backyard remodeling

so our backyard seemed to have taken forever to update. but we are so happy with the final products (minus the sod we still have to lay over on the left side).

 

we started out with this.... our deck was on its last leg, it was a breeding ground for wasp and hornets and just all over ugly. granted, this is a picture prior to us buying the house, so we did clean it up a little bit and our furniture made it look better.

our project began with just wanting to rip out the deck and put a patio in where the desk use to be. however, our backyard isn't as private as we would have liked so we decided to move the patio seating area to the other side of the house where the house blocks the view to the street. so then we began ripping out the cracked sidewalk. nothing gets your anger out like take a sledgehammer to cement... great workout option too. additionally we had to cut down a tree (again, like everything else, it was in bad shape)

then came the cleanout and getting rid of 12 TONS!!! of dirt... who knew this amount of dirt existed in 400 square feet. we had to dig out about 9" all around in order to make room for 6" of limestone, 1" of sand, and the 2 3/8" pavers.

then came the limestone - it was shot in from a truck with a boom, it was pretty cool to watch. the dogs were a little confused on this pile of stone ... plus the alley cats all seemed to think it was the local litter box, unfortunately.

we spread the limestone and tried our best to ensure it was level, and the water would run away from the house and garage. 

the patio really started to take shape. we were finally ready for our screed board, sand, and pavers. we laid our line level which ran from the existing sidewalk back towards the garage, this was our check to make sure we didn't have low/high areas. this is after day one of screeding and laying pavers.

day two.

 now all we had to get was a wet saw to cut the pavers to size for the empty areas. this was generally pretty easy... just make sure to measure twice, cut once.... 

 

the finished patio!!! then we had the pergola to complete (plans from Ana White, Knock Off Wood - PB Weatherby Pergola) had to modify the plans for the size our 4x4 posts had already made - we had placed them prior to finding the plans.

 so now that the patio and pergola are complete we are ecstatic with our work. however, i don't think you will find me doing this much work again. it was a great experience and gave me the knowledge of how it should be done, but next time i will hire someone (and know whether they are doing it correctly)

logistics - and a fresh start

my home (well really my zacks too) that I purchased in april 2011. this old beauty is found in newport, kentucky (right across the ohio river from cincinnati), in the east row neighborhood. built in 1889, my three story row home has a lot of quirks - questionable lighting (no switches to turn on some light fixtures), bathroom where tile takes up 75% of the wall space, and really cool old squeaky floors.
i knew that buying a home was going to be a huge undertaking, however, I didn't think there would be as many projects as there have been. this is what the home looked like right before we purchased it, so you're really getting the full start of everything.
 
i am lucky to have two really handy parents, my dad knows just about how to do anything, and if he doesn't know how to do it, he has lots of "friends" that know. my mom has an amazing knack for affordable decorating and putting everything together to make it work, her experience comes from owning two condos and having to constantly update furniture and decor because of high-use. 

anywho, there was a lot to be done right after purchasing - including moving the dirt off of the front of the house (which can cause termites), so beware, digging out some really ugly shrubs, replacing the window treatments (as you can see the former owners loved to stay with the time period of the house... not really my m.o.), painting the outside of the home (updating the color scheme, not painting the brick)... and so it begins... the endless sea of projects.