Raisin’ the Roof
We wavered on and off for a couple of months about whether or not to have the roof reshingled. We finally decided to go for it and hired the local guy for a reasonable price. The roof was in really bad shape, so I’m glad we’re having it done. One of the gutters was falling off (rotten fascia board). There were four layers of shingles, one from 1915 (some shingles still have the paper label on the bottom). We’re not sure, but it could be the first roof ever for the house! (Or perhaps it was the second. It would help to know what year the house was built.) But that means all those shingles are really, really old. And grungy. Oh, and stinky too. It’s gross.
Our yard is a mess. I can hardly wait for this to be over… The new shingles and chimney will look awesome!
In other Insane News, we had two privacy screens built. One is on the side yard by the hammock so we don’t have to look at our neighbour’s vehicles while relaxing. See those jasmine vines? I planted them and they’ve already started climbing the trellis.
The other trellis is at the back of the property to block the little bit of traffic we can see and hear. This one is crazy. It’s 10 feet high and I think almost 30 feet long. Ty and I painted it black since it will take a while for the vines to fill up all that space. We love the new screens. We thought it would be hilarious to hang up some canvas on the trellis and play an old movie in our backyard. We’d invite all the neighbours and serve popcorn and punch. We’ll see if that actually happens, but it’s a fun idea.
The shed is just on the left side of the photo. (The new backyard swing? It’s just over on the right on the screen. Weee!) I’m going to paint the shed soon, so I’ll post a better photo of it all soon. There’s 13 feet between the neighbour’s fence and our screen. Once the vines are grown in a bit, we’ll use that space for a compost and storage. I also have plans to make a Secret Garden back there. Oh gilly!
Filed under landscaping, roof, yard | Comments OffBefore and After
My goodness, I can hardly believe it has been two months since I last updated. We’ve done quite a bit around the yard, but it has definitely been winding down. Lots of smaller jobs here and there. We finished painting the front stairs, and it’s amazing at how much it tied the whole house together. It really made a big impact. As well, our tenant Rick built and painted a pergola outside the suite entrance. I knew it would be awesome, but I had no idea how much it would help straighten out the house. As you’ll see in the following photos, before the house looked crooked (it’s not just the wide angle). Something was just a little bit off. The pergola grounded and balanced the house.
I keep looking at the first set of before and after photos and I smile every time. The house looks amazing now! I know the difference between winter and summer makes everything look better, but still there is a lot of change to the house and the yard. We’re quite pleased, to say the least.
Below you’ll find a series of “before and after” photos. Enjoy!
Filed under gardening, landscaping, yard | Comments (3)