Renovating Denver - One House at a Time

Grass, Trees, Plants, Trellis

We sprayed the hydroseed for the grass about a month ago. The backyard is really starting to green up. The front yard didn’t take as well … maybe not enough sun? It only gets sun for a couple hours a day.

We bought 5 trees for the property and had the nursery deliver and install them. One of the main factors in the trees we chose was Mike’s allergies. I sneeze often as well, so we both were interested in allergy-friendly planting. We got two Hawthorn clumps, a Chanticleer Pear, a Newport Plum, and a Summit Ash.

Our dog, Oakley, was also a consideration in the landscape. We picked a grass seed mix of RTF Fescue which is supposed to be durable and drought-friendly. We are strategically placing trees and other items for shade for him. He was recently digging in one particular area of the mulched part, so we decided to build him a trellissed area there for some shade over that area.

Here is how we built a shade trellis for our dog. We wanted it to be 6′ wide, so we spaced out 3 posts (4×4s), dug holes about 15″ deep, poured in Quickcrete, added water, stirred, leveled the posts and let them sit overnight.

The next day we cut the posts to the same height, then attached two 2×4s across all three posts, one near the bottom and one closer to the top. We attached the “roof” supports, which are 1×4s, with 3 screws each. We screwed in the redwood lattice to the 2×4s across the front, and then onto the roof 1×4s. Voila!

Just need some grass, trees and shrubs

Another before and after:

The fence is done, and the landscaping is prepped for planting and seeding!

We will be spraying hydroseed for the grassy area soon! We are still working on a plan for the patio area right off the back of the house.

We knocked down the exterior stairs off the back of the house, for now we will keep the existing deck up there, but eventually we will build something new.

Oakley has already picked out his spot in the yard (to be reserved for his digging area). He digs and buries his tennis balls … just like he is in the snow!

 

Really Almost There …

Here are a couple shots of the final paint job. We love it, now it’s time to finish the landscaping and THEN WE WILL BE DONE FOR A WHILE!!!!!!!

We also got a new security door to replace the old beat up screen door in the front:

We got started on a new fence all the way around our property. Wood privacy cedar picket fence at a height of 6′ around the backyard … and a shorter, more transparent fence around the front yard. We also dug the yard up, in preparation for a new sprinkler system, grass, trees, and mulched borders. Here is a shot of the backyard:

Spring is here… Time to finish up!

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. We took a few months off after moving in. We needed it. But now we’re practically done with the inside of the house (pics to come when I can get everything straightened up). We finished touch up paint, had the kitchen hood built & painted and had a mantle for the TV room built and stained. It is beautiful!!! If anyone needs custom woodwork, I would definitely recommend Bobby Kubik.

Moulding, Trim, Casing, Doors … and a great trip!

For the last week and a half we took a trip up to the Pacific Northwest. It was a first for both of us, so we did a whole road trip from San Francisco > Eugene > Oregon Coast > Portland > Seattle. Lots of cool old Victorians up that way, especially loved our stop in Astoria, OR. Our hotel here was on a pier on the Columbia River - the Astoria Bridge was right out our balcony!

While we were gone, our trim carpenter was hard at work. The plumber and electrician also kicked butt and got a lot done too!

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Vanities, Sinks, Appliances, Faucets, Lighting

Here is a quick photo update:

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Front Upper Window Installed!

The window for the master bedroom was installed yesterday. Tony and Charlie first had to cut out the area where the window was to go. Seems like there must have been a window in this spot sometime in the past, because the area was just covered in some plywood and that didn’t seem to be original to the house. When they pulled the plywood off right below the bottom of the window, we discovered this really cool decorative wood carving thing. It’s like a flower with some ribbon flowing around it. We will definitely keep this and restore the small part that got cut into.

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