Gate Project

This weekend we decided to build new gate doors for our backyard. There are two areas for gates and both were original to the house from 1984. They were at least as old as Joe! Instead of purchasing and installing a pre-built gate, Joe and Jake built the doors themselves out of Redwood 2x4's.

The old front gate (view from the sideyard)

Rear Gate which faces the alley (view from the backyard)

The Work Area

Hanging the door

We chose a redwood stain to accent the Redwood.

(below: taken by Jake)

The back of the gate was painted at night so there are no photographs of the first coat. We added the second coat on the second day, this is the final look (both taken from the backyard). If you view the door from the alley it looks the same except it has a handle, not a latch, and no beams for support.

The front gate process was the same as the back gate and it was done last. Here is what the gate looks like from the backyard.

We needed doors that were strong enough to withstand a Doberman impact. Both Max and Sadie rush to the front wall and peer over whenever they hear a noise. In case you were wondering, here is what you would see if you were looking at our house from the street.

And here is what we see....

Per the usual, Jake's dog Lilly was here to supervisor. In this photo, she has found a useful purpose for the discarded gate: Raft!

The Small Things

The smallest home improvement project Joe and I did was replacing the light switch covers with decorative ones. From top to bottom: Oak, for the loft. A deep Espresso for the Master, a warm maple for the green guest room and a faux stone for the Living/dining areas. The decorative covers are noticeable and look very nice. It is something that you usually don't notice in a home, but ours enhance each of our living areas. I still need to find a set for our guest room which has an Asian theme. I'm hoping to find bamboo ones some day. Sometimes the small things can make a big difference.

Off!

We have instituted a "no couch" rule which applies to the puppies since these photos were taken. Otis sheds and Max leaves dusty footprints so they are forbidden to get on the couch now. Here's to the memories....Max espicially misses the recliner, he had claimed it as his own.


Luckily for the pups, they are still allowed on the bed :)

Don't be sad baby Brady, you can alway sleep on our laps!

'Tis the Season

It's Christmas time! So, our tree has come up, the stockings have been hung, and we've even used our fireplace. Toasty! Random holiday decor is also sprinkled about the house. Our nativity scene is located under the mirror (you can see the top of it above the stair railing in the picture below). I just discovered that our nativity scene has a pump in the well of the manager, so it will pour real water. I don't know how I didn't notice this before, but I've been turning it on ever since!

What would our Christmas tree be without a few Pug ornaments. Now, we just need to get a doberman ornament so Max doesn't feel left out :)

Timber!

We were advised by our home inspector to remove the large tree that you see below. Something about alley rats using it to gain access to our roof (gross). So, the tree had to come down. Joe, Jake, ladder, rope and axes x2 got the job done.

After the tree came down it had to be chopped into smaller sections so we could store it until bulk trash day. And voila no more tree!

The Swamp

Unfortunately I do not have a photo that shows what the swamp in our front yard looked like before project began- but I think "swamp" conjurs up a good enough image.
We had a leak in our irrigation system that was causing a lot water to pool in our front yard. The moisture and the humidity caused a swamp to form. Joe and friends had to dig up the the swampy parts of the yard to locate the damaged pipe. We discovered that tree roots had literally grown around a pipe and cracked it. The only way to remove the roots was to also remove the pipe, so we replaced it.
You can tell by the photos that it was a very messy situation. But grass has almost completely been regrown over it, (see bottom picture) so we have finally bid adieu to our swamp. Many thanks to Pete who was stellar on this project, and of course Jake who has someone managed to get roped into all of our home improvement projects. Now I know that neighbors are good for more than just sugar!

After: The swamp was right underneath the tree-- you can reference the location by looking at where the tree is in other pictures.

And again, Lilly and Max were there to supervise.

The Weekend Warriors

Joe and friends have tackled a few weekend projects since we moved in. I'm updating them out of order, as the patio project was done the most recently. We attempted to seed our lawn w/ winter grass. Given what the yard looked like before, we actually did a pretty good job. But, there are still patches all around that have no grass, just soil. Since Arizona has clay soil, the dogs track in a lot of dust/dirt. So, Joe decided to place concrete pavers to extend our patio to cover the dusty portions and to expand the patio. I think it turned out very well, and thanks to Jake who was of great help through this project. You'll see photos of both him and Joe in all of our renovations. Also, thanks to Max and Lily who supervised!