Welcome to Andre's previous jungle

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The discussion revolves around a landscaping project aimed at transforming a front yard into a more aesthetically pleasing space after the birth of a child. The project involves significant physical labor, including clearing out dense vegetation and laying bricks for a new patio area. Progress updates show various stages of work, with contributions from family members, including children. There are challenges with weather affecting productivity, and discussions about leveling the ground and ensuring proper drainage for rainwater. The project is evolving into a bistro-style space, with plans for planting and decorative elements like a water ornament. The community is engaged, with members expressing excitement and offering suggestions. The project also includes plans for future enhancements, such as creating a pond and adding more plants, with a focus on maintaining a cohesive color scheme for the garden. Overall, the project reflects a blend of hard work, family involvement, and community interaction, with anticipation for the final results.
Andre
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It seems to be project time. This used to be my little front yard:

vegetation.jpg


So it was decided to redo it after Myrthe's birth. This was taken yesterday:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project1.jpg

and this at lunch time today. Dinand wants to help too

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project3.jpg

I'll keep you posted
 
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Oh dear!
 
My wife is in the years-long process of making our front lawn into a jungle. She splits up her perennials as they spread and swaps them with her friends and plants the new ones. She can't tell me what a particular plant is, but neither can her friends. If it is "pretty" that's good enough. I wish she would would proceed apace, so I don't have little patchy places to mow and weed-whack.
 
Can't wait to see the result, Andre!
 
Looks like you're making good progress. That was a lot of jungle to clear out. Carrying and mortaring all those bricks isn't that easy either.
 
Gad said:
Can't wait to see the result, Andre!

I hope it goes fast. Incidently the pots in the lower left corner contain the lily of the valley of the pic in the photo contest. I try to save them. Turbo, your spouse may have some.

So this is the situation at the end of this day:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project4.jpg

Obviously there are tell tale signs that Dinand did help indeed.
 
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Borg said:
Looks like you're making good progress. That was a lot of jungle to clear out. Carrying and mortaring all those bricks isn't that easy either.

Thanks Borg, yes it goes well. Luckily Dinands father is helping.
 
So today started out with rain and we got to a late start. Then we had a few hours of productivity. But then it suddenly poured down hard.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project5.jpg

So I used the time to fight windmills in P&WA

But the showers diminished and we could resume work to get here:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project6.jpg

waiting for the first neighbor, inquiring when the first show will be in our amphi-theatre.
 
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What an ambitious project. I can't wait to see the progress reports.
 
  • #10
Looks good so far Andre :D
 
  • #11
Looking very nice Andre!
 
  • #12
Looks nice! Now glue little dolls (like Barbie dolls) walking up and down and around the bricks...make it look like Escher's yard :biggrin:.
 
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  • #13
Splendid idea, Lisa! can Ken come too?

Today was a day with other priorities, no visible progress, but a lot of planning indoors. Tomorrow should show more progress, if the weather cooperates.
 
  • #14
Another productive day today.

It's not too hard to get here, just if you have good ways to get a perfect base, just carrying an awful lot of tiles.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project7.jpg

But to get from there to here, cutting the bording tiles, one by one, that's the real job.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project8.jpg

Now we need three more cubic meters of soil. That for another day :zzz:
 
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  • #15
Wow Andre, looks good already! :D
 
  • #16
Looks great Andre! I did a similar project in my yard in 2005 with 2 cubic yards of dirt so, I know what it's like to move that much dirt and stone.
 
  • #17
Nice. How did you level the ground?
 
  • #18
Thanks Gad, Borg, it's only the beginning. We changed the final destination from amphi-theater to bistro. Looking for the gadgets to order now.

Jimmy Snyder said:
Nice. How did you level the ground?

You can hire gadgets like this



Only a little bit heavier. You equalize the ground along ropes with a slope of 1 : 100 for the rain water. Then lots of vibrating, then equalizing again, then all the tiles go on at once, and after all are in place, another round of vibrating.

You can actually see at some places that the tiles in the penultimate picture are not perfectly level yet.
 
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  • #19
Hi Andre

That looks very professional. Very nice work. So now you are going to invite us all over for a BBQ? :-)
 
  • #20
Thanks NQ, sure everybody is welcome.

