Patrin Homework

Filling In [November 19, 2006]

[...] See the full Filling In entry

Done .... [May 17, 2006]

... all but a few tiny details. [...] See the full Done .... entry

In The Ground [May 16, 2006]

Looking good. All the plants are in the ground. The irregation is in place. It looks just fantastic. Tonight as Rosendo left, our book group arrived to admire the (almost) finished profuct. It's just beautiful to be sitting in our new yard finally. [...] See the full In The Ground entry

Laid Out [May 15, 2006]

All the plants are in position ready to be planted. Tomorrow they go in the ground! [...] See the full Laid Out entry

Laying out the plants [May 15, 2006]

Patti and Rosendo laying out the plants - Rosendo made the impossible painless! Desi inspects just some of the plants Patti and Rosendo managed to fit in the beds and containers. There were many more much to Martin's chagrin. How did they make them all fit? [...] See the full Laying out the plants entry

Almost There! [May 15, 2006]

We're tantalizingly close to competition now. You can see the plants waiting to be installed at the bottom of the frame; Patti has become an expert at Latin plant names. I managed to get the electric wired in (I only took one, little shock in the process) and that meant we could fill the fountain and get that running. We also got the low voltage lights installed and they look great. The furniture is finally out of the garage although it will go closer to the house once the planting is done. The weather is beautiful; by next weekend [...] See the full Almost There! entry

New Dirt [May 10, 2006]

The benches are now almost finished. The two gates are built and are in place. Some of the caps for the raised bed walls arer on. Today they also amended the soil in the beds - as our soil is 99% sand we had to import something better. [...] See the full New Dirt entry

Progress [May 8, 2006]

The cobbles are now complete; this weekend they brushed sand into the gaps, tamped down the whole yard again and then cleaned up. Today the built in, floating benches were well underway. Here you can see how the 'floating' benches are anchored into the wall (you can also see the subtle tools of the trade). This weekend marked a few milestones: the first time we got the car in the drive way in 2 months, the first time the dogs could go into the yard in two months, and we got are first plants in pots. These two citrus [...] See the full Progress entry

Cobbles: Getting There [May 5, 2006]

There's actually more work remaining on the cobbles than there looks in this shot. Perhaps a day more until they can start on finishing work? [...] See the full Cobbles: Getting There entry

Cobbles: Slow Progress [May 2, 2006]

They're still laying cobbles and will be for many more days yet. Great job though, this far. [...] See the full Cobbles: Slow Progress entry

Laying the Cobbles (part 2) [April 26, 2006]

Hmm, turns out that complex string puzzle isn't perfect. The cobbles laid yesterday weren't straight and they had to be re-set. [...] See the full Laying the Cobbles (part 2) entry

Laying the Cobbles (part 1) [April 25, 2006]

The work to lay the cobbles has begun. Don't ask me how that complex string pattern works. [...] See the full Laying the Cobbles (part 1) entry

Leveling and a Layer of Sand [April 24, 2006]

The earth was leveled and compacted and the covered with a few inches of builder's sand ready to start laying the cobbles. We may be able to open the garage door again soon! [...] See the full Leveling and a Layer of Sand entry

Dirt Removed [April 22, 2006]

The yard is now level and the excess dirt has been taken away. [...] See the full Dirt Removed entry

Raised Beds 2 [April 20, 2006]

They're starting to take the dirt and debris away. The main structure for the raised beds is now complete. You can also see most of the wall caps in place. [...] See the full Raised Beds 2 entry

Raised Beds 1 [April 17, 2006]

Patti and Mum can be seen inspecting progress. Even though the wood for the beds is pressure treated it is lined with plastic sheet to try to extend its life. [...] See the full Raised Beds 1 entry

Post set for raised beds [April 10, 2006]

The posts that will support the raised beds are now cemented into place. You can also see the conduit that I laid to carry both mains and low voltage electricity into the yard. [...] See the full Post set for raised beds entry

Wall Complete (almost) [April 8, 2006]

Here you can see the wall almost finished and a growing pile of dirt in the center of the yard as workers level the areas where the raised beds will be built. [...] See the full Wall Complete (almost) entry

Bought the Fountain [April 8, 2006]

Patti found this fountain last week after a lot of searching (she got a pretty good deal too). This weekend we went and picked it up. The store ran it so I could see it in action before packing it in our car. It now sits in pieces in our garage. We can't wait until we can install it in its new, permanent location. [...] See the full Bought the Fountain entry

Wall 3: Almost There [March 31, 2006]

The wall at its full height except for the top and bottom left corners in this picture. Before it is capped, concrete will be poured down the inside of the wall at the strategic places where the rebar current pokes out. This will give the wall added strength. [...] See the full Wall 3: Almost There entry

Wall 2 [March 30, 2006]

More blocks as the wall slowly rises. [...] See the full Wall 2 entry

Wall 1 [March 29, 2006]

The foundation of the new wall is now complete. The gate posts are in place and the new wall is well under way. Unfortunately, it has been one of the wettest Marches on record so progress has been slow due to all the rain. [...] See the full Wall 1 entry

Wall Foundation Former [March 23, 2006]

Today's picture shows the yard cleared of all the rubble and with the trench dug for the foundation of the new wall. You can see most of the rebar skeleton in place and the construction of the former underway prior to pouring the concrete. [...] See the full Wall Foundation Former entry

Demolition [March 14, 2006]

Today contractors made short work of demolishing the old yard. The old breeze block wall is gone, as are the trees and the concrete slab is broken up. There's no going back now! [...] See the full Demolition entry

The 'Before' picture [March 12, 2006]

After six years of living with a concrete slab and a couple of very overgrown but short trees for a backyard we've finally begun to build a new one. Work begins tomorrow so this is a last look at the old yard. If this is the 'before picture' I wonder how long it will be until I can post the 'after' one. The contractors say three weeks but that seems very optimistic to me. [...] See the full The 'Before' picture entry