Summer Projects
 

What has everyone been up to over the long summer while you waited for boarding season to be back in swing?



I'll go first...

I have been working on my back yard since march. Here's a picture of what I started with...

Attachment 8177

I dug out the hill back to the property line and installed a 5 ft tall retaining wall. The wall is on a radius with 6ft tall columns at each end. I also installed some lighting that is activated on a dusk/dawn system.

Attachment 8178


After I got that finished up, I started on a 22' x 14' stone paver patio. I ripped out the wooden steps from the porch that led to a 2' x 2' concrete lab and a bunch of grass, and dug out the patio area. Then I had to build some new steps and added a fire pit. The last part, that I haven't finished yet, is building a flower bed up against the house (hard to see behind the table and chairs). The base is already roughed in, so I just have to stack and glue the blocks on and throw some roofing cement/pond liner on the foundation below the siding.

Attachment 8179

After that a fence is going up and planting some grass so my dogs can run around in the back yard.


So what have you guys been working on?

now that is one impressive retaining wall! Good job sir!

I started my basement "Kid Cave" last september. Then snowboarding season hit and all work stopped. I started again a few weeks ago.

I finished framing this is a shot of the bath, kitchen and smaller sitting room
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/p...7-28123431.jpg

Here we cut and moved the waste stack to make more open flow
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/p...8-04112323.jpg

Start of insulation and drywall, I don't want to hear the kids
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/p...8-10220452.jpg

This is the larger rec room area,
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/p...8-18173948.jpg

Then my car breaks and brings everything to a stand still again!!!!!!
Rebuilt front suspension now
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/p...8-26123044.jpg

I need this basement DONE before the start of this season otherwise wife won't buy the passes .....

Looking Good!!

I helped a buddy put drywall in a very small bathroom in his basement and putting half sheets on the ceiling was a chore. I bet hanging full sheets was a bitch.

I don't know how your wife is, but mine seems to think that when I start on a huge project like these, it will be done in one or two days. I have been hearing the same thing from mine; No passes or new gear until you finish the back yard!

We've built/renovated/remodeled enough stuff that when I tell her how long it takes I'm dead on.
My issue is finding that said block of time. Usually its 10 minutes here 3 hours there, 1/2 hour he and there. Recently I did get a few 8 hour blocks to get a ton of progress made.
If I can keep that up I'll be good

Nice backyard!

Hah, hanging drywall is only the somewhat shitty part, wait till you have to mud it :laugh:. Ceilings suck for everything though, whether you're hanging or painting.

Luckily, he hired someone to tape and mud. I helped in paint it and you're right, ceilings suck!

Ive only done drywall repair not tape/mud an entire area like this. I can skim coat great, lots of practice with that on the last house we rehabed.
I figure I"m still saving money I have to do it.
This $5000 investment is netting me a return of nearly $40K in increased value. Its worth the suffering, and the reward of the kids having a place to go and keeping the noise away from parents, priceless ....

Totally know what you mean, we bought our house unfinished and did all of the labor ourselves (my dad does every trade). It's a fantastic way to gain a lot of home equity without spending much. Grant you the housing market is still shit here so that investment seems like a whole lot of nothing atm :dunno:, but what comes down eventually goes back up.