Restructuring

I began the new siding / skirting project in the Spring of 2016, juggled other outdoor projects and then added the skirting / cedar siding under the mudroom.  I could only get half way through that too, as the front porch needed dry rot boards replaced as well as leveling.

By the end of August I completed what is pictured above.  I had help with the leveling but replaced the deck boards myself and added the skirting boards.  Later I added the new gravel and began work on the landscaping.

 The top boards are now replaced (and safe!) and level.

The cedar siding / skirting looks good on this old structure, adding airflow underneath.

It's simple, it's safe and was extremely affordable.

Next Spring I can work on the surrounding landscaping to bring back that charm it had in earlier days.

Skirting the Issue Part II

I am carrying on with this fun new way of enclosing the gaps around my place.

This time it is the structure I call the mudroom, or front porch.  It was built as an addition to the mobile home and works well as a porch.

Previously it was enclosed with plywood - which of course began to rot over the years and was a perfect breeding ground for mice inside.

Since I had such good luck with the fence boards on the addition in back, I thought I'd try it on the mudroom.

It looks good and will last a long time.  I have run a board along the bottom, above the ground to attach the lower ends to avoid warping.

Here it is on the other side.  It adds a nice finished look to the structure.

I'm still working on the front porch and trim paint above.

Those Final Projects

 

There's a section of my yard that you can't really see and I rarely visit there, but there it is and something needed to be done about it.  I had built a retaining wall of concrete blocks and planted a few things up top and called it good.

Recently I was inspired to make a few adjustments (of course that only came after some work I did on the hill which opened up the sunlight to this area.).  Below is the "before" picture.

 
 I moved the flat wall out into a curved shape, filling it in with some excess dirt from another area, and then designing a mini labyrinth - of sorts.

Below is the "after" photo of the blocks moved out.

(Ignore that 1x2 in the foreground, it is marking the property line).

I went on to adding some chives and other plants that I knew would do well in this spot and don't mind getting moved around.

 Photo from the top.

 I wanted a small path and am filling it with rocks every chance I get to the beach.

I will be adding more ground covers to this area next.

There's even a little bird bath in case the wildlife back there was feeling left out.

One last thing I needed to do was to paint an L shape section of the back of the house that no one can see - except me of course.  So I got that taken care of as well, since I was working back there.

Below are the before and after shots of just one section, I don't have after photos for the rest of the area and of course I have already stacked up the project wood there.

 Before

 After

 This is what happens when the ex husband leaves the house unfinished and the pioneer woman is forced to figure out how to finish it - with no funds and what's available.  But I digress, and that was 8 years ago.  

Not bad considering I pieced together these odd siding panels before I bought a compact miter saw!

That's it for the summer to do's around here.... I think!