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schoolhouse_gw

Future home of the outdoor porch

schoolhouse_gw
10 years ago

The 1/2 ton of gravel was delivered yesterday afternoon and this morning I got it hauled down to the area and spread about. I filled two 5gl.buckets, placed them one at a time on the deck of my zero turn mower, between my legs, and zipped back and forth like 10 times.

1/2 ton didn't look like enough when it was dumped at the bottom of the driveway, and I nearly called for some more. But now I realize it was right on. Now if I could get the guy here to start building the porch before snow starts to fly.

This is the same spot my old trellis house used to stand.

Comments (25)

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    10 years ago

    Oh boy! I can't wait to see the pictures. Nice job dong all that hauling!

  • schoolhouse_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks thyme. I've been thinking about buying this Power Barrow. I've gone to the dealership like three times to look it over and even took my checkbook this morning! Had them take it outside and let me play with it awhile. Well, for one thing even tho it's not very big it's kind of heavy and doesn't pivot. So if you have to turn it, you gotta lift it up a bit. You squeeze a handle on the right to release the bucket but you still have to tilt the bucket up and over manually. I really would have liked to have had a load of stone or gravel in it to see how it managed. Has a pull-start, I hate those, but this Barrow was pretty darn easy to start actually.

    Anyway it cost $1490(!), so I told the guy that I really wanted it but didn't want to make a mistake for that much money. So I'll think about it again in the Spring. Too bad it doesn't come with a seat attached! ha.

    Someone on GW, Cottage Garden, has an outdoor porch. I was thinking it was Mary lou? Whoever it was they posted a pic of it once. She called it a porch so that's where I got the idea.

  • mary_lu_gw
    10 years ago

    Hey schoolhouse...great memory! Yes, it was me. I am looking forward to seeing your porch! I think there may be several porches without houses out and about now! We still have people stopping occasionally asking about it. Please post pics when you get it built. Hopefully yet this fall! :-)

    Here's our porch...(this is an old pic, looked for a more recent one but couldn't find one. It really hasn't changed much, just have roses in front of the picket fence now.)
    {{gwi:307655}}

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    10 years ago

    ML, I've always admired your porch and some day I am going to have something like this in my garden. I'm shooting for next year. Fingers crossed! Do you remember the name of the paint color you used? It's a very attractive green.

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    Oh, how pretty! I want one, too! Can't wait to see your when it is finished schoolhouse.

    Mary Lu, I also would love to know the color of that green. I have wanted to paint some chairs that exact color.

  • gardenstateblossom (NJ 6b)
    10 years ago

    Mary Lu, your "porch" is breathtaking!

    The windows in back, the green paint, the gorgeous floor, -- how cozy and inviting!

    Since I don't have a large front porch, I'd love to have something similar in my backyard. Will have to show my husband this photo. :D

    Just lovely...thanks for posting!

  • mary_lu_gw
    10 years ago

    thyme2dig, sorry but I can't tell you what the color is. We custom matched it to a color that was originally used for trim by the previous owner of the house. We decided to change the paint color/scheme on our house and used the green for the primary color. This is a picture of the garage and back of the house. We will be painting the garden porch this coming summer to pull in some of the other 2 trim colors.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes - there it is! Oh thank you for posting a pic Mary lu. I have to ask, how is the base of your floor built? Did you lay down treated 4X4's as skids first? use tongue and groove boards for the floor? The TG boards were too expensive so I'm going with treated 8" wide boards, sawed to a 4" width to get the more narrower look I want.

    My "porch without a house" is going to look alot like a Bronson Pinchot project - with repurposed porch columns with chippy paint and the whole thing left to weather to a nice grey patina. No roof per se, only boards across or even some dead limbs and long straight branches I've been throwing on a special heap until I need them. I want it to look like it is part of the wild flowers and weeds down there. But the whole project is stalled as I wait on the builder to decide how much he's going to charge me. I wanted to just go get the materials but I don't think he's too keen on that. The snow is going to start flying pretty soon so I sure wish he'd come around.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Mary lu, do you mind if I do a right-click on your photo and save the pic of your porch to my files?

  • mary_lu_gw
    10 years ago

    schoolhouse, no problem. Save away! :-)
    Hope you get your porch built yet this fall. They are calling for snow an hour or so north of us for tonight. I think my winter will soon be here!

  • mary_lu_gw
    10 years ago

    Sorry I didn't answer your questions about how it is built. I will have to ask DH and right now he is in the hospital following knee replacement surgery this morning. He should be able to come home on Friday so will ask him this weekend. Hope that's ok?

