Well the house is finally put back together. I dropped the check of at Shady Creek yesterday and the melted siding has all been replaced. We even have almost all the trim painted. Just in time for winter. We had quite a bit more happen this summer then we had originally planned, but at least everything has turned out okay.
Here's a quick recap. On the 4th of July our neighbor shot a firework into the juniper bushes in front of the house and along the driveway. This resulted in 30' flames that destroyed the bushes, almost killed the beautiful flowering cherry tree and melted our brand new vinyl siding that we were still in the process of having put up. The positive note on the siding, if we had still had the cedar shake, we would have most likely lost the house.
After much hemming and hawing and waiting for paperwork we finally got the check at the beginning of August from the neighbor's homeowners insurance. Mid-august we had the bushes ripped out. It was dramatic, but done so quickly :) We went ahead and had all the potentially flammable bushes removed that were right next to the house. What are the chances this could happen again, probably zero, but what were the chances it was going to happen in the first place?
All clean and ready for landscaping. This step alone was a huge step. It put a lot behind us and it was finally nice to drive home at the end of the day.
Now the final step! As my friend, Kathy, has put it, the landscaping is very fireproof :) It has taken some getting used it, but in the end I think I really like it. The front section has a water system hooked up, so watering is pretty easy. Now we are just eagerly awaiting the plants to grow. Right now the rocks are a bit overpowering, but as the plants grow, Donna from Shady Creek, has assured us it will look great. In the second photo you can see where we replaced the tree at the top of the driveway. It will eventually grow to give some nice shade to the house.
All in all quite an adventure. I would have preferred not to have had to do the landscaping yet. I really did like the bushes there, but knowing now the hazard they posed, I think I will keep that in mind for future landscapes.
After the fascia we just need to figure out what we are going to close the bottom in with. Currently the quail are enjoying it quite a bit and I don't mind them as much. I will mind if the neighborhood skunk decides to make it a home.
The stoop ended up being way to wavy and weird shaped so it had to go. Shawn and his dad tried breaking the concrete first, but after learning how inexpensive it was to rent a jack hammer they got busy playing with the big toy.
At the end of Sunday (as a huge windstorm was rolling in) the top portion was all framed in and you can see the end result of the jack hammer. Quite some progress.
Then the bottom level was framed in during the windy times of Monday.
The bottom portion with planks almost all the way across.
Top and bottom done, posts sort of on and moving on to the steps.
The steps off the lower portion.
All that is left is to secure the railing and pic the height of the posts that we want. I'm thrilled with how it looks and like I said earlier check back and I'll get a photo from the road with it how it really affects the curb appeal of the house.
Heading out for Annie's first ride.
Into the first vet check.
Kim & Smooth into their first check.
Although I doubt I will race this year I hope to crew a few more races and absorb as much as I can. Hopefully that means the camera will get a work out at least once a month, but we'll see if I stick to that.
After much hemming and hawing and waiting for paperwork we finally got the check at the beginning of August from the neighbor's homeowners insurance. Mid-august we had the bushes ripped out. It was dramatic, but done so quickly :) We went ahead and had all the potentially flammable bushes removed that were right next to the house. What are the chances this could happen again, probably zero, but what were the chances it was going to happen in the first place?
All clean and ready for landscaping. This step alone was a huge step. It put a lot behind us and it was finally nice to drive home at the end of the day.
Now the final step! As my friend, Kathy, has put it, the landscaping is very fireproof :) It has taken some getting used it, but in the end I think I really like it. The front section has a water system hooked up, so watering is pretty easy. Now we are just eagerly awaiting the plants to grow. Right now the rocks are a bit overpowering, but as the plants grow, Donna from Shady Creek, has assured us it will look great. In the second photo you can see where we replaced the tree at the top of the driveway. It will eventually grow to give some nice shade to the house.
All in all quite an adventure. I would have preferred not to have had to do the landscaping yet. I really did like the bushes there, but knowing now the hazard they posed, I think I will keep that in mind for future landscapes.
