Front porch

Painting the front of the house really highlighted how terrible the stairs look: failing paint, spalling concrete and that terribly-placed handrail. The quotes for removing the concrete ($700) and building a new front porch ($3000) were way out of budget. Back to the drawing board.

After many conversations with contractors and smart friends, plus a considerable amount of time spent on Houzz, I've just purchased the materials for a small porch. It might end up turning out alright. We'll see!

The general idea (mock up):



With this sort of relief:


The framing:


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Patio and garden

We built some simple cedar raised beds and filled them up with veggie starts. We were a bit late to planting but they are looking good!

The boxes are made of cedar fencing, which may prove not to be the most long lasting, but with major backyard changes coming next year we thought it best to keep it simple in case we have to move them anyway.

And here they are full of future food. 

(Note freshly assembled metal patio furniture from where we'll watch the garden grow. :)

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Location:Patio and garden

Studio design

I've met with two builders now to design a "studio" that includes a sleeping loft, bathroom and separate shed/storage area. The design will be simple, clean and hopefully cost-effective.


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