Veggie Sarcophagi
Rubble from around the pool and slabs from the old deck get a second life as gopher-proof vegetable planters–little sarcophagi–down where the old dog kennel used to be.
Category: Projects
Sunday Panorama
A Sunday panorama from July 30, 2025, with construction underway.
New Roofs, No Pavers Required
Storm winds peeled the shingles off both wings, so after a stopgap of pavers on garbage bags, Eastman gave us new roofs.
In the Trench, Part 3
In the trench, part 3: new power to the well, and everything back to normal.
In the Trench, Part 2
In the trench, part 2: Able replaces the line from the wellhead to the tank and buries new conduit.
In the Trench, Part 1
In the trench, part 1: a stuck float flooded the well controls, and the pipe to the tank broke.
Long Road to Streaming Automation
The long road to automating our North Garden livestream cameras.
New Doors Acquired
New front doors, in keeping with the house’s Mid-Century Modern style and no more drafty gap.
Changing Colors for Better Sleep
We can’t remodel the master bath yet, so we changed the bedroom colors for better sleep.
Courtyard Landscaping, Before and After
The courtyard landscaping, six months on, before and after.
Stage One Landscaping Completed
Stage one of the landscaping is done, with new pavers, plants and irrigation.
Landscaping in Stages
Landscaping in stages: after firing one landscape architect, the house gardens finally get started.
Finishing the New Story
Railings, pallet racks and the finishing touches on the garage mezzanine.
Second Story in the Garage
A second story in the garage: a new mezzanine, with very heavy stairs.
Once more under the house we go…
Back under the house to clear out the rat’s nest of old phone wires and upgrade the Wi-Fi.
Tiling Success
Original-style tiles fill the old furnace register holes in the kitchen and guest bath.
Shed Video
A walkthrough video of the new shed.
Shed Blinds and the Door
Blinds for the shed, and a cute Charlie Harper door.
Final Shed Bits: All Moved In
The new shed is finally open for business, and the clutter outside my office is gone.
Cladding a Shed
Agent Smith clads the shed interior with Duraclad panels.
Painted Shed
Our favorite painter paints the new shed to match the house.
Constructed Shed
The shed goes up in two days.
Delayed Construction
Adapting the shed plans and finding someone to build it.
Shed Pad Time
A new concrete pad for the shed, with drains.
New Wires
New wiring out to the shed and the outlet under the far mulberry tree.
Pretty Pipes
New plumbing for the shed, and goodbye to the leaky Christy box.
We abhor “We Love Paving”
Why we abhor We Love Paving: they skipped part of the driveway and all of the easement and courtyard.
Weird Outdoor Closet Demolition
Agent Smith and Bambi take down the previous owners’ weird, overbuilt outdoor closet.
A Girl Needs a Shed
A girl needs a shed: planning a proper garden shed to replace the previous owners’ odd one.
Emergency Exit
Reopening an old stretch of road as an emergency exit from our private roads.
Living “Private”
What “private road” really means, and how I ended up organizing the residents to maintain ours.
The Lesser Wall of Purgatory: Part 3
The Lesser Wall of Purgatory: grading, drainage rock and soil between the new wall and the pool.