Retaining Wall Love: An Afternoon of Landscaping

So after we finished the new retaining wall, I couldn't help myself. I felt the uncontrollable need to landscape.

At least one side...(especially since we need some serious fill dirt for the other side.)

What I thought would be a super quick project turned into a little bit of a more intense project removing a hidden layer of grass. In the end it was well worth it to start with a clean base.

This particular bed gets full sun (6 - 8 hours per day) so I knew this was my chance to put bright, showy, blossoming plants in the front yard.

I went to Home Depot with modest budget of $100 and came out with the following:

• (2) 3-gallon Double Knock Out Roses
• (1) 4-gallon Ornamental Grass (can't remember the name)
• (3) Montauk Daisies (fall bloomers)
• (2) Mondo Grass
• (4) Dwarf mondo grass
• (4) Bags of top soil
• (2) Bags of shredded pine mulch

All of these plants are perennials and will come back year after year. Plus there's a good mix of green, blooms and a general color pallet of hot pink and white, which works lovely next to the slate grey of the stone. They also have varying sizes and will stagger elevations as they mature--at least that's the plan.

If you have a Starbucks near you, be sure to check with them before you plant as they often times give out old coffee grounds for free which can help add nutrients back into your soil--especially soil where perennials will be planted. (And it smells good too)

Tools I used include gardening basics:

• Pointed Shovel
• Pick Axe
• Metal Rake
• Garden Gloves

Voila! The retaining wall is naked no more...

Brick By Brick: A Retaining Wall Goes Up

In order to make room for the new and unexpected driveway that went in this summer, the crews at Cement Brothers Concrete had to dig out a portion of our front yard.

Before they got started, Paul and I rented a jack-hammer and took out the old walkway, since we knew that the area between the new driveway and the front porch would become a garden bed at some point. We also knew that the grade change would be significant and would require the installation of a retaining wall down a large portion of the driveway.

Our first thought was to use a product from the big box stores but after significant research we opted to go with a different product available through a local stone yard called J & R Stone.

While I was traveling for work, Paul and his friend Adam kicked off the project by installing three natural stone steps into the hillside.

We finally decided on a self-locking retaining wall system in a slate grey color and had it delivered. With a crew of three, we got busy digging, laying leveling sand and working to install a perfectly level first row.

All in all, it took us most of the weekend but installation was easy--requiring some upper body strength and a good bit of patience.

We chose an offset masonry pattern--where the seams don't line up--and allowed the top caps to overhang about an inch for some extra drama.

Tools required for this job include:

• Limestone Based Sand
• Rubber mallet
• Speed Square
• Level
• Stone chisel
• Hammer
• Gator Dust
• 3 Tubes of retaining wall adhesive / Caulk Gun
• Wet Saw to cut 45 degree corner pieces (rented from Home Depot for $40)

An Invaluable Resource: The Bungalow & Related Styles

I was surfing the net looking for craftsman style front doors to possibly replace the current door we have that is less than weather proof and I stumbled upon an AMAZING resource.

Now that we're tackling the exterior of the house, I have about 1.8 million questions. Especially since the house was built in the 1940's and our goal is to try and restore it as much as possible.

If you have a craftsman style house in Nashville or anywhere in the country, you'll benefit from taking a look at the Metropolitan Historical Commission's Nashville Old House Series--Bungalow edition.

Seriously, this is the best resource I've come across to date and it's free!

Check it out here: http://www.nashville.gov/mhc/pdfs/historic/OldHouseSeries-Bungalow.pdf

Turning a Negative Into a....Driveway?

When Paul and I were negotiating the purchase of 1148 Kirkland, we noticed that the property line noted on the paperwork fell on a tiny sliver of our 70 year old driveway.

Although our realtor went above and beyond--discussing this with the listing agent and homeowner, who also owned the home next door--in the end, three years later it came back to bite us in the butt.

Mortgage companies no longer require a survey of the lot in order to secure a loan, but if you're looking to purchase a home in an older neighborhood it's worth springing for the extra $500 to make sure that your investment is protected.

In the end, forgoing a $500 survey ended up costing us a a lot of hassle. We came home from work one day to find a chain link fence erected on the property line--leaving only 11 feet between the neighbors fence and our house. After taking time off work, meeting with a real estate attorney and in the end having to install a concrete driveway, $500 looks like a pretty good deal.

We've made the most out of the situation and have walked away with a phenomenal driveway. Here's a snapshot of our journey over the last couple of months.

BEFORE:

Nice open driveway. Plenty of room to park cars--with a two car parking area behind the house.

AFTER:

Got a call from a concerned neighbor letting me know a fence was being put up in the middle of our driveway while we were both at work.

JACKHAMMER:

After reviewing all of our options, the best choice for us was to find a silver lining and not pursue litigation. That being said we rented a small jackhammer from Home Depot and got to work. Took us about 5 hours to remove the old concrete walkway and steps.

