Project #2 "The backyard" Part 3

The final push to finish the back yard up, most if not all of this work was completed after winter.  I wanted to give the ground as much time to settle as possible.

Since starting this the neighbor and I are no longer on speaking terms.  In fact we came back from vacation to having found out that he cut into our rain downspout and diverted it to his roof.  Which would cause more water to run into our backyard.  Enough about that though.

This phase saw us starting to grow grass and beginning to really enjoy the yard.  We brought in 2 tons of red stone for the second tier, bought a gazebo, and a shed.  Oh and to everyone's excitement we planted flowers which were promptly killed from the waterfall from the neighbors roof.  My wife wasn't to happy but I am glad to say that the planter boxes are helping a little bit with the diversion of water from the house.

Second planter box being built.

Project #2 "The backyard" Part 2

Now that the first tier wall is in place we started back filling in the dirt to the wall.  We also took the time to begin "flattening" the second and third tier.  My family learned how hard yard work can be and the importance of drinking plenty of water.  When this work was being completed we started early in the morning when it was cooler and around lunch time only my older son and I were still out working.

But I can honestly say I lost so much water weight during these days that my pants didn't fit by the end of most days.  We actually got a large amount of work done during this phase before my son had to head back home.

I wouldn't mind doing it again but really wish that my neighbor would keep his opinions to himself and fix the problem on his end.  Remember this all started because of his water running off his roof.

Everyone is working so hard.

Project #2 "The backyard" Part 1

Now that the kitchen was completed we were hoping to start the living room.  But disaster struck when during a heavy rain storm we discovered a major problem with the neighbors property.  The water runs off of our neighbors roof and straight into our backyard.  Then after pooling there it creates a river down the side of our house and into the lower tunnel leading to the street.  Which in turn flooded our basement.

After speaking with him and showing him pictures and video he said he would fix it.  But after seeing what his idea was off fixing it my wife and I decided to take matters into our own hands.

So a plan was created to tier the back yard and pull as much water from the house as possible.  Hard to do when your house is downhill from your backyard.

See the muddy river have flowing from the neighbors waterfall from his roof.

Project #1 "The Kitchen" Completed

Jump ahead a few months and we have completed the kitchen.  There are still some small odds and ends to tiddy up but we now have a functional kitchen which is much better than what we had before.

My wife is happy because this is now one room of the house that does not require massive work and now I can concentrate on other areas of the house.

Not to girly, but not to manly either.

Project #1 "The Kitchen"

The first thing that needed to be done was the kitchen, if nothing else we needed to make sure that the food we made was going to be made in a safe environment. After spending a few days ripping out the old equipment that was in there we discovered a large amount of mold that had taken root in the wall behind the old counter top.

This almost halted us moving in because our son has severe allergies to everything and it would not have been a good environment for him to be in.  So after pulling out everything and ripping out and replacing the drywall we were ready to begin.  I do not have any pictures of what the kitchen looked like other than before me moved in.  So here are some in progress shots.

The best and worst part of this part of the renovation was that my wife learned the phrase "2 weeks" and what that really means.  We ordered our cabinets, flooring, and appliances from Home Depot.  I designed the kitchen with there sales person to get the most cabinets into the small space as available and make it a more efficient layout.  We decided on unfinished oak cabinets so that we could stain/paint them ourselves.  The flooring was a bamboo laminate that would be sturdy to scratch and easy to lay down.  This required special order and was the second most expensive investment in the room.

A stove was in order as we did not have one and I wanted a glass cook-top.  I am so glad that we got that because its so easy to clean up.

This is actually the second time laying the floor down.

The purchase.....and the start of something crazy.

Back in February of 2012 my wife and I decided to purchase small home in Pottsville, PA.  We were not looking for something that was going to put us into to much debt and would need to be large enough for our family.

We found this little gem of a house located in the city of Pottsville, PA about 2 blocks from the Yuengling Brewery at the end of 2011.  Its a decent 5 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, with a fenced yard and large windows.  It also shared some charm from its original use as a home built back in 1900.  That's right this home is over 100 years old.

For me the house had the most important features that I look for when hoping to buy.  Sturdy walls, roof, and solid floors.  Let me be clear here that the wood paneling and drop ceiling were not something that I look for in a house.  To me these things are used to cover up bad work or something much worse.

I did happen to sneak a few peaks at the ceiling above and noticed that someone had already pulled down the plaster ceiling and lathe that was up there.  Hoping that this was done throughout the house I was saddened to see that the plaster was still on the walls.

After much thought we decided to purchase the house and move into it and do the renovation ourselves.

The living room.