Author: Bitter

While we wait for the concrete to cure, I’ll tackle another issue in our patio repair/makeover.  I mentioned in a previous post that we need new lighting fixtures in the back. I think the ones out there are almost as old as I am. I am torn, so I’m turning to you interwebz. However, know that when I ask for your input, it doesn’t mean I’ll take it. No offense meant by that, it’s just that I’m a woman.

My first instinct when I open up the outdoor lighting sections of the Home Depot and Lowe’s websites is to look at the pretty brown lights. I adore brown. If I could wear brown every day, I would. I go over board on the brown. But, fortunately for me, brown is a nice simple decorating color. Then I realized that we’re getting white gutters. Overall, the trim of the house is a combination of white and blue while we also have some dark red brick and cream stucco. (Don’t ask, it’s hard to explain how all these textures and colors work.) Obviously, based on photos, you can see these lights will go up against the brick. The trim around the door will remain for a while until we pull out the door and replace it with a sliding door that will likely be white, possibly with some blue trim depending on our options at the time. So silver seems like a more neutral color choice in all of this.

That said, I’m not sure I’m 100% sold on the color and styles available for the budget. So, that’s where you come in, Interwebz.

Choice 1: This is the first light I found that somewhat caught my eye. There is no “collection” so the same fixture would have to be used in the back and the front. There is no motion detection, a feature we would like for the front, but not for the back.

This sounds a little odd, but our house, when you look at it for a while, kind of reminds you of a boat.  It doesn’t look like a boat, but maybe because it’s the kind of house I would expect to see on a lake or near a marina.  This light, for some reason, speaks to that feel.  That may be a bad thing.

Click to enlarge all photos.

Choice 2: The lamp on the left is the second one I found that caught my eye.  It has the perk of coming in a collection that gives us more choices for a different light for the front of the house.  The one on the right is the first of those two choices.  The larger light again does not have motion detection for the front, which kind of sucks.

I was not a huge fan of the lamp for the front.  It is much taller than what we have now, and I’m worried it will be too prominent for a relatively small  space.  (Most of the front of the house is a wall of windows with only a sliver of brick between them and the door.

Choice 3: This is the same light for the back, but another of the collection to go out front.  Again, there is no motion detection for the lamp that would go on the front of the house.

The lamp for the front isn’t really a “match,” but it is from the same family of fixtures.  It’s about 3 inches shorter than what we have in the front now, so it would work.  It’s als0 a much cheaper combination than the last choice which makes me a bigger fan.  Yay for budget-friendly!

Choice 4: These two don’t actually match.  One is from Lowe’s and the other Home Depot.  BUT…the lamp choice for the front comes with a motion detector – a plus.  Obviously, the fixtures will be on different sides of the house, so the match issue may not really be much of one since they do have some features which are somewhat similar.

So, this is it for the silver fixture options.  I’m still considering browns because there are some that I think are more the style I’d prefer, and I don’t think we should rule brown out.  Fundamentally, it’s still a neutral color that would work well with the brick.  I may also go back and look at some black fixtures.  I don’t think I want that much contrast out there, but I’ll take a look.  It’s the color of most lamps in the neighborhood that aren’t brass.

Yesterday, the concrete guy came by to check on the status of water in the piling holes.  They were pretty full, so he knew he had to bring a pump today to get them emptied in order to pour the concrete.

This morning, we woke to the sounds of them working on the frame and prepping for the concrete to go in around 7 or 7:30 (the clock is on Sebastian’s side, so I’m guessing here).  Right before Sebastian left, the concrete truck arrived.  That was exciting.  Even more exciting was watching them work.  The concrete truck waited in the alley while Norm’s two assistants brought it over one wheelbarrow-full at a time.  Norm mixed it up to to fill in all the important areas, and then one of the other guys took over smoothing it down for hours.  He left shortly before 3pm.  That was a long day of smoothing out concrete.

I have to admit, I was most shocked when they started putting in lines where there were none before.  And this is why we’re reminded why it’s better to hire pros for some projects.  The simple lines and the pattern that they added to the newly created border transformed that patio.  This home is clearly a starter home, so you can never get too fancy with any decor.  But, because of that, details have the chance to stand out.  And this, when I look outside, really stands out in a good way.

I have to say that this was a fantastic investment.  We got a great deal with the contractor, and I would not be shocked that even in a down market, that Sebastian would see every dime from this project back – and more.  It’s that big of a difference.

Cue the looming threat movie music, please.

