Gardening

[creep]

Is that tree in the photo the plum tree?

I will always remember your post about trying plums for the first time.

the one on the side of the house is a plum tree.

the other is an apricot tree. those things are horrible.

[Larry B.]

I'd like to get a garden down. Probably already a little late considering how early the Spring weather came. Maybe not?

I spent Saturday re-landscaping my disaster from 3 years ago. 3 bushes died and 3 others didn't look like I expected. This was all a first time thing for me. Now seeing what worked and what didn't I planted bushes that will better match my vision. Nothing fancy, but in a subdivision where people pay to have their yards professionally done I'm just trying not to have the shittiest looking yard on the block without paying an arm and a leg.

i have been spending a lot of time redoing my backyard. i have pulled shit out, re-sodded, built a workshop, deck and garden, put brick down and a bunch of other shit. i am doing my front now

Dude, men must drool over you.

[sinep]

nice clean up Creep!
The side of the house looked a little creepy before...

the lady that owned my house before me owned a bunch of birds. that probably explains the creepiness of the yard.

does the property still smell funny?

did you get a discount because of the smell?

do you still find piles of shit and regurgitated skeletons of small animals?

[SR]

My two favorite flowers on the planet are tulips and sunflowers....both mentioned in this thread.

creep, do you do your own carpentry?

[creep]

My two favorite flowers on the planet are tulips and sunflowers....both mentioned in this thread.

creep, do you do your own carpentry?

yeah...i don't really know what i'm doing but i just read a lot on the internet before i start a project. it's pretty fun. i plan on selling this house soon and then buying land and have a house built doing most of the work myself. last weekend i replaced a 12ft x 6ft window in the front of the house. that was a pain in the ass.

[creep]

nice clean up Creep!
The side of the house looked a little creepy before...

the lady that owned my house before me owned a bunch of birds. that probably explains the creepiness of the yard.

does the property still smell funny?

did you get a discount because of the smell?

do you still find piles of shit and regurgitated skeletons of small animals?

i was hoping to find a stash of money because she died and the house was a probate sale. i only found two silver dollars. and no she didn't die in the house.

[SR]

My two favorite flowers on the planet are tulips and sunflowers....both mentioned in this thread.

creep, do you do your own carpentry?

yeah...i don't really know what i'm doing but i just read a lot on the internet before i start a project. it's pretty fun. i plan on selling this house soon and then buying land and have a house built doing most of the work myself. last weekend i replaced a 12ft x 6ft window in the front of the house. that was a pain in the ass.

Well,
it looks good.

[perkana]

your work reminded me of a tv show about brits doing landscaping in just a couple of days...even if men don't drool, stuff like this make me drool
Since I live in an apartment, I really don't have any space for flower pots. The only ones I had I gave them to my mom because I moved somewhere for a couple of months and she kept them. My mom loves gardening (so do I, when I'm not tired, our love comes from my granddad I guess, he loved plants). I will take pictures when I visit her, her plants look lovely around this time of the year.
My favorite tree during this season looks like this:


They only blossom during spring and when they start blossoming, it's the first sign that Spring is coming

[mockbee]

i have been spending a lot of time redoing my backyard. i have pulled shit out, re-sodded, built a workshop, deck and garden, put brick down and a bunch of other shit. i am doing my front now

before


after

That is a crap load of work done there Creep! Nice! It's like those comics where you have a before and after frame and have to come up with what's different, that was always my favorite.

To reiterate/expand on what you have already said:

1. (N) gabled outbuilding with stone/brick edging and walk (see you have an elec. hook-up, did you install yourself? dig trench, wiring etc? Also what type of foundation did you use? Looks like you may have poured a slab?)

2. (N) brick patio with soldier course edge and raised fire pit under (E) arbor with (N) footings.

3. (N) raised tulip planter with split faced pavers. (from what I have heard from an arborist friend is that it's not so good to cover the root flare of the tree with mulch. That's where the tree absorbs oxygen and nutrients. It won't necessarily kill the tree but can promote decay if it's moist and roots can start to grow into your planter and essentially the tree strangles itself )

4. Major prune job of secondary branches of the apricot tree.

5. (N) mulch/brick edging around the perimeter of the yard, also looks like you moved or look out an (iris?) plant in the back and took out the barrel and planted a (lilac?) on the side and took out a clothes line and bird feeders.