CONCRETE TIME:

We talked with numerous contractors about the best options for our house and saving our 70 year old Cedar tree. In the end we decided to work with Steve and the fabulous crew at Cement Brothers Concrete. They got started on Monday grading the property, laying gravel and installing the forms.

STEPPING THINGS UP:

One of my favorite parts of this whole project was the idea to re-orient the entrance to the house and add two 9 foot long steps to the entrance. Here are the forms Cement Brothers installed.

VOILA:

Steps are in and smoothed out by hand.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT:

By Noon on Tuesday, Cement Brothers had wrapped up the project. A 70 foot long driveway, new front steps and patio in the backyard. They used a light brushed finish, reinforced fiber concrete and a lot of hard work to make a phenomenal addition to Bungalow Bliss. We are eternally thankful for their craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Next up...installing steps and a stone/paver retaining wall to hold back the 2.5 feet of dirt that was cut out to give us a little bump out in the driveway.

Stay tuned as we plan to tackle that project ourselves.

Cheers!

LB

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Industry Referrals for this project:

Realtor: Marsha Mauney, Zeitlin & Co. Realtors

Attorney: Patrick Witherington, Callahan Witherington, PLLC

Concrete: Steve, Cement Brothers

Stay Tuned...

So clearly Bungalow Bliss has taken a bit of a much needed vacation recently. But due to some unforeseen circumstances, we're back and will be blogging with a vengeance.

For the 60% (ok...so it was only 3 of you) that voted for the front porch in the "What project should we do next?" poll, well someone heard your vote and the project has started.

Stay Tuned...you won't want to miss this one...

Potted Cottage Charm

As you've seen, my interior style almost always lean towards the laid-back cottage look.  Same goes for my outside taste.  

I love the look and bright bursts of colors that annuals can bring to a garden. (Although they must be replanted each year, annuals are hard to beat in terms of showy, season-long color.) 

That being said, lets be honest, who has the time to replant them every year?  Thats why I like to use them as accent pieces by planting them in containers.  No digging up the beds, mulching or fertilizing the soil.  All you need is a pot, some potting mix, gloves and some creativity.

Terra Cotta is by far the most economical pot on the market but its also not always the look you're going for--especially for my cottagy style.  But who says terra cotta has to be terra cotta? 

Here's an easy way to give your old terra cotta pots some new life and put your own stamp on the garden this year.

1. Gather all your old terra cotta pots.

2. Go through all your paint cans, paint samples, etc.  Find all the colors you like (or at least thought you liked at one point in time) and spread them out on the table.

3. Grab a cheap bag of foam brushes and a pie plate, paint tray, paper plate, or other surface that can serve as your mixing station.

4.  Get creative!  Blend different colors together until you get something you like.  (I used a variety of white, beige and light green) Its fine to use interior paint, because if you're going for a cottage look like me they'll weather faster and build character sooner.  I also like to leave 

really obvious brush strokes but the more layers you put on the more it will like like a solid piece of pottery. (to get the look of glazed pottery--like those amazing blue ones, pick up a spray can of high gloss clear coat from your favorite home improvement store and give it a couple of coats.)

5.  Let dry and then plant your favorite annuals!

You'll be amazed at how great you're "custom" pottery looks.  Don't stop at just one, go crazy on the whole set or just select pieces to bring a cohesive look to your garden.

Another added bonus, terra cotta pots are notorious for weeping water.  The new paint job will help them retain moisture better so your plants aren't competing with the pot for water.

Cheers!

Laura

Reupholstering Envy...

So when I married into the Morris family, I got some seriously stiff competition for the best wife award from my cousin in-laws and soon to be (as of this weekend) sister in-law.

They are all talented and unique in their own special ways, but as a DIY blogger, I am particularly envious of Elizabeth's blog and diy skills at doing just about anything and everything she puts her mind to--I mean she letter-pressed her own wedding invitations...

I think one of the most amazing things I've ever seen her do though is co-start the blog Eighteenth Century Agrarian Business (ECAB). Full of quirky projects, baking, knitting and more--the blog is a DIY'ers paradise.

So keeping with my previous post on rehabbing furniture, I wanted to share this detailed post on DIY Reupholstering from ECAB. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Eighteenth Century Agrarian Business (ECAB)

Enjoy!
Laura

Instant Furniture Makeovers

I'm always shopping estate sales, yard sales and stalking old wing back chairs lurking on curbs.

That being said, I came across this great article from Southern Living on transforming old finds into totally chic treasures and wanted to share.

Might make you take a second look at some of those old hand-me-downs.

Enjoy!

Budget-friendly ways to transform old furniture into dazzling updated focal points.

http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/solutions/instant-furniture-makeovers-00400000051221/

The Big Reveal

Just before the holidays we finished up the family room project (minus the crown molding). We couldn't be happier with the results, so without further adieu...I'll stop babbling and show you the results.

Cheers,

Laura