Today our contractor showed up and told me that we were due for an inspection. Eek! But hey, that’s why we hire professionals. The inspector arrived a couple of hours later and was very friendly and understanding. See, we got lots of rain last night and we have no gutters to guide rain away from the house right now. So all of the rain from the rear roof just falls off to the edge of where the patio will go – aka the piling holes. Mix that with the fact that we’re on the downward slope for quite a bit of the neighborhood and those those things are full. Technically, he could choose not to approve it until those holes are dry.

Fortunately, he’s not an ass, and in addition to showing up on time, he issued the approval with a note that the holes should be pumped first. He said he didn’t want to hold us up, especially because we could likely be done with this just in time for the warmer weather. He asked if we were looking forward to having a new outdoor living space. Yes!

So we passed inspection, the contractor came back by, and he said he would get in touch with the concrete guy ASAP to see about getting it poured. If he has finished up his other job by now, he could be by as early as this afternoon. If he can’t be by today, he’ll come by tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

Now, the big question. Should Sebastian & I carve a little something in the corner? :)
Continue reading “Home Improvement: The Government Regulation Begins”

So much for that weather delay.  Or, if this is what weather delay progress means, bring it on Mother Nature.

It was rather unexpected to be stirred this morning sometime after 7am by people destroying things in the backyard.  Fortunately for us, those people were our concrete guys and the destroyed items were the remaining pieces of concrete that previously supported the beams to hold up the roof.  I thought they would stop there.

By the time Sebastian left, they were putting in the frame.  Awesome.  By noon, they finished the holes for the pilings, hauling in the gravel and getting everything set up for the next step.  I assume the next time we see the workers will probably be on Monday if the schedule holds up.

Well so far no parts of the house have collapsed. I consider that a good thing.

Today, Peter the contractor came by at the much less painful hour of 9:30 and started propping up the roof so he could remove the beams holding it up.

That means those last little bit of concrete can be removed and they can begin working on the process of getting the patio poured eventually. Unfortunately, we’ve hit another delay. That’s right, a weather delay. We’re in for rain tomorrow. On Friday, Norm the concrete guy is finishing up one other job quickly. Then we’re plagued by rain again through the weekend. So hopefully Monday will be wonderfully sunny and we can get moving with the project again.

In the meantime, Sebastian made a dangerous decision.  He said I can do whatever I want out there to decorate.  That’s true love – or madness.  It is yet to be determined.  First, I need to find some new light fixtures to go on either side of the door.  I’m opposed to paying insane amounts for these since I need at least two in the back, and possibly one for the front if I can convince Sebastian that my neurotic self will not sleep until the lighting fixtures around the outside match.

I’m also going to be on the lookout for patio furniture at a reasonable price.  I checked out the Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s websites.  My goodness!  I am not going to ask Sebastian to spend $1,000 on a seating set for 4.  More importantly, I want a seating set for 4-6 that doesn’t have a dining table or coffee table.  I’d rather have a couple of side tables instead.  Oh, and did I mention I hate wicker?  So wicker furniture is also out.  In other words, this is going to be an adventure, and probably not a fun one.

What was intended to be a fall project, then a “before the first snow” project, and is now a spring project has finally started.

The first delays were due to contractor issues. We couldn’t find one last fall. For all the construction and home improvement slowdown reports, we had contractors who wouldn’t show up for quote appointments, contractors who were quoting 3x what the eventual job will cost, and contractors who came out before deciding they didn’t want the job and didn’t return our phone calls. Fun.

In early fall, a neighbor and I started chatting and he gave me the name of someone he used for construction projects at his job. (He said he would use him for home projects, but he didn’t want to be perceived at work as possibly getting kickbacks.) We called him out, he was willing to do the job, and even better, at the lowest price. Talk about lucky for us.

But then, we had to wait for the weather to break to get the tree out since it required a very heavy crane and the ground was simply too soft. That happened in December. But, we still couldn’t get started. Turns out that licensing and permits from the town go on a calendar year cycle. So if we started in December and hit a delay, we would have to start the paperwork over again and pay another round of government fees.

January arrives and we make contact with our contractor again. He jumped through all the hoops for the town. By the time we get all of the paperwork in hand, signed, and notarized – along with all of the construction drawings and documents – it’s late-February. He drew up a contract, we paid it, and we waited. And waited. And, finally, on Friday, we got permission.

They started work at 8am. And, oddly enough, both neighbors also had either a contractor or landscaper out to do work as well. I think we gave the trash and recycling truck drivers a hard time with all of the trucks in the road. I’ll update with more photos as the project progresses. I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s done by the end of the week.