6. Replaced a fence board and stabilized a fence post

7. And, of course, re-sodded/fertilized grass



Anything else in the back?

[mockbee]

i plan on selling this house soon and then buying land and have a house built doing most of the work myself.

Do you know where you are looking to buy land yet? Acreage? Is this like a dream house with specific design features in mind or is your main interest to build something more typical and just have the satisfaction of living in something you built?

last weekend i replaced a 12ft x 6ft window in the front of the house. that was a pain in the ass.

That is a big window! Is the new a big fixed picture window or does it have multiple lights? Is it the same configuration as the old window? That's a bit large to be vinyl or fiberglass, probably composite frame?

I want to build something!

[guysmiley]

your work reminded me of a tv show about brits doing landscaping in just a couple of days...even if men don't drool, stuff like this make me drool
Since I live in an apartment, I really don't have any space for flower pots. The only ones I had I gave them to my mom because I moved somewhere for a couple of months and she kept them. My mom loves gardening (so do I, when I'm not tired, our love comes from my granddad I guess, he loved plants). I will take pictures when I visit her, her plants look lovely around this time of the year.
My favorite tree during this season looks like this:


They only blossom during spring and when they start blossoming, it's the first sign that Spring is coming

That is pretty badass. I'm not use to seeing purple flowering trees. I'm use to Sakura or cherry blossoms here and back in Oregon. Any day now I'll go to the festivals and eat and drink under the cherry blossoms. I'll take pictures if I can stand strait.

[creep]

1. (N) gabled outbuilding with stone/brick edging and walk (see you have an elec. hook-up, did you install yourself? dig trench, wiring etc? Also what type of foundation did you use? Looks like you may have poured a slab?)

i did do the electrical myself. i trenched it (almost to code....it was raining) and ran a new circuit from the box. the foundation is actually the easier concrete footing foundation. i hate working with concrete.

2. (N) brick patio with soldier course edge and raised fire pit under (E) arbor with (N) footings.

the arbor was there under grass when i bought it. the brick (actually pavers) was a job i wouldn't want to do again. there are grape vines covering it that you can't really see now.

3. (N) raised tulip planter with split faced pavers. (from what I have heard from an arborist friend is that it's not so good to cover the root flare of the tree with mulch. That's where the tree absorbs oxygen and nutrients. It won't necessarily kill the tree but can promote decay if it's moist and roots can start to grow into your planter and essentially the tree strangles itself )

i will be long gone from this place when or if that happens

4. Major prune job of secondary branches of the apricot tree.

the new sod was dying because hardly any sunlight was getting back there. i have a 100ft tree in the front that blocks everything.

5. (N) mulch/brick edging around the perimeter of the yard, also looks like you moved or look out an (iris?) plant in the back and took out the barrel and planted a (lilac?) on the side and took out a clothes line and bird feeders.

i planted a tangerine tree and two banana trees that you can't see. i still need to add more plants.

6. Replaced a fence board and stabilized a fence post

i was going to replace the fence but none of my neighbors wanted to help pay for it so fuck it.

7. And, of course, re-sodded/fertilized grass

a lot of the sod died but i was able to revive it to the point you see. this spring it should look much better. i had much better luck with seed in the front.

Do you know where you are looking to buy land yet? Acreage? Is this like a dream house with specific design features in mind or is your main interest to build something more typical and just have the satisfaction of living in something you built?

i just want a few acres in the sierra foothills probably around jackson, valley springs, ione area. i have been reading up on septic systems. i want to first build a garage with an attached apartment and live in that and then build the main house. i just want to do it for fun and to make money. i figure i can do most everything myself except for the foundation and maybe the framing.

That is a big window! Is the new a big fixed picture window or does it have multiple lights? Is it the same configuration as the old window? That's a bit large to be vinyl or fiberglass, probably composite frame?

not sure why i typed 12x6. it was actually about 9x6. i have replaced all of the windows in the house but that one. the house was built in 1950 and i wanted to stick with wood double hung. i did put a vinyl in the garage. what was there was a big fixed with two double hungs on each side. i was going to go with the same but it was $2800 for a custom window. i found a good deal on wood double hung windows for $200 each so I just put three of them together and saved a shitload of money.

before


after (still staining the last window)


i recently redid all of the plumbing. i tore out all of the old galvanized piping and replaced it with pex piping and a manifold system. that was fun.


