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Monday, June 25, 2012

Renovations to grow in place.


Just last week, men and machines were roaming the front and back yard. In a couple of weeks, fences were mended, grass and bushes cut down, boxes built and filled with new soil and compost, gravel compacted, cement poured and formed, beds cleared and bushes removed,  and now new pots grace the front door and the stream appears to move gently away from the house,
I can follow the stream from under the front door foot- bridge to the driveway, to the street side of the front yard. 


Some things were incorporated to be easily accessible should the need occur for us to be in a wheelchair:

1. The new concrete pad allows us to park, and wheel right into the house with no problems.
2. At one end of that front dry pond, (in the second picture), I can now step easily into the area and turn on the water faucet, or do some cultivating.
3. We opened up a side area so we have a T-a way to back out from the garage easily.
4. We removed trees and stumps to give us more light,  better security, and more ease in parking.
5. The front yard will include benches and arbors, so we can entertain seamlessly from front to back to the lake.

The project is half/way done, but progress is being made.
Our weather is cooperating.
Our machines are all repaired and working well.

I'm just hoping that new arbors, benches and pots will sit across the front door before my relatives begin arriving in July, and that new gravel will be poured and compacted from the cement pad all the way to the street and to the lake. Right now, we're all parking here and there and walking gingerly through the back door to reach our house.


Lighting and irrigation are all in place. Everything else should come together soon.

The good news is what has been accomplished so far is most pleasing!

37 comments:

dianefaith said...

I can't wait to see the final pictures -- and a video would be nice, too!

potsoc said...

So, the wilderness is becoming more urbanized, I see. Now let anything come, you will be prepared.

Terra said...

You are already enjoying the progress made, and I like your view of water. I look forward to seeing more photos in future.

Diane said...

It is great to hear that you are happy with your renovations. Nothing worse than having a job done then wishing you had done something different!! Diane

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

You seem to have all eventualities covered - well done!

Helen said...

Wise woman ... you have a plan for aging in place! I will have to consider that at some point ... 27 stairs total in my three level townhome! Ugh!

Maggie May said...

That is really looking good. Well worth the disturbance.
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Brian Miller said...

nice...i like what i see so far and glad the weather is cooperating so you can make some progress...sounds like some sensible improvements as well...

yaya said...

It's looking really good! I'm glad all the forces are coming together..weather, machines and man. Don't you just love how HGTV makes every project seem like it only takes 1 or 2 days? No fuss, no muss and they always finish on time..not reality! I'll look forward to more pics!

Rob-bear said...

It is wonderful when a plan comes together. And the two of you have made an excellent plan.

Way to go!

Sally Wessely said...

The front of the house is looking really nice. That is quite a project you are working on. Don't you just love it when everything comes together?

ds said...

Looks lovely so far. May you have a summer's worth of cooperative weather, for building and for entertaining!

quilterliz said...

G'day Rosaria. That all looks just fabulous.I love the blue pots. Look forward to seeing it all finished. Take care. Liz...

That gentleman's lady said...

Lots of work being done! It will look beautiful. It already does :)

the walking man said...

If the crew works as well as the machines do then progress should now be moving exponentially. The boss man does not get paid by the hour but by the job, the sooner yours is done the sooner he get;s to the next one.

I could probably hang out there for a day or to picking lint or contemplating picking lint. Looks like a fine landscape you and your husband are managing.

Lisa said...

Hello Rosaria, what a nice project going on. Sounds so exciting. Looking forward to follow on the progress, though July is very close.

ellen abbott said...

good planning and it all looks good. I'm not much of a future planner beyond a few days.

rjerdee said...

how wonderful!!! it's been so much fun to follow your processes, weather and all...thanks for including us.

company fron italy? how absolutely thrilling!!! july is soon arriving...best of luck on finishing!!!

Unknown said...

I admire you for taking on such a major project! And visitors from Italy? You must be excited.

Hilary said...

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished work. That's quite an undertaking but it sounds like it will be well worth the time and effort. And that's some very wise planning on your part.

Suz said...

oh good for you..this will be so nice.....I like what I see too

Vagabonde said...

The front of your house looks very elegant – this is certainly a worthwhile project.

musicwithinyou said...

Oh it looks devine!! I really need to give my place a makeover but lately I just walk past it and do nothing.

great plans you have , I'm so excited for you!!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Rosaria .. so pleased all your plans are coming together - long may it last and all be ready for the arrival of your relatives. It looks so great - with wonderful views you have .. thoughtful planning ahead too .. cheers Hilary

Lyn said...

Rosaria - the place looks great. It will be like getting a whole new space. I love the way you have integrated the natural surroundings and the pots at the front look inviting. You are building yourself a wonderful retreat.

NitWit1 said...

You have done a great job with apparently large area. It looks and sounds wonderful.

We have done a much smaller job with our property in our front yard with two purposes; eliminate most mowing and weeding, esthetic look from street, and easier access. We are still plotting other improvements which this year is inside.

Our climate is so fickle we cannot count on much outdoors enjoyment. We did add a canopy over the deck which added shade. It has a HUGE fan, too as it was 108 deg or higher Monday. That is unusual and yesterday was 94.

We mainly used garden paper to prevent weed growth and lots of mulch, rock and block paths.

Cheryl Cato said...

Beautiful work. The front door/entrance is lovely. Lots of great work going on there. I didn't realize you had a lake so near to you.

Tom said...

What's the difference between jealousy and envy? Am I jealous of your beautiful new grounds, or do I envy your wonderful new design?

Either way, some great work. Maybe it will inspire me to go out and improve my raggy old lot a little bit!

Grandmother Mary said...

Aging in place and making the changes that allow that - Good for you! I can relate to that.

Helga said...

The entry looks beautiful. I love the flower pots, especially the blue ones. Those blue (s)pots will surely enliven and bring cheer to the grayest of rainy days to come. Great job!

dianefaith said...

Thinking of you at your cool house today while it's over 100 degrees outside here. I'd forgotten that the difference between 93 and 103 is a huge one!

Linda Myers said...

This is such a sensible project. It's good to see it's attractive, too.

Rosaria Williams said...

Thanks, everyone for your visit and comments.
It's a cool 59F here in Port Orford, with overcast skies until noon when the sunshine is expected to bright up the place.
My backyard is planted.
My front yard is almost finished.
Everything will be on a drip system with automatic watering. We can leave for a vacation of days or months, and the lights will come on and the water will flow, and everything planted in the front is "deer proof"!
My neighbors are amazed at the transformation and so are we. It all looks the way we anticipated.

Last night, after our walk, Hubby and I sat in the front "piazza" chatting with neighbors. They are all our age or older, and they stopped gardening long ago, letting the vines and the seedlings take over.

I told everyone that I plan on living and gardening for a long, long time.
In my next post, more pictures and more ideas of how to grow old in place.

JeannetteLS said...

Just popped in and wanted to say I can't wait to see the planters in that entry in, oh, say, a month. It's already beautiful

Amanda Summer said...

what a gorgeous - and ambitious - project. i hope all is going well and on schedule to be completed on time before your guests arrive.

erin said...

i'm am quite certain, 100% even, that it won't matter a dot what gravel is where when your guests arrive. there will be about a 30 second pivot during which everyone will cease to see the surroundings and instead fall into one another, past, present and future - family, as it should be.

but the work is thoughtful and forward looking and i am sure, incredibly rewarding in all kinds of ways.

love to you and yours, rosaria
xo
erin

RNSANE said...

What smart thinking and planning ahead and it looks like it will be most lovely, Rosaria! I don't think you've left out a thing!