Living - Patio Perching

Hard to believe that tomorrow marks the end of the Summer for the V household.  Is it me or did this Summer just fly by?!  Thinking the unusually mild weather had something to do with that sentiment but you won’t find me complaining about it.  I’ll take the mild weather any day.  We were able to spend a lot of time on our patio this Summer as a result.  As my IG feed indicates, major patio perching happened filled with loads of simple, seasonal fare and plenty o' wine. 

I hold a soft spot in my heart for the patio/pond sitch as it was one of my first DIY projects.  Long and short of it is that I got a quote for it and the pond alone was in the $20K range.  Um, no.  I can’t afford to pay attention let alone pay that kind of money for a water feature.  So, my mother-in-law and I tackled it ourselves.  I spoke about the project here and here way back when.  I also planted every tree and shrub (almost 60) on my property with the exception of the 3 huge trees in back and a few big pines in front.  I was a busy gal but I saved a ton by doing it myself and now am thoroughly enjoying the fruits of my labor.

It's back to school this week for P so that means more time for me to dream up the next project 'round these parts.

All photos and styling by Emily Vanderputten 

kisses,  mrs. V

Installing a Patio and Pond at Chez V

Before, During, and After

Well, gee wiz.  Summer break is in full effect at Chez V.  I have no idea what I did with The Monster last summer to keep her entertained but now that she has one year of pre-school under her belt, well, she sort of expects rainbows, fireworks, and 3-ring circuses on the daily.  Daily blogging might be a little sporadic until September.  But I am excited to share more of the fun  that goes on around here, so I will do my best to provide entertainment in both arenas.

scene from the patio on Friday evening

I promised a while back to share some updated pictures of our patio and pond project, once things came into bloom.  You can read some details about the project here, but today I will share a lot of pictures of the evolution of our outdoor space.  To trigger your memory, the executive summary reads:  we tore out an old rotting deck, we dug up a bunch of dirt, we installed a large paver patio, I planted a bunch of trees and shrubs, we dug up fieldstone from building sites, we dug up tons more dirt, installed the pond, lined it with the fieldstone, brought in more dirt, filled the pond with water, threw in some fish, and planted lots more plants and trees.  We saved over $25,000 doing this ourselves armed with little more than two shovels, a pickax, a dolly, a wheelbarrow, and some ingenuity.  The end.

AFTER

NOW

BEFORE POND

AFTER POND & AS IT LOOKS NOW FROM SIDE GATE

THE INITIAL OUTLINE OF POND

DIGGING HAPPENED FOR A LONG TIME

SOME OF THE FIELDSTONE WE COLLECTED FROM BUILDING SITES

THE POND LINER

COVERING LINER WITH ROCKS TO PROTECT AGAINST UV RAYS

DURING

EARLY PLANTING STAGES

TODAY

NOW

NOW

that smallish shrub is the tall one below that now masks that hideous crawl space hatch

AFTER & NOW

BEFORE PAVING & PLANTING ALONG BACK DRIVE

NOW

NOW - ARBORVITAES PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED SCREENING - PLANTED 2007

NOW - VIEW ALONG BACK DRIVE TOWARDS BACK GARAGES

Most people ask how in the world we knew how to do this.  The answer is we didn't.  We read a lot of How-To patio & ponds books from Home Depot.  And we talked to a lot of people who know things about this stuff, all of whom had differing opinions on certain aspects.  So in the end, after much research, we just did it and learned how along the way.

Because Chez V is so teensy tiny, we wanted to create a nice little outdoor space where we could relax that would feel like an extension of our living space.  And we do just that most nights.

All photos by mrs. V

kisses, mrs. V

Tales From the Projects - Enjoying my Sweat Equity

Morning Constitutional

On most mornings you will find me puttering around the yard.  Watering plants and such.  Drinking coffee and enjoying all the hard work that has gone into making Chez V a home.  When I first arrived on the scene, Chez V was the consummate bachelor pad with no curb appeal.  Slowly, we have tried to beautify both the inside and out.

Favorite spot to do some patio perching with a cup of coffee

 

For as much as I dream of having a bigger home with nicer things, I can say that I will be sad to leave Chez V if and when that day comes.  We have done almost all the work ourselves and every ounce of sweat equity has been worth it.  Makes each and every corner so much more meaningful.  By far, the outside projects have been the most arduous but the most satisfying.  With the exception of the big pines and maple trees, I have planted every tree, shrub, and plant on this property.  I jack hammered the front walkway, laid pavers, dug a back patio, laid lots more pavers, dug a 2,000 gallon pond with a shovel, and hauled 20,000 lbs of fieldstone from building sites to my backyard.  You can read more about the patio project here.

So every flower, every path, every arbovitae, every pebble has meaning.  And I really enjoy taking my morning constitutional around this tiny corner we’ve carved out for ourselves.

All photos by mrs. V

kisses, mrs. V

Tales from the Projects - DIY Paver Patio & Pond

Sneak Peek – Patio & Pond

Here is a peek at one of our little ol’ projects.  And by little, I mean HUGE.  A few years ago, Mr. V and I decided to rip out the old rotting deck that came with the house, and replace it with a nice little paver patio.  After a little more discussion, we thought it would be a great idea to also incorporate a small water feature.

Both ideas started out small and ended up quite another thing entirely.  And as is our custom, we did all the work ourselves.  I’ll save all the gory details for another day, but I will tell you this.  It was hell.  Most labor intensive work I have ever done.  At one point, I may have been spotted vomiting off the back of a tailgate from exertion.

It was completed in two phases over the course of a few months.  And we saved $18,000 (just for pond alone) doing it ourselves.  And it was worth every ounce of sweat equity.  I will take better pictures this spring when things come back to life but you should be able to get an idea of the sad ‘before’ and the progression towards the ‘after’ state.

The deck was just over that dirt patch from the french doors to fence

We dug this with shovels - much bigger footprint than old deck

Laying out pattern of tumbled pavers

Paver patio complete - next step landscaping along fence + slab steps

Pond will be sited just off the patio near grill and back to Rose of Sharon bushes

We modified an arbor from Lowe's to function as gate - arborvitaes planted just on other side of fence - down pipe has since been moved to side of house

Wild phase of patio - mr. V HATED the lush look - I lived for it!

Slab steps - we had to shim LH one to get it level due to natural variation in stone

we moved TONS of dirt and brought in extra to build up the back for top waterfall

you can see proximity to patio

Pond - landscaping is in its second season here

 

Arborvitaes along fence are much more mature here and provide much needed screening

View towards pond - mr. V prefers this clean look - not me!!

Plantings have a few more seasons

kisses,  mrs. V