| Author | Content |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
February 20, 2006
03:32 PM Post #2058724
| Plans on paper have finally turned into reality. We're going to act as our own General Contractor and do much of the work ourselves. I'll post photos as we go.
This weekend although bitterly cold was the one that Michael (DH) spent 2 days digging a very long trench and lay the pipe to carry the electrical. He and his trusty John Deere did a fine job! We took plenty of snaps to show the Inspectors how deep it really was so that we can backfill and gravel over.
I can't believe we're starting :)
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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gardenwife
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
February 20, 2006
04:29 PM Post #2058853
| Yay!!! And what a view! |
Howie
Newark, OH
(Zone 5a)
February 20, 2006
09:13 PM Post #2059433
| That's cool. Can't wait to see the progress. |
Happy_1
Fort Lauderdale, FL
(Zone 10b)
February 23, 2006
01:29 PM Post #2065945
| God Bless you for taking on this project. You must be very young!!
You should check in on MollyMc, she is doing the same thing...Started the middle of last December
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/574182/ Here's her link..
Hap |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
February 23, 2006
01:53 PM Post #2065982
| Hi Hap :) Aren't they doing a great job? I've been lurking watching their progress :)
I'm blessed with a very talented husband and we're both cheap :)
Dea
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Happy_1
Fort Lauderdale, FL
(Zone 10b)
February 23, 2006
02:28 PM Post #2066044
| Never cheap, my dear, FRUGEL... |
DaveNH
Hudson, NH
(Zone 5a)
February 24, 2006
12:48 AM Post #2067210
| Hi Dea,
Looks like a great project. Man..I wished I owned a backhoe..LOL. I built my own addition and don't envy the work you've got ahead of you, but it will all be worth it :).
Dave |
CountryGardens
Lewisville, MN
(Zone 4a)
February 25, 2006
02:54 PM Post #2070884
| I looked at the first pic before I read a post, I agree with Kimberly,
What a veiw!
I wish you the best with the project. If you need any advice, D-mail & I will try to help,
Bernie |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
February 25, 2006
04:33 PM Post #2071092
| Gravel for the driveway - fun story... The building we work out of was having the roof replaced - long flat top thing and they had to take off all the existing gravel of 15 years back that had been mixed with tar, etc. They brought in several large vaccum trucks - the sound was deafening in our office. Anyway, knowing we live in a County that makes you get a permit and pay to dump anything...Michael went out and asked the guys where they were going to dump these loads. They told him the spot which is half an hour away and it would cost them several hundred dollars...Of course, being the "frugal" builders we are, he says - Oh, I live 7 minutes away and it's free to dump!
Perfect mix of gravel and tar - when compressed it will be a superb driveway base - and cheap too, plus they did a great job of off-loading it in a nice tidy row. I told the whole office that day - well, there goes Michael - grovelling for gravel :)
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
February 25, 2006
04:37 PM Post #2071096
| Here are some of the boulders we've been excavating. Should make a nice rock garden or wall...one of these years ;)
Dea
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
February 25, 2006
04:46 PM Post #2071125
| We'll be getting some big lockable storage boxes here shortly for the equipment we're keeping down here. Construction theft is huge so we're sinking some deep poles rigged up to super heavy duty chains - we shall see.
Not that this will deter anyone, but it's required by law to have a No Trespassing sign, so I took a photo of some roses last summer and made a more pleasant looking sign ;)
Dea
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Shirley1md
Ellicott City, MD
(Zone 7a)
February 25, 2006
05:01 PM Post #2071168
| Congratulations on the beginning of the "BIG DIG"! I know your new home will be awesome! You have a gorgeous view of Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance! You're so right, those boulders will make a beautiful retaining wall or rock garden! Can you imagine if you went out to buy rocks that size??$$$!! Have you sold your current home yet or do you plan to keep it and rent it out? I'm looking forward to seeing the transformation & new creation step-by-step! |
gardenwife
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
February 26, 2006
12:35 AM Post #2072114
| It's so cool being able to follow along with you guys, Dea and Michael. We're so happy for you! |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 04, 2006
10:29 AM Post #2085838
| Here's one of the reasons we did the temporary driveway first. Frederick Cty has really strict building codes - if you disturb more than "x" number of square feet on the property, you must obtain a Major Grading Permit - uggghhh. That means silt fences around everything and the cost ris astronomical for the fencing and the permit. That's why Michael dug the trench for the electrical conduits first, so they could be filled in and then covered with the driveway. The County now says we don't have to include the driveway areas in the square footage, so we came in just under the numbers - go figure...we certainly did disturb the land - but they make the rules and we played within them ;)
Looks different, eh?
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 04, 2006
10:31 AM Post #2085845
| It curves around ...
