Getting some things done!
 

We have finally hired someone to tear down an old storage shed and haul off most of the JUNK inside the shed. We had termites get into the floor, so it is falling through. Since there are holes in the flooring, we have gotten rats in there and it is just awful and time to get rid of it.

Normally, my hubby and I would do the work, but since he developed heart problems, he can't do it - so YAY! we get to hire someone to do it for us. Can't wait to get it out of the backyard!!! We are getting a small heavy duty vinyl shed to replace it.

Also, we are having a flagstone walkway installed in the front yard, and the same kind of walk way from our back door to the back gate. We have to walk in the same place to get from our front door to the cars. The grass gets beat down by end middle/end of summer and just looks awful. In the back, our two Yorkies keep a path beat down so we're just going to put the stone down so that there is not a path and we can walk to the gate without having to walk on the grass. We've been wanting to do this for some time and now we are getting it done. They will start on the shed and walk way tomorrow!

Whoo! Hoo!

Progress getting made!!
Happy for you and yes a little envious... wish it was me but glad it is you!!

I know, I've been envious of others too, for about 5 years now!!! LOL! That's how long we've been talking about doing this!

Gayle hurry and get some before pictures for us...and then of course we'll need after pictures. I love seeing how people change their landscaping and the inside/outside of their homes. I think, but not sure...I may give the doggies their baths. Was going to an auction, but didn't get moving around here soon enough.

OK, here's the before pix

1. Shed that is going away
2. Junk that is going away :D
3. Front yard where flagston will be (see the dry yellow grass, I've not been watering)
4. Back Yard where flagstone will be (see the doggie path)

Good for you! Just kick back and watch other people do the work!

OK, work in progress.

1. Grass removal - by HAND! :eek: Good thing it is only in the 70's.
2. Two tons of flagstone
3. Flagstone

More progress.........

1. demolition almost complete
2. ditto
3. supervisor :rolleyes: (hubby - that's diet mountain dew - not beer!)
4. flagstone in process

Wow, Gayle!! That looks really nice!!! Hurray for hired help!!! Your flagstone sidewalk looks really great!!! I'm jealous too!!!

I have a wonderful husband and he amazes me with what all he can do but when it comes to keeping things up around the house he sadly lacks!! I'm still waiting for a patio after 9 1/2 years. I gave him an ultimatium this year but I can see that it's not going to work. I'm looking to hire some men myself!!!!!

Gayle thank you so much for sharing your work in progress. Your flagstone walk is going to be beautiful. I wish I had something like that in our back area with the doggies. It would be beautiful back there.

My husband is like Diana's when it comes to getting things done around the house. He would help anyone he could, do anything he could...unless it's here.

You're lucky you're getting it all done so fast too. I'm soooo envious!!!

Hi Diana! My hubby is a carpenter by trade - so he can (or could) do almost anything in terms of building. He and I (with a little help from our friends) built an 800 sq ft addition on to the back of our house 6 years ago. It took us a year to complete. Like your hubby though, he was usually VERY slow to actually complete things around the house. He was motivated to build the addition which consisted of the den he had always wanted and my mom had moved in with us and our house was only about 1200 sq ft and had only one living area. He really wanted his "man den".

Now that he can't do much at all, it is very hard for him to let someone else do the work - but he did great today (as you can see in the picture).

Speaking of pictures, they did get finished, but it was too dark to take pix - I'll do that in the morning.

We had one little hitch though - they cut the cable when digging for the sidewalk in the back. Our internet, TV and telephone all come through the cable :( I called my handy dandy son-in-law who can do most ANYTHING and he came by to splice it together till the cable company comes tomorrow to fix it.

When I called the cable co, they said the first appointment was NEXT THURSDAY! I said, "Uh no, we have TV, internet, and phones by cable, I need it fixed NOW" She said she'd check with the supervisor and then came back and said that they'll be here tomorrow, but they can't tell us when. She said they'd call before they come. I said, "Hmmmm....how will you do that since the phone doesn't work???" I was calling on my cell - so I told her she could call that number. Some people!!! :mad:

Gayle, so glad you are able to get this done. It's looking really good. I got a chuckle out of the tiny path your dogs had made. It's like a yorkie size path.

Your hubby looks like a very kind man. Hope he is able to be with you for a very very long time.

Mine is able to do things around the house, but he's either too busy or would rather be relaxing and recharging, but he is good about seeing what needs to be done and hiring someone to do it. Since he's a builder, he has access to economical workers. Our home was needing water blasting and the porches repainted. I hadn't even particularily noticed, but he did, so he got someone over to do it. Our front door is sealed wood, with leaded glass and needs refinishing every 2 to 3 years. He commented the other day that he needs to get the door redone. I feel so blessed to have someone who will get things done.

He hasn't agreed to the bedroom addition that I want though. Must keep pressing him. And I still have carpet in the living room. The tile I wanted turned out to be way to expensive, so we are supposed to be looking at other sources, or perhaps doing it ourselves.

Your flagstone looks great!!!! I love the use of natural things like stone. Can't wait for more pics.

Thanks Marilyn! Since my hubby has been in construction in the past, we used to know people who would work at a good price - but since he's been retired, we don't know very many any more. We always used to do the work by ourselves though, to save money. Those times are over now - but it is good to kick back and watch everyone else work! :)

Here's some pix - I'll take a stab at before and after

1. Front yard before
2. Front yard in progress
3. Front yard now
4. Ditto

Back yard - yes Marilyn, the tiny "Yorkie path" was cute, wasn't it! Also, to the left of the rock path, you see a couple of rocks, that is where our down spout pours water off the roof and makes a hole in the grass. I need to get a rain water collection barrel, but in the meantime, now it will splash down on the flagstone.

1. Back yard before
2. Back yard now
3. ditto

A couple of months ago, we took out all our plants in the front bed and replaced it with colored rocks and then we had fun shopping for "desert" decor. Here's a few pix

1. Roadrunner (yes, that's a snake)
2. small bed (look for the snake on the rock)
3. Rock bed - full view
4. Sunface on the house

Gayle your rockways are beautiful!!! I really love the look! The rock bed looks great too. I don't think I've ever seen a rock bed before, I like the items you added to it. You have excellent taste.

Rock beds are pretty common here - even moreso in New Mexico. In fact, in many towns in New Mexico the entire front yard is a rock bed - it would take too much water to keep grass alive because they only get a few inches of rain per year. I think they are beautiful and I would love to have the whole front yard in rock - but it's pretty expensive. The rock for that bed you see in the pix was about $100 and it is only about 2 inches deep (maybe even less in places). So, I'll have to wait for my "whole yard" rock bed.

I just hate wasting water on keeping my thirsty St. Augustine lawn green - but you know what, my daughter's neighbor took out her grass and put her whole front yard in rock and the neighborhood association made her take it out and put the grass back. Such a waste of water!!! So, since I probably won't ever have a whole yard rock bed, I'll just keep chipping away by adding things that don't need to be watered like the rock bed and flagstone walkway.

My hubby and I had such a good time shopping for all those "critters" in the rock bed. We drove all over looking at metal art, finding just the right pieces for the bed. I don't think you can see it, but there is a large metal horned frog (horny toad, for those of you in the south) and then a small clay horny toad sitting on a rock. Horny toads are almost extinct and they used to be everywhere. I think it may be the pesticides and the fire ants that have killed them off.

That project turned out very nice!
Well done!

That looks fantastic!!

I wish you could bottle up and send me some of your motivation!!
Great job!!

No motivation - LOL! Just a little extra money so we could hire someone to do it for us! I feel very fortunate to be able to do it.

Thanks for the ideas. We tore out most of our flower beds a couple months ago. The timbers were rotten. The shrubs were outgrown and scraggly. When I can walk again, I think I'll make rock beds. I have a collection of little kid statues that I need to put back out. So, my rock beds will be like little playgrounds.

I have been looking for some chairs like the one your hubby is sitting in. I remember my g-mother having the glider/swing and a couple of those. Every summer she'd get us to come over and paint them.

Gayle, everything turned out so nice!! I'm sure that you're thrilled to have it all done! I love the items that you put in your rock bed too! Very nice!!!

The rock beds would be great for your collection of little kid statues! Just think how much water you will save not having to water shrubs and flowers!!! If you have trees around, you might want to get a leaf blower (if you don't already have one) to blow out the leaves that get into the rock beds in the fall. Of course, you can just rake them out too, and then rearrange the rocks!

Those are my husband's GRANDMOTHER'S CHAIRS in the picture!!! You have a great eye!!! His aunt gave them to us. He is sitting in the chair, the rocker is just barely visible to his left, and then you can see part of a double glider right behind him. We are going to have them sand blasted and repainted, they are rusty. We have a couple other chairs like that that we bought at the huge antique show in Warrenton/Round Top - which actually starts this Thursday (Sept 25) and goes through October 5.

Another Hurricane Ike silver lining - we have four less trees to rake leaves from!

Gayle, that's why we're not replacing what we tore out - to save on water, work, and the money to replace and maintain it. I'm on the crutches until December, so it'll be after the first of the year before I can "plant the rocks", but I'm already drawing upsome plans.

Hubby wants to use the thin metal edging instead of timbers. Do you think that'll look OK?

I think metal edging will be fabulous!!! I would really like that a lot. We just kept the timbers we had put in years ago for our plant bed. We had to do some reinforcing, but that was all. I would really love to have metal siding though, instead of the timbers.

You know there's no timetable in putting in a rock bed - don't have to beat the cold or heat as you do with shrubs, so when you are able to do it, is the perfect time. We took our shrubs out the spring of 07 and put down black plastic to cook/kill all the roots and left it down for a year (yeah, we kinda looked like the Clampets! HA). We didn't put in the rock bed till the spring of 08.

So, I guess you could say that I'm of the opinion that it can wait till the time is right!!! :)

Sorry about losing 4 trees - I love trees - but you are right, it is fewer leaves to rake!!! Have to look for those silver linings! :p

I love those chairs also. My hubby and son got me some about 4 years ago...at where else...Wal Mart. They aren't antique of course, but are so comfortable to sit in. They also got me a matching side table. Wish I had the glider. The chairs and glider remind me of the little old lady that lived next door when I was growing up...Mrs. Miller. She also gave me piano lessons.

I'll check WM online for the chairs!