vine o mine – the update

Here's what we bought:

The yellow one supposedly grows to 20 feet. All the red ones had significantly less height. This particular one said 8 to 12 feet. That's enough to go up the pergola wall but not up over the roof. I guess we'll be counting on the yellow to take over.

The yellow in bloom. I love the firework explosion of the flower!

Here's what the pergola is looking like these days. The nearby garden is filling out and we've added a picnic table, a gliding bench, and some other furniture. We've gotten quite a bit of use out of it already this summer!

signs of spring – March edition

Once upon a warm March day, we dragged out the new glider, soaked up the long-missed sunshine, and marveled at little sprouts. Before spring finally arrived we had both snow and a random 85 degree day. I think the spring I so actively long for in March actually arrives in May every year. I will have to try to remember that!

The new bench: a gift from my valentine and my vision for a lovely, relaxing summer rocking my baby on it. My little one digs in the dirt (go girl!). And yes, she is indeed wearing pajamas.

So persistent as they poke through last autumn's oak leaves. It occurs to me that perhaps this is why plants come up in sharp spikes and then later unfurl into leaves. They need that sharpness to get started.

What a lovely and unexpected color when most other sprouts are green.

Oh happy day!

The pergola is complete. Finished. Done. Over. Now let's enjoy a few before and after shots to just how far we've come.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

visions of patio lights

 A beautiful and simple white light like these showcased on ApartmentTherapy.com?

Fun round bulbs remind me of summer fairs and carnivals... in a good way! Check out the full pergola update story here. The canvas cloths woven in and out makes beautiful shade too. My ultimate goal is to have vines of course.

And here they are again. This blog snagged the photo off of Flickr so I don't know where it came from originally. Very fancy with the arched top and the doors on the side.

pergola progress

It's the real deal people! The framework is up. Will my husband complete it before the school year begins? The race is on!

I am pleasantly surprised at how well the stained cedar matches the brick.

patio perfection

One of the two big projects is done! The patio is finished and we've already enjoyed two or three meals out there, including a family breakfast. Summer mornings are lovely and I am excited to have a new place to enjoy them from.

 

 It has rained a few times, rinsing the yellow caked on mud from the stones so now you can appreciate their true colors. Such a lovely variety of browns, tans, yellows, oranges, and even black.

stone steps

Well, after debating about rounded steps made with multiple stones, or finding the one perfect large stone, or using cement or wood, we finally settled on finding pre-cut stone stair treads. We'd seen them online and knew they existed somewhere. It was just a matter of finding them locally. We had great success at Stone Zone. The color was right, the size was right, voila – instant steps.

Ok, so maybe not that easy. They're very heavy. Very. Like, don't you dare load them into a car you fool (we borrowed a different vehicle and a trailer). I should also note, for others of the DIY mindset, that my husband prepared the site in a similar fashion to that of the stone patio: dug it out to the properly calculated depth, leveled it so it angled away from the house, and put down a gravel base. We used two 48-inch stones for the base and one 36-inch stone for the top step.

To move them in place my husband and I – to the credit of married couples everywhere – displayed some remarkable teamwork. We used a method he referred to as Egyptian where we rolled them on plastic pipes. I don't imagine the ancient Egyptians had plastic pipes but perhaps some other similar method of rolling. Once one pipe was released from the back, I quickly fetched it and positioned it in front. Very carefully and slowly we laid them into place. Then we both had to brace ourselves and use all the strength we had to adjust them by half an inch. Really, they are that heavy. Those beasts are in for good.

They were a tad more expensive than I anticipated but isn't that how it goes with projects like these? I really can't complain though. They're perfect for our yard.

backyard project: on its way

Last week was full of progress, thanks to my ambitious husband! I can fast forward you through:
• mountain of gravel (4 tons!)
• edging in place (you can see the outline!)
• we need more gravel!
• sand!
• stones are here!
• we need more stones!
• one evening and one long Saturday of puzzle-piecing the stones in place

Still left:
• leveling each individual stone by adding or taking away sand
• filling in the cracks between the stones
• buying and staining wood
• building pergola
• finding, buying, and placing stone steps
• digging out sod to place stepping stones
• edging for flower beds
• shifting existing plants
• planting new plants

stone shopping!

We kicked off our vacation week with a visit to Best Bark & Stone in Jenison, Michigan. I have to admit I was swayed by their lovely, photo-filled website. And the recommendation of a friend of a family member.

However, there are several great stone places in our area and I can't say I recommend one over the other. We didn't get a chance to do much shopping around since most places close at 5:00 during the week and by early afternoon on Saturday. We will be looking around for somewhere that sells large stones already pre-cut into rectangles for use as steps though. So perhaps at that point I can add to my knowledge of west Michigan stone shopping options.

I was hoping to pick something compatible with our brick. Not necessarily an exact match but with the similar tones and warmth. I think we succeeded. There was another stone, one that will be worth of its own post tomorrow, that I adored but it was a pale yellow that wouldn't have been right.

