When they started the addition/renovation, I knew the inside of the house would be turned upside down, but never considered what would happen to the outside. I guess I should have picked up on how it was going to get torn up when my contractor advised me to move any plants and bushes I wanted to save from the sides and back of our house. I am very grateful for that tip. I was able to save everything!
It did get pretty messy but things are now looking up. They are coming to grade (making sure the slope of yard drains away from your house). He will also roll the lawn and fill in areas that were trashed during construction. The bright side of all of this is we get to redesign our landscaping. We are also changing the direction of the walkway leading from the front of our house to the driveway. Something I have wanted to do forever!
The right side of the house, where all the large trucks accessed the backyard.
The left side of the house, where the egress window was relocated. We also had drainage issues that had to be addressed. They had to rip up our pipes because tree roots clogged it up. This is what probably caused our flooded basement. But that’s another story for another time. Lucky for us, they only had to dig to the front of the house and not to the road. Which would have been right through my garden.
The backyard was also torn up from all the trucks.
There used to be a sliding door here. We removed the door and replaced it with a window. It makes the perfect niche for a garden. I am an amateur at best, so I will definitely be reaching out for garden ideas.
The front stoop was damaged when the new roof was put on. This is something else on the list of things to do!
The walkway we want to move. I want to scoot it over about one to two feet to the right. It will give me more room for landscaping.
Of course I was up before anyone else and started to move the pavers by myself. I managed to move two on my own and flip four more. When one also most dropped on my foot, I decided to wait for help.
Here is a question for all my gardeners out there. When the new walkway is moved, I would love to make the dwarf lilac bush on the right side of the steps the center of my new landscape. Have any of you moved a mature bush before? If so, did it survive?
My poor front garden. I did nothing to it last year during construction and have not gotten to it yet this year. Has anyone else’s garden exploded with new growth? I am not sure if it has anything to do with the weather or that I did nothing to it last year.
I am going to share my new mantra! Take it slow. Everything does not have to be done at once! I hope this works. I know myself and my tendency to work until everything is done. But, after this strange year, I want to stop and smell the roses as they say!
Take it slow, everything does not have to be done at once!
Take it slow, everything does not have to be done at once!
Take it slow, everything does not have to be done at once!
Hopefully, if I see it enough it will sink in!
If you have gardening tips to share, leave a comment for me. I would love to hear from you!
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