Month: December 2014

Day 9: in the trenches

Karen B Leave a comment

On a half-decent day, I began working on one of the trenches that will flank the side of my yard. The plan is to create a dry river rock bed which should allow the water to flow naturally. This is an easy form of erosion control. I’m not changing the direction of the flow, just adding rocks underneath so precious soil will not be lost. I’m working with nature not against it.

Before I began to dig the trench, I used my trusty garden hose to map out the natural erosion line. I marked the edge of the hose with spray paint so I could easily create a natural, smooth edge as I go.

The digging of the trench is slow and I’m running into a lot of small roots. This is going to take longer than I had hoped. 🙂   I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

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Day 8: parting of the patio

Karen B Leave a comment

This was my final backyard project requiring a crew of strong, experienced men wielding jackhammers. The ask was simple. Remove existing concrete and replace with extra-thick slabs of flagstone.

The patio facelift turned out to be anything but easy. The homeowner before me covered the original 1964 patio with another layer of concrete. The removal was slow and extremely difficult. This “simple” project took 8 men, working in shifts for a total of six hours. When the project was completed, I was advised by Randy, he would have never bid so low, If he had known about the older concrete hidden underneath.

Randy honored his original bid. (thank you Randy)
I now have a wonderful space to work with.

Many thanks to Randy Johnson and his team.
Johnson’s Landscaping Services

Before photos:

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During photos:

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After Photos:

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