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 04, 2006
10:37 AM Post #2085864
| then opens onto a larger area which will be in front of the garage. Michael's been snow plowing all our neighbor's long drives and such for years for nothing - he enjoys doing it and it's nice to be able to help folks. One of the neighbors owns a paving company and brought his crew over to help with the driveway at cost - that was great :)
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 04, 2006
10:42 AM Post #2085873
| When we bought the land 3 years ago from the farmer we loved the view. There's a 38 year building moratorium of any kind on the acreage between us and Sugarloaf Mountain; it's all Farmland preserved :)
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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gardenwife
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
March 04, 2006
10:46 AM Post #2085882
| Wow, it looks like...Civilization!! How exciting! It's great your neighbor did that driveway work for you like that. Neighbors helping neighbors, you can't beat it. Did you know we have a Sugarloaf here? It's in Granville: http://www.denison.edu/honors/sugarloaf/ I think Howie and I need to walk that baby this week! |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 04, 2006
10:55 AM Post #2085900
| Sounds like a great place!
Now that the driveway's in place, I can better "see" the house ;) Still on paper, but foundation pouring is only a month or so away :)
Dea
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 04, 2006
11:46 AM Post #2086000
| Being cheap - uh frugal ;) here's where Michael has been since 7 am:
http://www.peakauction.com/2006/BaltimoreSpring/howard.htm
It's an incredible auction and he just got the Trex decking for 0.45 a foot. The line just to get a bidding number was an hour long, but definately worth it. Happens just once a year...I reminded him not to be scratching his nose too much ;)
Dea
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gardenwife
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
March 04, 2006
12:44 PM Post #2086117
| Score!! |
DaveNH
Hudson, NH
(Zone 5a)
March 04, 2006
01:03 PM Post #2086156
| Dea,
Nice Grab!! Its good that you guys were in the right place at the right time :). $0.45 per foot is awesome.
Dave |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 04, 2006
01:27 PM Post #2086197
| Thanks all, he just called and is heading over to the barn to find out when the bidding will start on the hardwood flooring. Good thing he hooked up the trailer :) Our basement will be overflowing!
Dea
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gardenwife
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
March 04, 2006
01:40 PM Post #2086225
| Woo! Yes, thank goodness your basement is not all full of junk like ours is. LOL |
vic
Rutherfordton, NC
(Zone 7a)
March 09, 2006
03:03 PM Post #2099153
| GREAT progress Dea! Fun to watch :-) |
levilyla
Baltimore, MD
(Zone 7a)
March 26, 2006
12:28 PM Post #2140391
| Dea..Are they the Cotoctin Mountains in the background? Beautiful site. |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 26, 2006
02:44 PM Post #2140578
| Hy levilyla! No, that's Sugarloaf Mountain - what they call a monadnock mountain range - very out of place in an otherwise non mountainous area. Has just resisted erosion :)
We've been planting trees the past few weeks...or shall I say the lazy way and placing trees and then piling the dirt around them :)
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 26, 2006
02:45 PM Post #2140579
| And now covered !
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
March 26, 2006
02:51 PM Post #2140585
| A few more around the curve, but won't block the view. There are some older heavily damaged trees that we have to take down.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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levilyla
Baltimore, MD
(Zone 7a)
March 26, 2006
03:07 PM Post #2140610
| Very exciting...such a fabulous view. |
gardenwife
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
March 26, 2006
11:34 PM Post #2141582
| I never would have thought of just mounding soil around balled trees. That's a great idea for building a bed. |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
June 11, 2006
03:00 PM Post #2378521
| Been awhile - the argument with the County has come to an end - a happy one I might add :) 8 weeks of delay to pouring the foundation, but we are patient - plus, we had no choice since they issue the permits ;)
In the meantime, we've been busy getting the "bones" of the gardens ready. Over the last 6 years, the tree-less lot we now live on has become a holding tank for trees as we are able to get them wholesale. Our composting and care was a little too good...these have been back breakers and tractor breakers to move. I'm very happy we never really planted them but just nursed them in huge compost piles where they happily grew - boy did they grow ! We had to rent a much bigger bulldozer with bucket rather than blade to carefully scoop the trees for the trip to the lot. If I get a chance I'll post some photos of the "move" :)
Here's one of the stretches of bones:
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
June 11, 2006
03:22 PM Post #2378579
| These trees still all have their little blue wrappies on them from the nursery we got them from last year - yea, I know, we gotta cut them off :) This eventually will become the two long perennial beds to the entrance once we begin digging up all our gardens this August.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Howie
Newark, OH
(Zone 5a)
June 11, 2006
07:08 PM Post #2379263
| Hey great news that you have the go ahead to move forward. Can't wait to see the progress. |
gardenwife
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
June 11, 2006
08:38 PM Post #2379573
| I'm SO excited for you guys! So, do you get to have your tippy-top on the house? |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
June 12, 2006
05:30 AM Post #2380699
| Yup :)
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darius
So.Appalachian Mtns, VA
(Zone 5b)
June 17, 2006
12:47 PM Post #2400926
| Great! I can't wait to the time I can plant some trees! (Fruit trees in the yard. We have 16 or 17 acres of trees above the house!) |