I especially like the dramatic black mixed in. We bought three really large pieces (being weighed below). They'll be in the center of the patio and the small pieces will be worked around them. We bought extra hoping we'll have enough for stepping stones. That's another project though!

imagine a stone patio underneath that pergola

I sure hope you aren't tired of my backyard project yet, dear readers. I am itching to get to some sewing projects soon but we're operating on a deadline for the backyard. The ultimate deadline would be Michigan winter but my teacher husband strongly prefers we get this beast tamed before real life (the school year) starts up again.

Here are some favorites gathered from the world wide web. You will note that these patios are made from more natural, rough stones. I have nothing against brick patios, mind you. In fact, I have seen many lovely examples while doing my research. However, I have always pictured our project as being more "natural" and haven't really changed my mind on that. I hope to choose stone that is colored in warm tones that will be compatible with the brick of our house. Also, we are planning on a curved edge like you see in the first few photos.

I also threw in a a few that aren't right for me but look really cool – like the one with square tiles broken up with the blue toned stones. Or the fancy curved wall with the fountain.

a warning about project creep

Come back in time with me. My daughter is 1 and splashing in her kiddy pool while husband and I soak are feet in it. We're in the far shady corner of the backyard contemplating our deck. We had been tossing around various ideas about improving it or creating some sort of roof to help block the evening sun that made a pleasant outdoor meal impossible. Suddenly my husband says "What if we took out the deck?" And so the discussion goes to stone patios and pergolas. I am excited and check out stacks of library books the very next day. Alas, my dear husband is in the throes of finishing his master's degree and the summer passes with no tangible progress.

This summer he is more serious and we begin spending our evenings standing on the deck waving our arms around. Or in the yard gesturing here and there. Or perched up on ladders to take the best aerial shots of the deck so we can sell the wood on Craig's list. The neighbors must be amused.

The deck is ripped out. More arm waving and now scratching lines in the dirt and dragging hoses into curves. More stacks of library books and oodles of web pages.

Suddenly what began as two large projects: patio and pergola has grown. The list has quietly gotten longer, creeping along with our creativity.

One day this:
1. stone patio
2. pergola

Became this:
1. stone patio
2. pergola
3. steps off of sun room
4. stepping stone path from gate
5. stepping stone path from front yard
6. side yard garden along stepping stone path
7. pocket gardens beneath pergola and next to sun room
8. vines for pergola
9. furniture for patio (gliding rocker bench!)
10. fence replacement

We probably aren't going to get to the fence this summer. And of course the gardens can grow over time. I am tempted to make some purchases though since plants are starting to be marked down. And as soon as that row of lilies is done blooming they have got to go because they are really in the way of this project.

We have really got our work cut out for us now!

tra la la trellis

What the heck is she talking about? "Craftsman style trellis?!" Well, I read that somewhere so it must be the official name! The trellis I so love is not your standard thick diagonal pieces. Instead, it is thin and square and so geometrically lovely. See below example. In case you were interested.

It is more open than a standard trellis but I think with some training vines will grow up it just as well.

pergola inspiration

My husband found this woman's blog post on her pergola project. I was super amused with the name of her site (DIYdiva) and her sassy attitude. Plus, I am totally in love with her finished product. They even did a stone patio underneath, which is what we are going to do.

What does everyone think of the outdoor curtains? I am inclined to liking them.

PS She did this project and posted on it back in 2007. Kudos to Google!

imagine a pergola

A lovely outdoor room with flowering vines growing up a craftsman style lattice and climbing over the rooftop created a shaded backyard oasis. Ahhh...

Step it up!

Some stair ideas from our stack of library books. The last two are more modern than suits the style of our home but they are so unique and lovely I wanted to include them for your viewing pleasure.

imagine a rounded set of steps

Not half a wedding cake. Please, no one forward this sketch onto my drawing teacher!

My vision is for the steps to be the width of the sliders, even though we'd actually only need stairs where they open. But making them wider would be visually "right." I am not 100% sure that the stone will be the same as that used on the patio but I fully intend they will be created in a similar color palette. I am excited that my husband thinks he can do the rounded design. That curve will mimic the curves we already have around the backyard garden and the curved edge we envision for the patio.

Another option we have discussed, one that is still on the table depending on what we discover when we're stone shopping, is using a large, thick rectangular stone to be an instant step.

Also, I am not necessarily sure we'll need two steps. It may just end up being one. In that case, I will probably arrange the stepping stones in some sort of curved, entrance area right in front of the step.

stepping stones yet again

Ok, so the dear husband and I have agreed on doing simple stepping stones for now with the option to add gravel in the future. So our stones will be flush with the ground and have grass growing around them. Like this photo except I am planning on using irregularly shaped flagstones.

 We're also doing a stepping stone path alongside the edge of the house, leading from front yard to back. I figured we might as well buy all the stone at once!

more on stepping stones

We've been checking out mountains of books from the Library. The great debate is what goes between the stones in the path – gravel? grass? other plants? Some favorite inspirations below:

imagine a stepping stone path