  • hosenemesis
    10 years ago

    Amazing ambition.
    I can't wait to see it.
    Renee

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    10 years ago

    ML, hope your husband is doing ok. i guess it's good he had the surgery at the end of gardening season. You both do so much around the house/yard.
    And if I recall, he builds everything, right? Including that awesome custom picket fence in front?

    I would be very curious about the back of the porch. It looks like maybe 4x4 squares with the panes inserted? I'm going to be putting a fence in along the edge of the backyard. Part will be low split rail, but then I want to merge into a taller fence that is a bit see- through, but not store-bought lattice necessarily, and then I would like to use your other idea of inserting some iron into it or make it more decorative. I'll have to bring my ipad to the paint store so I can try to match your color. It really is a great shade of green.

  • mary_lu_gw
    10 years ago

    thyme2dig, if you are that serious about the color, I can give you the "recipe" for it. I took a picture of the top of the can so that I would have it again in the future. We had the color mixed in Sherwin Williams Duration paint. Let me know and I can post the picture of the recipe if it will help.

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    Mary lu, I would love it if you would post a picture of the formula! It is a marvelous color and ever since I first saw pics of your house, I have been suffering from paint envy!

    Thanks!

  • mary_lu_gw
    10 years ago

    Schoolhouse, so sorry for the hi-jack! Have you made any more progress on your porch? Winter is fast approaching here. We are supposed to get down into the teens tomorrow night. Brrrrr....

    The picture (paint formula) is on my other computer. I will post it tomorrow.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Don't worry about the hijack, I enjoy reading about and seeing your porch.

    Well, since my builder informed me that he will have to buy special screws and fasteners because I'm using treated wood, the cost will go up $100 from my original amount I budgeted for it. It's best I wait until next month (paycheck) now to have him build. Yes, it will be December....unless there is a foot of snow. I'll consider it a Xmas gift to myself.

    I want nails in the floorboards and not screws, after all it's not a deck. Men -you gotta watch 'em.

  • lavender_lass
    10 years ago

    Schoolhouse- I'm glad the porch is going to be your Christmas present. I thought I posted earlier, but wanted to say it's going to be beautiful. Such a wonderful place, for a cup of tea and a break from working in the garden. Nice to sit and enjoy the view :)

    ML- That porch is adorable. I'm saving it to my files, too..hope you don't mind!

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    Schoolhouse, yes, I cannot wait to see your finished porch! You can bet I will be wishing for my own-actually I already am-you have inspired me!

  • schoolhouse_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Builder will be here some day the first week of December. Yay!
    I mentioned to him on the phone awhile ago that I'd prefer the look of nail heads in the floor boards. He said no he's using screws because of the treated wood but he'll use small headed screws, end of conversation. :( I guess they don't make special nails, just screws, for treated wood?

    He also said he'd still try to find some older wood (weathered for example) for around the top. That's encouraging. Maybe he does know the look I'm shooting for. Well at this point I'm just glad it's getting done, but isn't it the way things are now days? Plus a woman really has to educate herself on building and building materials to stand a chance. ha.

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    10 years ago

    I've learnt the hard way, to get what you want you have to stand your ground, you know the look you're going for so insist. I can hardly wait to see the final results. Just a little green with envy, if I had the room I'd have one too.

    Annette

  • schoolhouse_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Annette, I called his phone and left a message telling him I'd rather have the nail heads in the porch floor and not the screws, and that I'd think he could find special treated or galvanized nails just as easily as he could the screws. I did say it all very nicely. He's probably shaking his head right now. : )

  • koszta_kid
    10 years ago

    One of my customer. Had them use square nails.When we remodeled found them in our house-hand made.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well, since the government put new regulations on treated lumber it's been said that regular screws and nails will be eaten away. Thus the use of specially treated fasteners is required. The old square nails you found won't work. But now I'm curious as to what material those square ones are made of. I have quite a few too in various coffee tins sitting about in the garage and barn.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Today the "porch without a house" or maybe I should just call it a garden "Folly", was built. Right off the bat, there was miscommunication about how the floor boards should run. I had told him to lay them the long way, he bought boards to lay across. I caught the error just as he got his saw set up and was about to cut. He had to leave and go get the proper boards.

    Even tho I stood down there and supervised and was able to redirect some decisions he made on his own, there are some things I would have done differently - like wider boards around the top, but let it go. Plus he said he wasn't able to find the weathered gray boards like I had hoped. I'm think I might be able to replace them in the future. And like anything new, I'll have to get used to it. I'll try to take some pics tomorrow.

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