Getting hammered in the cistern paddock, part 1

So we envision that the cistern paddock is a going to be the hang-out spot.

It's in the back of the house so there's privacy. There's some good shade from the many trees. And the cistern house itself could turn into a super-cool bar or bathroom one day.  As a reminder, here's how it started.

We recently decided to use the pecan mulch from the tree limbs that had to come down last spring to fill in the area and keep the weeds down.  We also decided to build a flowerbed in the front to add color and (hopefully) put plants that will repel mosquitoes. But before we could do that, we had to pull out some concrete.  This step (?) was in front of the cistern house door.

You can see where it once rested.  Once we got the shovels under it we were able to move it easily.  A few taps with the sledgehammer and it was in pieces.

Since that was so easy I decided to try the concrete peeking out from what was once the clothes line pole. That didn't go so well...

Unbeknownst to me at the time, the concrete base was about two feet across and a foot thick!

Seriously--who needs this much concrete for a CLOTHES LINE???  What were they hanging--chain mail?

So rather than destroy my back (Larry understandably didn't go near the sledgehammer) we decided to rent a jackhammer.  Yeah...

It honestly wasn't as bad as I feared, and it did the job far better than the sledgehammer.

Not only was there concrete, there was a ring of rebar and the whole thing was piled on top of more chunks of leftover granite from the monument company.  So we had to jackhammer through granite towards the bottom.

But unfortunately, we STILL couldn't get the pole out.  It's buried further down and the portion under the concrete is drill pipe.

The other one wasn't any easier.

And at the end of the day the pole was still standing.  It didn't even budge when I made the mistake of hanging from it like monkeybars (at which point I felt every muscle in my back revolt). Since we can't dig these out, our plan is to just cut them off as low as we can and cover over them.  If anyone has any suggestions on how we might make that happen, please share!

For creation of the flowerbed I had to dig a trench for the flowerbed border.  Why on earth we didn't think of this plan during the MONTHS of rainy weather when the ground is soft, I have no idea. Nope. Now that the ground is hard and dry, THAT'S when we start digging a 5" trench to insert the flowerbed border.

So clearly this project is nowhere near finished.  But on the bright side, while we were cleaning up we found a couple nests that had fallen out of the trees in the bad weather.  We put them back in the trees and along the fence posts, and it took no time for new residents to install themselves.  A cardinal took advantage of this nest.  You can clearly see that she added fresh straw to line the old nest before laying her eggs.  And while we were working, she was closely monitoring our activities.

Hopefully the jackhammer didn't disturb the little cardinals too much!  

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy

New porch steps and pergola

The porch is back up.  Last week new concrete pads were laid for the front steps and pergola area.

The siding has been powerwashed to get the old (lead) paint off.

And in just a few hours, the new front steps were done too.

Still no air conditioning yet, but it won't be long now.

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy

Almost air conditioning

The most dramatic development over the last couple weeks is the addition of the HVAC system, made possible in part by the new attic stairs.

 Check it out!!! So it's not operable yet. But the duct work to each room seems done. 

And the wiring to the breaker box seems virtually complete too.

It should be just a little longer until it's operational.  I'm pretty stoked about the operable windows, but having AC will be such a game-changer!

The last few weeks also saw more details on the new kitchen cabinets.

The new cabinets and the old cabinets are going to be so closely matched, it's going to be hard to tell them apart.

Also, the porch is going back on, which is great now that the weather is so hot again.  The porch is almost always comfortable, even in June and July.

More yardwork is in store tomorrow.  I'm going to have fun with a jackhammer.

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy

New kitchen cabinets and other messes

The house is an absolute mess right now.  As you might expect, sawdust and dirt are everywhere.  Almost every room has tools, equipment, or wires.  But that's the sign of good progress.  In fact, the new bank of cabinets is shaping up. 

To the left of the new cabinets is the original ironing board cubby, which we're keeping.

The door has been sanded down.

The original cabinets are being sanded too.  The kitchen windows now open, and a new pane replaced a broken one on the right window.

 All of the windows open so well now, most of them with just one finger.

To save money, we did not restore the top panes to functionality, so we have a few weights leftover.

 In the pool room, the built-in bench has been wired for plugs.

And the piano is in the process of its reincarnation.

I've never seen the guts of a piano before.  It's pretty cool, actually. If anyone has any ideas for what we could do with this, please share.

 The ceiling in the hallway has been trimmed out and the door frames are being sanded.

The subfloor for the bathroom is complete and some of the rotten spots on the walls have been replaced with plywood.

  After I took a few pictures, Larry "supervised" while I pulled up some weeds.

The porch isn't back on yet.  But at least all the old, broken-up concrete that surrounded the porch is gone.  With the concrete up, I was able to dig up some aggressive weeds that kept making their way through the cracks.

We are still dealing with water under the porch, but with all this rain, it's not as bad as I expected.

And we were lucky enough to score a major Craigslist find today.  We spent last night in Austin and decided to check the site for the Austin area while we were in town.  Someone posted 4 authentic Louis Ghost Chairs just 5 hours before we checked and (since we were up before six--ugh) we were the first to respond.  Since they're clear acrylic, they take up no visual space and stack up for easy storage.  But if someone wanted to use Stephen as a dining table instead of a work table, you could easily pull up the chairs.  They're the perfect height for Stephen (who is a little dusty right now--apologies).

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy

Things are looking up part 2

The ceiling treatment is done!  Over the last week or so the guys finished the kitchen.  And it looks like the electrician finished the rough-in for the ceiling lights in the kitchen too.

The sleeping porch ceiling is complete as well.

On the outside of the house, the broken concrete that was directing water under the house was removed and the driveway was leveled off.

Here's a brief clip of the patio being removed, courtesy of our contractor Terry:

The wood for the front porch was primed.  

The boards are now ready for installation.  

And the electrician started digging to run the wire from the pole to the house underground.

I know the windows and trim are mostly finished too, but I don't have any pictures right now.  We are probably heading out there on Sunday and will have more photos.  Dad says that the windows work so well, you can lift them with one finger. In addition to all of this activity, Mom and Dad were finally able to mow.  With so much rain, it's been difficult to find a day dry enough to get out there.

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy