JUNE 2005
BEFORE (08-05-03) & AFTER (06-17-05) – click images to enlarge
Landscaping continues and the front patios are the main focus now. Can't have
that big party until the patios are ready. Still have the master bath shower and
door to finish, as well as a number of minor metal detailing.
06.12.05 – Spent the last weekend just cleaning up the yard—pulling weeds,
spreading out more bark, adjusting plantings. Now we get to ad some "Design"
to the space. As per Gary Orr's landscape drawings (see drawing), we cut out a
curving line from one end to the other that mirrors the curve of the street. After
moving bark and roto-tilling, we put in redwood bender boards, shovel out the
excess dirt, and pour in the "salt-and-pepper" rock.
The curve isn't perfect, it's flat in spots. But only a picky designer like Don (and
Gary) will notice. And once the ground cover plantings fill in, it won't be as noticable.
We still have to do the other side too.
06.14.05 – Work begins on the front wall. Cedar posts are attached to pressure-
treated baseplates and Julian uses the Sawsall to shorten the anchor bolts.
Don Sr. screws structural sections of the wall frame together while Don Jr. takes
photos. No, really, Don Jr. was doing a lot of work, he just happens to be the only
one taking photos as well!
06.15.05 – Julian stains the wall frame a flat steel grey as Don Sr. connects a long
side wing wall at the far end of the large patio.
06.16.05 – After Don Jr. spends a couple long hours staining planks, they begin
to get mounted onto the wall frame. Don Sr. takes a break from construction to
install a few tiles on the long-neglected and unfinished master shower basin.
06.17.05 – After attaching about half of the wall planks to the frame with a 1/2 inch
gap between boards, Diana and Don Jr. decide that the gap was a mistake. We
decided that the gap made it look to "fency" and we had always pictured a "wall"
not a fence. So, we had to remove and raise each board up, which left a 4 inch gap
at the bottom.
The gap at the bottom doesn't look that bad, but the base plate and bolts show
a bit too much, so we'll either fill the gap with a grey 2x4 or some kind of metal
detail. Speaking of metal, it was unintentional, but the vertical support posts really
ended up looking like primered grey steel, which is great! A real nice contrast.
A side view of the patios at dusk. The upper "window" area of the screen walls
will be filled with some sort of acrylic panel or fabric. We haven't decided how
transparent or opaque it will be or the color. We're still investigating potential
materials.
Another one of those totally transformational details. The concrete patios and
wall footings were poured 10 months ago and we've lived here for over 9
months. We've looked forward to getting these walls done for so long. It's
certainly one of those design elements that make the neighbors stop and go,
"Oh! Now I see..." We got a lot of comments this week from folks walking past,
and thumbs up from people driving by. It feels might good!
06.19.05 – We finally get the galvanized metal trim strips in place over the door
frames in the kitchen and master bath — another nice finishing detail.
06.22.05 – Don and Julian begin painting the long-neglected fence panels. The far
left section with the metal strip on top is the stuccoed wall, but the center and left
sections are newly painted. Pretty good color match, eh?
06.28.05 – After more than a whole day of tilling, moving, raking and sifting dirt to
create a clean, level 20-foot round area, we are now the proud owners of a new
pool! Inflatable pools have come a long way... this one has a filter system, ladder,
and a vacuum hose attachment.
Also visit Don's portfolio site: www.designbutton.com
