Friday, April 29, 2011

More Before and Afters

Another fun project I did about two years ago was to create an outdoor privacy space. 
Now, for the most part my place is pretty private, but when the weather warms, the local summer homes and camp lots fill up and get noisy.  I wanted a place to retreat to. 
I decided to clean up a spot behind the house, but it was going to need a lot of work!  


Holy cow!  Yes, so it needed to be cleared out, cleaned up, leveled and painted.  I had a small, easy to build platform deck in mind.  I worked on it as time permitted, eventually finished it, and was able to enjoy it that summer!  


Another iced tea for me please....

Before and After

Before and After images are always a lot of fun, especially if a number of years have passed, or it's a huge improvement over the previous.

This example is of my house (before it was my house), taken in 1998 when it was first "installed" here on the (then) newly cleared lot.


Much work was done to it, both inside and out.  Decks built, a roof-over, newer windows, etc.

I came here in 2005 and began my journey, adding my character.  Now, (4-2011), twelve years later, it looks like this:


Actually, that's not completely accurate as this photo was taken in 2009.  The raised beds are no  longer in the front yard, so this is partially lawn and cottage garden style flowerbeds.  I'll be posting new photos soon, I promise!

Monday, April 25, 2011

A Little History


I call my home Retro Retreat.  Here is a little history about the place.
I was told by the former owner that Retro Retreat was rescued off Mount St. Helens sometime around the eruption and found its new home in the Olympic Mountain foothills.

In 1998 it was moved to a newly cleared lot, where the artist owner created a nook of her own, with wildflowers and nature.  Installing a new septic, upgrading the electrical, and installing a new water heater, refrigerator and stove.  She had a front porch built, and a deck off the kitchen with sliding glass doors.  Over the next 6 years she upgraded the windows and added drywall inside.

In 2005 the new owner expanded the addition, added new doors, and some new carpeting.

From 2006 to present, I began my adventure here at Retro Retreat by adding my touches of new paint indoors and out, and landscaping ideas, along with a complete fence for gardening.  I built a privacy deck out back, a wood shed, and terraced gardening space.

I'm an avid bird watcher, so I have registered the property with the WDFW as an official Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary, feeding the birds and protecting the nesting areas.

Most Popular Posts