I was all by myself.....DIY Trip Report (Lots of Pics)

[4 High]

Looks alot better, good job.

[GambleGamble]

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very cool....nice job

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[wingo]

looks awesome... great job

[IlPug]

very good work OP

out of curiosity, what is your vocational background?

very impressed

-pug

[Orangeheat]

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very good work OP

out of curiosity, what is your vocational background?

very impressed

-pug

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Thanks. I'm a mechanical/process engineer.

Orange

[*TT*]

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excuse my extreme ignorance because I'm a city brat, we don't have to worry about things like you do in the suburbs.

1) Any thought put into paving your driveway? I would think thats a better investment, am I wrong?

2) Your lawn looks like the soil needs some work, what are the best solutions to grow a very healthy lawn and to assure it remains that way?

3) I think I prefer the foundation fix with the wooden stairs, a mix & match. Do you feel you have lost any part of the rustic charm of the house by replacing the steps?

TT

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1. The driveway is only a year old. With the frosts and winters it is a good idea to let it settle at least a year before paving. Also our road is new and they have not put the top coat of pavement on - so they would have to redo the end of it when they do.

Hopefully by next summer all of the lots are built out and they finish the road so we can pave.

2. The lawn is the project for the rest of this summer. The hydroseeding never took and the soil is a heavy clay. There will be lots of patching/fertilizing/watering this summer to try and fix it up. The neighbors had good luck fertilizing and seeding once a month last year so I am going to attempt that.

3. I don't think so, but I can see preferring one or the other. The house isn't really rustic if you look at it as a whole, more of a colonial feeling in a ranch layout. Either way the stairs had to go as the faulty screws were a safety hazard.

We built a little over a year ago and by next year I think I will have all the details done the way I want them. Lawn, driveway, and the remaining landscape.

Orange

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Please explain the driveway stuff... I assumed you can make a driveway in a weekend, you need to let it settle for a year first? I assume this has to do with physics, but I'm clueless.

Also please explain hydroseeding. Did you try replacing the soil?

Great reply so far, thanks!

TT

[Orangeheat]

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Please explain the driveway stuff... I assumed you can make a driveway in a weekend, you need to let it settle for a year first? I assume this has to do with physics, but I'm clueless.

Also please explain hydroseeding. Did you try replacing the soil?

Great reply so far, thanks!

TT


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With the driveway when they put down the crushed stone after construction you will get settling as both it and the soil it is on compact. You can pave right away, but you have a chance for uneven settling and cracks, etc..

If we let the base sit for a year or so the weight of the cars and time will ensure everything has settled. When we go to pave they can level off the existing base and pave over it as it will be compact and stable.

The other part of it is the road. Same idea there - they put an original layer of pavement down and will come back after all the lots are built to put the top finish layer on. If we do ours before to meet the existing road they will have to patch the end up to meet the final pavement level. Generally these patches are the places to start to crack and crumble first.

Hydroseeding is a method of spraying on grass seed on new lots. Its a mixture of grass seed, fertilizer, and a light mulch. They bring it in a tankler and spray it with a hose about the size of a fire hose. It will generally grow on most soils very quickly to establish the lawn and prevent erosion.

The problem with ours was it was done in Novemeber when grass doesn't grow well. Then spring came and the lawn eroded and I am left with alot of patching.

We have considered just bringing in all new topsoil, but I wanted to get all of the construction/landscaping done ahead of it so we don't tear it up. If fertilizing and seeding doesn't work this summer than I will probably end up doing this after the driveway is done and we don't have to worry about anymore construction work.

Orange

[keikiwai]

Very cool trip report. Nice job.

[neuroman]

Very cool, Orangeheat. Nothing like doing a job yourself. And nice pics.

[heater]

I feel lazy. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Nice work.