wall and terminate it into the driveway, where it would be easiest but i am afraid that if i get alot of rain and the water runs down the driveway into the street, then when it gets cold and freezes i run the risk of a slippery driveway. or i can go the other way into a dry well, that would not be too hard, just how much will it cost and what permits do i need. I am on a busy road so its not like i can just do it and hope nobody notices. The added driveway i am going to make out of reclaimed chip from the road, just do it on a hot day and roll it out with a rented roller. You can usually get it to set up as well as the old driveway, then i will seal it after it has set up for a few weeks.

Some other flowers i like:

Ballon Flower - Astra Double blue
Bleeding Heart - Specatabilis
Clematis - Bourbon
Clematis - Nelly Moser
Clematis - RoguchiShare
Columbine - Origami Pink & White
Dianthus - Sangria Splash
Foxglove - Camelot Rose


So on the top of the retaining wall i am going to install a privacy fence that will be used to keep out the road traffic, and because it will be on a wall it can be short, keeping it cheaper, It will come off the corner of the deck, and go down to the corner of the yard, and the bottom of the fence will follow the slope of the yard to the top of the fence is constant. I like that look better. And emily doesn't care. So that leaves the question to you guys. We will have a few feet between the wall and the fence, i know i am going to place my new flag pole there so you can see it from the road as long as i am avoiding the wires, should find the minimum distance. from the pole to wires. If i can get it to work the way i want it to i will have about 100 square feet of flower beds to fill in and i want something that is a perennial, that blooms all summer long, comes in many colors, and can accept full sun. In a quick search i found bleeding hearts, blooms may to sept. And my grandmother had then growing up and its one of the childhood memories from there. I still have to propose it to emily but bleeding hearts leave lots of room for annuals between them. Ill draw up some plans and scan them in and post them to the site so that i can show everyone.

3/13/10 where we are

So we are currently waiting on the underwriter to sign our paperwork. Our realtor is David, mortgage broker is John, our lawyer is Bethany, and our pest guy is Rob. I know that information is irrelevant but when we had the the pest inspection he found old termite tubes that had been treated, but because there is no paperwork on the treatment we had to re-treat it. Fun fun right? So Emily and I are sitting here with a list of things we want to go before we move in but we want to move i now! But I know before i do anything to take my time one thing at a time and to do it right. In the post to follow i will have before and after photos, of ever project and hand notes to try and make this easier for anyone else who may think about doing this.

Some of the projects we want to do is:

- Expand / re-model the bathroom
- Re-carpet the house
- Add a closet in one of the upstairs rooms to make it a master.
- Increase the parking so there is room for family and friends to park.
- Gut the basement
- Move the washer and dryer.
- Update the plumbing and electrical
- Replace the old horse hair
- Re insulate the outside walls
- Put a fence
- Expand the deck
- Build a shed/ chicken coop.
- And who knows what else.

But for now its just waiting on the bank and everyone else.

Wish me luck!