I want to build something!



Anything else in the back?[/quote]

[mockbee]

i did do the electrical myself. i trenched it (almost to code....it was raining) and ran a new circuit from the box. the foundation is actually the easier concrete footing foundation. i hate working with concrete.

So no problem with the city w/o elec. license (or you have one)? If you don't answer, I'll make my own assumptions.

Are you talking concrete pier blocks with wood grade beams?
CMU coursed stem wall? Or did you actually pour a stem wall instead of a slab?

the arbor was there under grass when i bought it. the brick (actually pavers) was a job i wouldn't want to do again. there are grape vines covering it that you can't really see now.

Yeah, substrate is everything with brick/pavers and it's finicky work.

i just want a few acres in the sierra foothills probably around jackson, valley springs, ione area. i have been reading up on septic systems. i want to first build a garage with an attached apartment and live in that and then build the main house. i just want to do it for fun and to make money. i figure i can do most everything myself except for the foundation and maybe the framing.

cool. Yeah, stick with a professional for the foundation. If that's messed up, the house is toast. And framing??! That's the most fun, rewarding and easiest part! Just be familiar with a laser level, an eye for detail (which you obviously have) and some basic geometry and your good!

Have you thought of an airstream on the property while you build? They go easy for 2-3k. All utilities, etc would be set while you build. Doesn't make sense to set up utilities, trenching, hookups, concrete pour etc. twice...

I'm not too familiar with the in-between (not Tahoe, NPs, coast, major cities, etc.) places of California yet. That seems like a nice area, the foothills. Can you get an empty/buildable lot still? For like under 300k? Or would you buy something and just knock it down (doesn't sound like you are planning to do that)?
If I were to get a lot anywhere it would be up by Point Reyes between Fairfax and Tomales. I'm guessing I would probably looking at 500k+ just to knock something down though or do major renovations....




Nice!

My friend just installed a 8'x20' fully glazed slider door specially manufactured/delivered from Germany, cost 15k. crazy. I didn't know if you were going in that direction!

[creep]

Are you talking concrete pier blocks with wood grade beams?
CMU coursed stem wall? Or did you actually pour a stem wall instead of a slab?

actually just simple solid concrete blocks. i think they call it a skid foundation or something like that??

cool. Yeah, stick with a professional for the foundation. If that's messed up, the house is toast. And framing??! That's the most fun, rewarding and easiest part! Just be familiar with a laser level, an eye for detail (which you obviously have) and some basic geometry and your good!

yeah the limited framing that i have done is really fun. i just know it would be cheap to hire out.

Have you thought of an airstream on the property while you build? They go easy for 2-3k. All utilities, etc would be set while you build. Doesn't make sense to set up utilities, trenching, hookups, concrete pour etc. twice...

yeah...i was thinking of doing that. i have lived in a boat before so the small size wouldn't bother me.

I'm not too familiar with the in-between (not Tahoe, NPs, coast, major cities, etc.) places of California yet. That seems like a nice area, the foothills. Can you get an empty/buildable lot still? For like under 300k? Or would you buy something and just knock it down (doesn't sound like you are planning to do that)?
If I were to get a lot anywhere it would be up by Point Reyes between Fairfax and Tomales. I'm guessing I would probably looking at 500k+ just to knock something down though or do major renovations....

more like 30k!

here is a nice 1 acre lot for 30k

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhom ... source=web

i would probably get something with more utilities present for around 75k though. that area around point reyes is really nice. i just want something cheap.

My friend just installed a 8'x20' fully glazed slider door specially manufactured/delivered from Germany, cost 15k. crazy. I didn't know if you were going in that direction!

wow...that thing is huge

[mockbee]

Ah, skids, hope you have a bunch of heavy junk in there....
You did a good job, you can't tell.

Yea, i've been in the City and around Marin too much, my whole conception of Real Estate has been whacked....

Let me know if you ever want to bounce some thoughts or ideas my way, I could talk about this kind of stuff forever.