Side note: Lev just realized that I am not coming back to his room, and has commenced screaming his head off. I feel bad, but it's naptime. Sorry, Bruiser.
For some time now, I've felt that our backyard did not match the pleasantness of the rest of the house, especially since we've been redoing the downstairs. I might have called our backyeard ulgy and/or hideous. And for a longer time, I've wanted to have a patio/in-ground fire pit. And since real estate is recovering here in Cary, and we'd like to sell someday, and since the weather is nice, and Lev can sit by himself now (Freedom!!!), I can spend a couple hours every day outside, working toward my goal.
So a couple times a week, I roll L's pack and play onto the deck, stick him in with his chatty phone and those wretched plastic rings he loves so much and I hate, and I set to work. I need to take out a strange looking bush and a small pine tree, clear the area, level it, dig the pit, line it with rock, and find someway to build a patio on the cheap. Easy right? whatever. It's going to take all year. And thats ok. Alex thinks I'm nuts, but wished me luck anyways and went to work.
In two days, I've taken out the pine tree, cleared most the area, and considered my options as to how to take out the bush. I've decided to just dig it out, and toss it into the old garden area turned massive compost pile (another story).
And the leaves. SO MANY LEAVES. When I lived in California and fall came, and the leaves fell from the trees I thought it was a lot. But looking back, there were only about a 1/3 of the trees there that we have here in NC. We have at least 20 hardwood trees lining the edge of our property and lots of wind to boot. And 4 years worth of leaves from those trees and the wind. Trust me, it's a lot. But they rake up quickly, and they are easy to drag over to the bin.
Sometime next week I should be ready to level. I'm looking forward to this becuase it means I get to use my otherwise useless archaeology/anthropology degree. I'm decent at precision leveling and digging. But my issue is that the area is very unlevel. So my options are: 1) dig down on the back of area and shore up with salvaged lumber, or 2) build up with fill on the front side. I dont like option number 2 becuase I dont have fill dirt, and fill dirt settles and erodes over time, meaning I would have to redo the entire thing in a few years or before we move if we decide to sell our house. Not happening.
So I think I am going with number 1. I need Alex to do some fancy pants math for me, and I'll be ready.
Where is Alex in all of this? At work. When's not working and has free time he is studying for another cisco certification. Pray for his endeavors. They might get us a couple of years at the main office in NYC in the future. That would awesome. sort of.
I'll post some pictures of my progress soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment