Category: Outdoor Spaces

Roof in the Rough

Published on by Our Humble Abode10 Comments

Ben and Handy Sammy started one of the biggest projects we’ll have to do to this house.  Re-roofing the entire house and pool room.  Not only is it a hot job, it’s rough.  They started with the hardest part, the pool room.  Eight sky lights to work around and a system of solar panels (the crazy blue thing on top of the roof) to tear off.

Before and of the tear off could start, we had to get a 30 yard dumpster up the driveway, which sounds easier than it was.  You see, our driveway winds up, and getting a large truck up there wasn’t especially easy.

Careful maneuvering made it possible.  So now we’ve got this to come home to.

Having it close to the house is a must because we have no other way to get the shakes off the roof.  An empty dumpster meant Ben could get started.  Leaking solar panels, see ya later.

For a little while, they lived in the dumpster.  Then Ben and Sam tore the pieces apart to recycle.

Ready to go.

We knew the pool roof leaked before we made an offer on this house.  But the leaks damaged the plywood.  Ben had to replace a few sheets before doing anything else.

I guess the roof project isn’t all terrible.  Do you see the mountains over the roof line?  Not too shabby.  After planning his attack method, the boys got to work.

Sheets of tar paper under the shakes made removal quicker.  Ben pried up the pieces while Sam rolled it all up into a self-contained shingle burrito.

Time consuming, but they’re making progress.  Much more than I would, that’s for darn sure.  They’ve finished tear off and weather proofing the pool room.

Just the house left.  Oy, that’s still a lot.  And that’s why the bathroom is on the back burner.  Weatherman is predicting cooler temperatures through the end of the week.  I hope he’s right, because that would make this project all the more enjoyable.

Back Yard Beginnings

Published on by Our Humble Abode19 Comments

I realized you haven’t seen much of our back yard.

Once at the top of the driveway, there’s a hollowed out area for a future shop, a lame set of stairs, and retaining wall.

From the driveway, the hill climbs about four feet, extending to the patio.

At the edge of the patio is a two foot tall retaining wall with steep hill above.  Plans are coming along and we’re figuring out materials and prices, but we have a general idea of what we want to change here.

Over at the far end of the house, near the pool room is a set of stone stairs to no where.

Climb up those 18(!) stairs and there’s a small plateau area mainly used by deer.

That big rock at the top left of the picture above is nearly centered on the sliding door and fountain.  I’m standing right by that rock here:

In fact, our lot is so steep you can actually walk on the pool room roof from the back and it’s easy to see over the house from this plateau.

Solar panels from the 70’s are on the roof, but they’ll have to go because they’re causing the roof to leak into the pool.  So that whole blue angled thing will go once Ben starts the big roofing project.

We love the privacy and size of the lot, but it is a challenge, in many ways.  More research and planning and we can start working.  What are your favorite low water/low maintenance plants?  I’m looking for a mix of evergreens and flowering plants.  Everything needs to survive with minimal water because Montana summers are usually dry.  Hopefully you all can give some suggestions!

Dog Bed

Published on by Our Humble Abode34 Comments

Here’s a super quick, cheap, and easy dog bed.  All you need is a set of standard pillows and pillowcases.

Sewing machine optional, but it makes this quicker.  I promise, those of you afraid of a sewing machine can do it, one straight line is all it takes.  Just pin the pillowcases together along one edge.

I put my factory sewn edges together, but it’s up to you.  Then stitch a straight line 1/2 inch from the edge, all the way down the case.  Put a pillow in each case and you’ve got a dog bed.  I bought new pillowcases for ten bucks at Target and used old pillows we already had.  If you’re buying all new supplies it would cost around $20.  Not too shabby, especially because this is super easy to wash.  Here’s Miss Priss enjoying her comfortable new spot.

If you don’t have a dog, your kids might like this for slumber parties or lounging around.  Just after I stuffed the pillows in, both V and E flopped down, staking their claim.  I might have to make another…

What kind of dog bed do you have?

Demo-licious

Published on by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

Nice weather means Ben doesn’t want to stay in the house working on the bathroom.  What does the man do instead?  Tear stuff apart, of course.  Just after closing on the mountain house, Ben took his aggression out on the pool and bathroom.  This time, the hot tub bothered him, so it had to go.  Can someone explain why boys love demo and destruction so much?  Because V and E watched so intently.

Yes, the boys rocked 80’s wear; Zubaz and tie-dye.  So, he pulled it up, cut the water lines, hauled it to the deck, and proceeded to cut it apart, Dexter style.  But he didn’t throw the pieces in the ocean, just the dumpsters at his work.

After the tub was out, V wanted to get in the hole.  He and Ben assessed the situation.

This is what we have to work with.  Ben plans to fill the hole in with gravel until the floor is even.  If we want a hot tub, we’ll buy a stand alone spa to go here, on top of tile.

We don’t need seating with out the tub, so Ben tore it out, too.  So this:

Has become this:

Hurricane Ben made it outside, pulling out a stacked rock wall.

Now we’ve got several rock piles until we get a dumpster in here for the roof removal.

After a heavy rain last week washed dirt down to the patio, we decided landscaping has to happen soon.

I think we’ve figured out a rough plan, which will include excavating over a foot of dirt and rocks as well as carving out a small part of the back hillside.  We want to tame the hill out front, too.  First step, pulling out weed block and mulch.

Our weekend wasn’t filled with destruction.  Ben installed our new central vac and I tested it out yesterday.  More on that in the near future.

Until then, I’m wondering if you’re working on landscaping?  What is your biggest challenge?  I’m terrible at landscaping plans, and the steep hills only complicate things.

Over the Weekend

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Weekends are great.  Ben is home and we can get some house work done.  Nothing happened in the bathroom because we have a few other projects to deal with.  Currently, the mountain house has a geothermal system, but the compressor is broken.  Furthermore, the previous owner insisted on installing the unit in the garage.  We (and the installers) prefer it in the utility room (the rooms are back to back).  Last week a geothermal guy gave us a bid for a new unit and moving it in the utility room.

Where am I going with all this?  We ordered the unit and are waiting for it to get here.  In the interim, Ben had to pull out two old water heaters and install a new water heater to make space in the utility room for the geothermal.

Here are the two old water heaters.  The big guy in the back was used in conjunction with the solar panels to heat the pool water.  When we re-roof, Ben will pull out the non functioning solar panels, making the heater obsolete.  The littler one is a standard water heater, but we loved out tankless one at the other house.  Running out of hot water when you’re half way through your shower is never fun.

Ben installed a tankless Rheem heater from Home Depot (this one, if you’re wondering), which was part of our bathroom buying binge.  Once the new heater was running, Ben started the process of removing the other two tanks.  Disconnecting lines, emptying the tanks, and  shimmying the heavy things through the door and into the garage.  We’ve got so much more space in the utility room now.  And we’re ready for the new geothermal, just in time for AC season.

While Ben was working on mechanical problems, I was working on design problems.  Every last light fixture in this house is gaudy and overly traditional for our taste.  Like the large, you better duck or you’ll hit your head light fixture in the dining room:

Is no longer, though the glued in medallion still is.

I couldn’t take it any longer.  It had to go, even if we didn’t have a replacement light.  If you’re wondering, the folding table is what I’ve used for my sewing projects, like the striped curtains.

And a smaller, not quite as low but still low chandelier over the breakfast nook table:

We launched an attack on those fixtures over the weekend.  It all started when I found this at a thrift store for six bucks.

No, it’s not real copper.  Just steel painted a copper color.  I liked it, especially for the price.  So I bought it, thinking Ben would hate it and knowing our thrift store has a 7 day return policy.  Surprisingly, Ben actually liked the fixture.  Sure it’s a little beat up, a few scratches and dents, but for $6, I can work with it.

I did what most self-respecting DIYer would do.  Hauled out my spray paint.  Before I could start painting, I filled the socket with a paper towel to protect the inside.

While outside, between coats, I discovered a cute colony of hen and chick succulents.

Along with a few teeny tiny hostas.  Seriously, these are small.  The largest leaf is about 2 1/2 inches long.

Both the hostas and succulents are planted around this large rock.

For reference, the door in the background leads to the wet bar of the pool room.  Along the back edge of the patio, I found what I’m assuming to be Day Lilies, though they look more like grass clumps right now.  But there are old flower stems, so I’m hopeful we’ll have some color (and life!) back there soon.

You’ll have to wait to see the refinished light because I’m waiting for paint to dry and I’ve got nuts and bolts to buy.  I’m excited to add a modern/industrial touch to the house.

How was your weekend?  Did you do any landscaping?  Or spray painting?  Or changing of light fixtures?