Outdoor Steps

My favorite thing about working on the house is delving into challenges that I've never done before. This landscape project has all sorts of new adventures lying in wait. The first one is building concrete steps. I've done concrete bases for posts, slabs and plenty of other general concrete work but never steps.

This task actually started last summer but more fun things to do in the sun distracted me and I abandoned all form building practices.

The original steps. You can't see in this blurry picture but they're in bad shape with a major crack. Sledge hammer lying in wait.

Fortunately, these were built poorly so demolition didn't take long.

It was a pile of rubble in minutes.

I laid out the new step shape with rope.

I pre-cut the stone pieces and shaped them on a 4x8 plywood. The steps acutally ended up being slightly different but this still helped.

After realizing I couldn't pound wood stakes in the ground, I discovered metal stakes with holes to attach the wood to.

Getting there with bendable but weak plywood.

After finding 1/4" plywood that would bend but not break, my forms were completed.

I added 3/4" minus gravel up to 4" below the top of the forms and a few inches at the face of the step.

My orange buddy for the concrete mixing process which saved hours of manual concrete mixing.

Adding rebar to the top step.

I used 20 bags and was only about 1/4" shy of the top of the forms.

Done with the concrete pour

And from the other side.

After a couple of days, the forms are pulled off.

In mid stone install, using white polymer thin set. The challenge was the different thickness of travertine patio stone which ranged from 3/4" to 1 1/4"

Complete with the stone setting.

After a day, I add the grout. I completed this at 9pm in the dark, literally feeling my way around to make sure the grout was set in place. This made for some surprises the next morning!

Hardscape Layout

The moment I've been anticipating - laying out the hardscape design. It was pretty exciting to see the patio and pathways take shape but man, was it a lot of work, not that I don't need the exercise! I used the excavated dirt to shape the mounds that have been designed.

Once everything had been dug out, the next task was the steps off of the dining room. However, summer had made it's arrival and it was time to have fun on the water. It wouldn't be until the following spring when I'd pick this back up again.

The digging started from the patio door where the new steps will be added.

The circular patio shaped by a rope tied down in the middle and used to mark the circumference.

Getting there, but slowly.

Almost done...

A good shot showing the mounds built from the excavated dirt.

A view from the south

Yard Fill

Now that window wells have their brick extensions, it's time to regrade the yard and slope it away from the house. I got a yard of compost delivered and along with the mound of soil from the neighbors excavation, I hope to have enough to add about 6" of new ground with a lot of digging, moving and raking.

Brick Wall in Corner

Though it's not directly a part of the new landscape design underway, I decided to build a quick wall for a corner of the yard that's been needing some separation from the yard for some time. Since I had the extra brick and motivation, I deviated from the main landscape project and went for it. It still has much more work to do and many other ideas are mulling around in my head, but for how quick it went I was surprised by the results.

Bay Support

The first major task in the landscape project was to remove and build new steps. After breaking up the old concrete steps off of the dining room, I learned that the bay section of the dining room wasn't supported very well. It was essentially cantelevered and supported by the floor joists. I suppose after all these years that was doing the job, but since this would be my only opportunity to get under that bay section there easily, I decided to add posts for a more direct support.

Window Well

The landscape project of the east side of my house official began in May of 2012 with the extension of the basement window wells. The slope of the yard went TOWARDS the house so the only thing I could do to reverse that slope was to raise grade at the house, which meant at the window wells.

I used the brick from the old BBQ area as the brick extension and mortared them in.

Click here for the hardscape plan of the new landscape project.

Kitchen Remodel Video

I've been chipping away at this compilation video from the kitchen remodel for the past several months. and I finally got it completed!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMeVhbQmmoE&feature=plcp

Pantry

When I completed the kitchen in May of 2011, I decided that the pantry remodel could wait while I reestablish a life once again. I also just wanted to enjoy the summer. So, I've been chipping away at it on a slower pace than what I usually do. But a good year and a half later, it's complete. Here are some 'before' shots to start with.

And some 'after' shots, these of the east wing of the pantry:

I actually built these cabinets and doors- the first cabinet building project I took on. It's pretty basic and rough but works. I also came up with the idea of using fabric behind a heavy duty screen for the doors, for color and simplicity.

I'm using glass containers to store oils, dried goods, baking stuff, excess spices with common label types. It's pretty cool cause no one makes fun of me for this characteristic of mine. I also realize it's not the best way to store since light can break down flavor.

And now for the west wing of the pantry. The washer and dryer is relocated and a garden window is installed. It completely changed things for the good with loads of light.

I had a hard time coming up with an idea for a floor. I almost did brick, but that would have been too much brick to look at considering the kitchen floor was mostly brick. Another idea was just a simple paint job on the concrete, but I hate stepping on concrete. Wood had been on the back of my mind for awhile but didn't know how to approach it or what type of wood to use. It dawned on me one day to just to get old planks from barns, slap them down and give a rustic (splinterish) feel to it. Actually the splinters aren't bad at all.

Here are the cut planks in various widths. I got these from Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage.

I tried just gluing them to the floor but many planks were bowed and the glue wouldn't hold. Even after adding weigh, it still didn't work. Eventually, they just got hammer nailed to the concrete which did the trick.