Retaining Wall 1/4th Done
If you think of the retaining wall in our front yard as a U, more than half of the U is complete. However, the finishing of the 2nd and 3rd tier on the fence line (requiring sawing a brick) and completing the top leaves more work to be completed.
In fact, the rest of the U will require a lot more digging to get the ground level at or below the home's window wells, then at least 6 inches deeper for the bricks. I never finished that and now must do that part.
However, the part facing the street is looking pretty good. I swept the triangle part out and evened out the dirt there and up to the planned walk way. Eventually I will have to dig into that area and replace with bark to make it even with the sidewalk and walkway to the house. Then we will be ready for planting.
Up front there are now 3 tiers. This graduates to 2 tiers up top and it should stay 2 tiers there.
I might go for 4 tiers up front and 3 tiers in back before I put on the cap and back fill with gravel and cover with landscape fabric.
The cap will be painstaking, as any curves will require precision cuts.
So, my latest schedule:
* Aug. 10-11 Remove dirt near the house: trench and even with window well to fence line.
* Aug. 17-18 Base and sand with 2nd and 3rd tiers complete to fence line. Cut end pieces from front
and back (I may need to get more base and sand).
* Aug. 24-25 Add 4th tier all the way around. Begin capping.
* Aug. 31- Sept. 2 Finish capping. Dig fence posts. Plant posts. Add extension post. Cut fence post tops. Add toppers. Gravel at base with landscape fabric. Fill to wall. (Need to buy more toppers, gravel, bolts for extension, some quickcrete).
* Sep. 7-8 Paint posts. Add fence rails. (need to buy paint, hardware, rail wood).
* Sep. 14-15 Paint rails. Add bark. Planting. (need to buy new bark).
* Sep. 21-22 Begin cutting pickets and painting. (need to buy picket wood, power saw probably).
* Sep. 28-29 Install pickets and continue making more and painting.
* Oct. Finish pickets. Rest: Vacation? Walkway on right side. Begin digging out walkway on left (as you face the house). Need to buy pavers, base, sand for walkway).
* Nov. Fence posts on other side of house, gate. Clean house. Walkway on left. Remove all excess dirt.
* Dec. pot rack in Kitchen. Stairs. Film center. Finish fence on side.
* Jan. back room. front room. basement.
* Feb. tree in park strip. Flagstones in park strip.
* Mar. rock garden. Posts in very front with rails and pickets.
* Apr. plants. vacation. basement. start walkway lights.
* May maintenance. back roof. Kitchen drain. finish walkway lights.
* June maintenance. basement.
* July maintenance. basement.
* Aug. maintenance. basement. water re-pipe in basement only.
* Sep. maintenance. vacation.
* Oct. maintenance.
Oh, this work has helped me lose 4 pounds. The scale says 176, down from 180 with me wearing only my glasses and my wedding ring...on our bathroom scale.
In fact, the rest of the U will require a lot more digging to get the ground level at or below the home's window wells, then at least 6 inches deeper for the bricks. I never finished that and now must do that part.
However, the part facing the street is looking pretty good. I swept the triangle part out and evened out the dirt there and up to the planned walk way. Eventually I will have to dig into that area and replace with bark to make it even with the sidewalk and walkway to the house. Then we will be ready for planting.
Up front there are now 3 tiers. This graduates to 2 tiers up top and it should stay 2 tiers there.
I might go for 4 tiers up front and 3 tiers in back before I put on the cap and back fill with gravel and cover with landscape fabric.
The cap will be painstaking, as any curves will require precision cuts.
So, my latest schedule:
* Aug. 10-11 Remove dirt near the house: trench and even with window well to fence line.
* Aug. 17-18 Base and sand with 2nd and 3rd tiers complete to fence line. Cut end pieces from front
and back (I may need to get more base and sand).
* Aug. 24-25 Add 4th tier all the way around. Begin capping.
* Aug. 31- Sept. 2 Finish capping. Dig fence posts. Plant posts. Add extension post. Cut fence post tops. Add toppers. Gravel at base with landscape fabric. Fill to wall. (Need to buy more toppers, gravel, bolts for extension, some quickcrete).
* Sep. 7-8 Paint posts. Add fence rails. (need to buy paint, hardware, rail wood).
* Sep. 14-15 Paint rails. Add bark. Planting. (need to buy new bark).
* Sep. 21-22 Begin cutting pickets and painting. (need to buy picket wood, power saw probably).
* Sep. 28-29 Install pickets and continue making more and painting.
* Oct. Finish pickets. Rest: Vacation? Walkway on right side. Begin digging out walkway on left (as you face the house). Need to buy pavers, base, sand for walkway).
* Nov. Fence posts on other side of house, gate. Clean house. Walkway on left. Remove all excess dirt.
* Dec. pot rack in Kitchen. Stairs. Film center. Finish fence on side.
* Jan. back room. front room. basement.
* Feb. tree in park strip. Flagstones in park strip.
* Mar. rock garden. Posts in very front with rails and pickets.
* Apr. plants. vacation. basement. start walkway lights.
* May maintenance. back roof. Kitchen drain. finish walkway lights.
* June maintenance. basement.
* July maintenance. basement.
* Aug. maintenance. basement. water re-pipe in basement only.
* Sep. maintenance. vacation.
* Oct. maintenance.
Oh, this work has helped me lose 4 pounds. The scale says 176, down from 180 with me wearing only my glasses and my wedding ring...on our bathroom scale.