The project lingers on, the teraces filling up gradually with dirt.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project9.jpg

That's coming from the back where the patio is being enlarged substantially as the kids complained about it being too small for parties.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project10.jpg

Muscle ache is gone. Past that; I think I could apply for construction worker now.
 
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  • #21
So today Enrunwen and her nephew helped removing all the tiles, as you don't want to just enlarge the patio by adding another parcel. Moreover the tiles are slightly different. So the best thing is to redo the whole patio.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project11.jpg

We continued in the evening to lay the most of the tiles, until the thunderstorm really got to heavy. No picture yet; that's due tomorrow.
 
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  • #22
Andre said:
So today Enrunwen and her nephew helped ...
No wonder it looks so good.
 
  • #23
Pebbles checking out how the the Bistro is nearing completion, although the planting will take some more time.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project12.jpg

The first guests, this afternoon

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project13.jpg
 
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  • #24
Very nice :)
 
  • #25
Excellent work.
 
  • #26
The job ain't done till the short lady sleeps.
 
  • #27
Andre said:
Pebbles checking out how the the Bistro is nearing completion, although the planting will take some more time.
Pebbles looks like a manager coming to check the work. Excellent job Andre!
 
  • #28
Very nice job on a rather ambitious project!
 
  • #29
Beautiful job Andre!
 
  • #30
Thanks all, we bought some plants and stones, today for the finishing tough.
 
  • #31
After some more work done.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project14.jpg

For some reason the joy of doing all that, is increasing with the results it produces. A positive feedback cycle.
 
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  • #32
I can just see you out there taking close up photographs of insects and birds. Very nice Andre.
 
  • #33
Thanks, an update, this is the god's eye view:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/project15.jpg

I've got to decide what to do with this gadget. It was supposed to go in there but maybe it's too sensitive for stealing out there in the open.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/gadget.jpg
 
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  • #34
You could perhaps cement it in place?
 
  • #35
Booby traps.
 
  • #36
Put a hot wire in the water.
 
  • #37
Thanks for the input, all. I'll process the ideas, work out models to test feasibility and I'll write a full report on it.
 
  • #38
Impressive work, Andre! It looks fantastic.
 
  • #39
Beautiful job andre! Love the waterfall.
 
  • #40
Looks great Andre!
 
  • #41
Thanks everybody.

Anyway, the feasibility report.

the water ornament should indeed be fixated somehow, to guard it against an occasional bypasser who might enjoy to own it. The bistro set has been fixed with steel wire as can be seen on the pic. Sure you can cut that, but it requires dedication and will leave traces of the criminal act, for the police and ensurance. Random bypassers, like pub customers, late at night, will likely not carry the equipment for that. But they are welcome to take a seat.

The water ornament however, cannot be fixed so easily. It's polyester and the lower part is the reservoir. Cementing it onto something adds the complication that it can't be removed easily during winter time, as per recommendation of the producer.

But the back yard has high fences around it and it's the idea to make a little pond there in autumn, when I can move the roses, and maybe it's an idea to make the ornament part of it somehow.

Anyway, the next project is a little home for Gizmo as it keeps raining all the time and he wants to be outside, no matter what.
 
  • #42
It's now gated. Boy that took a long time to arrive.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/IMG_0583-1.jpg
 
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  • #43
The gate is a pretty addition.
 
  • #44
Gates year, first Jimmy Snyder, now Andre.

Not to mention fact we have replaced gate to our garage to a new brand, after the old one broke and I got irritated by the producer support.
 
  • #45
Very nice, Andre!

What size are the rectangular bricks comprising the trough - 15 x 30 or 20 x 40 cm? Are the fired clay or cut stone?
 
  • #47
Thanks, all

The bricks, Astro, are indeed fired clay of 15 x 15 x 60 cm weighting 28.5 kg each. That was a lot of exercise.
 
  • #48
dlgoff said:
I can just see you out there taking close up photographs of insects and birds.
Yes, actually I found her there, a couple of days ago. Likely an Emerald Damselfly.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/IMG_0553.jpg

Notice that this genus keep the wings spread and slightly backwards when resting. Other damselflies fold the wings back, while dragonflies keep them spread completely.
 
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  • #49
Neat touch, Andre!
 
  • #50
Love the gate Andre. Neat damsel fly.
 

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