Backyard Project: Problem Solving, Finding Solutions

Lower Patio - constructed on the old hot tub pad. 

A problem - the enclosed area doesn't drain after a rainfall.

When working on one-off projects so much of the time is spent problem-solving.

Hmmm... the water has nowhere to go. 

Hmmmm....there's a nice damp place.

Solution - drain holes.

A problem - The excavations for the 2 sheds has exposed more of the house foundations which now makes the stepped edge of the house siding look odd. Mike has relocated the main irrigation pipe along the side of the house and Josh has started to rebuild and patch-up the siding. He had to hunt around quite a few lumber suppliers to find wood to match our 14-year-old house.

Problem solved. Josh did an excellent job finding a pleasing solution and skillfully working with the wood to solve the problem. When the rest of the wall is washed and repainted the colours will match better. Well done Josh.

Problem - Finding a mesh for the upper propagation table shelf.

Perhaps the leftover screen material from the gate? No, there is not enough and it would be very expensive to buy another sheet when only a part of a sheet is needed.

When products are sold in standard sized sheets and one is working with non-standard shapes there is often extra expense and waste because more sheets are needed than get fully used.

Another possibility? A leftover piece from a roll of metal mesh used to put inside a concrete form had the right price and size. Problem - it was already beginning to rust and I would accelerate the process when watering the plants sitting on it.

Also, it was a bit too springy and bouncy. The small pot plants would fall over whenever I placed a big pot beside it.

Solution? Leftover shelves from a shelving unit in the garage. It is a heavy gauge steel that can take the weight and Josh could work out a solution for securing it. Problem - I have other plans for those shelves. With now having sheds to put stuff in we are going to reorganise the garage and I plan to put the shelves on the shelving unit where they belong.

Solution. Ron and I visited a metal warehouse - a most interesting place. They have so many different kinds of metal sheets. We found this galvanised extruded (?) metal screen. It won't rust and is flat so the pot plants won't tip over. Problem solved.

Josh had the right tool to cut the sheet to size and he found a solution for securing it in place.

That was a problem that took a number of weeks to solve but we did come up with a successful solution.

Back yard Project: Eagerly Anticipated Shed Cladding Begins

It was a big day when the cladding crew arrived. It was the same crew who worked on the studio and did such an excellent job.

The first stage of the job is the most time consuming and detailed.

Nortek Exteriors is the great company we have worked with.

All of the edge pieces need to be measured, cut, shaped and secured in place. 

The design of the 2 sheds has many corners to test the skill level of the crew but they have proven they are up to the job.

Every power outlet needs its own little box constructed around it.

Sheet metal workers are trained to cut, shape and attach metal in a wide variety of applications including cladding aeroplanes and making cooling and heating ducting systems. It is most interesting to watch them at work with their wide variety of tools - hand and electrical.

The first of many corners is clad.

On to cutting the steel sheets to fit. 

Sheet metal workers need to have strong spatial skills including the ability to read lines making positive and negative shapes.

Whoo hoo! The first interior wall is clad - now all of the corners and edges have been covered.

My potting area has its interior cladding.

Meanwhile, Josh is working in wood tidying up the cladding of the house where more of the foundations have been exposed.

Backyard Project: Many tasks going on at the same time this week

Project Area: Windows installed by Josh.

Different work crews worked in different areas around the Backyard Project job site this week with Josh coordinating them all.

Sheds: The shed doors were delivered and put inside their respective sheds. 

Irrigation and House Siding: Josh and Mike consult on where the irrigation pipe will go along the side of the house so it fits in with the tidy up of the siding Josh is planning to do on the recently exposed foundation wall.

Propagation Room: Now the paving crew has left Josh has reinstalled the propagation table.

Irrigation: Mike does a test and makes adjustments to all of the sprinkler heads and sets up all of the different zone programs.

Shed Cladding: A flatbed truck arrives with the shed cladding material, corrugated steel sheets, the same as the cladding on the studio.

Unloading the Steel Sheets: The operator uses a remote controller to offload the heavy pack of steel sheets from the truck to a location as close as possible to where they are needed.

Steel Sheets on Lower Patio: It takes 4 people to get the steel sheet package in position on the lower patio. Each sheet has to be carried up 9 steps and along the upper patio to the sheds but it is the closest flat location strong enough to support the weight. I hope the new paving is up to it.

Shed Doors: Josh installed the doors

Propagation room: Josh reinstalled the upper shelf.

Propagation Room: Josh installed the waterproof layer on the propagation table.

Josh did a great job coordinating all of the different tasks going on on the job site this week.

Eco-Threads Exhibition at Coast Collective, Colwood

Eco-Threads is a juried exhibition put on jointly by Vancouver Island Surface Design Association and the Coast Collective in Colwood, on from June 28 to July 9, 2017. 

There will be an artists' reception from 3 to 5 pm followed by a themed fashion show from 7 to 9:30 pm.

All of the work juried into the exhibition and all of the garments in the fashion show have a connection with recycling, re-purposing, or reusing. Some are the result of a studio practice that is kind to the environment while others are about the environment.

The lovely image in the exhibition poster is Bryony Dunsmore's work.

Douglas-fir: Wind Drawing

I am happy to say my entry was juried into the exhibition.

It is about a Douglas-fir tree in our back yard. The middle part is a drawing done in ink by a branch of the tree on a windy day. The different fabrics are from old bedsheets. The middle one was composted under the tree canopy before being drawn on.

The exhibition is one of many being held during the Northwest Weavers Conference being held at the University of Victoria. The conference theme is 'Treddle Lightly.' It is completely sold out but the exhibitions and the Merchants Mall are open to the public.

It is going to be a fun weekend.

Backyard Project: Reworking the Pavers to 'Use What You Have'

A new collection of tools means a new crew has turned up.

The paving crew will make a major change to the feel and look of the place.

Josh took down the propagation table frame so the pavers could work easily in the area.

First, they evened out to soil base, placed and raked an even layer of sand then compact it with this noisy vibrating machine - a compactor or a wacky - depending where you come from.

What a transformation in the propagation area. I was so pleased to have less dirt tracked into my office as I come and go to the studio.

The crew then moved up to the lower patio area to add extra pavers to make the patio a more comfortable size to move around on.

It was the same area Josh and Taylor were working in forming up for the concrete walls but the teams were able to work around each other.

They took pavers out of here and added them there to make cleaner lines and more obvious pathways. All of the edges had to be set with concrete to keep them in place.

This area between the modified path and the gravel bed garden is a bonus garden bed I had not visualised previously. Now I can enjoy planning plantings in yet another garden bed.

The lower patio is enlarged and tidied up. It goes right up to the stone steps leading down to ground level.

The pavers are extended along the side of the house to the new shed area.

All of this paving has been done reusing the original pavers. Josh and Taylor were careful to not break any when lifting them out of the way before they started on the construction. It was one of the first things they did. Taylor stacked them away from all of the action to keep them safe. 

We had looked into getting more pavers but they would have had a different finish to these 13-year-old ones and would  have looked new so we wanted to make the most of every single one we had. 

There are 2 more places left where the pavers will be reworked and we have our fingers crossed there will be enough.

That permaculture principle is at work again - 'Use what you have.'

Backyard Project: Hot Tub Area Converted to Hot Garden Bed

Equipment needed to convert a hot tub area into a hot garden bed - a noisy concrete drill, rebar, a rebar bender (out of sight).

After attaching rebar in strategic places Josh is building formwork to support concrete while it is setting, hardening and curing.

He is following Jonathan Aitkin's (architect) drawings ...

...who followed my very rough conceptual sketches.

Both sides of the formwork for the concrete walls are in place. Jonathan designed the concrete walls to be the same as the 2 concrete garden boxes on the right. These 2 concrete garden boxes are the only ones built like this in the whole place. They stood out. Being connected to a whole area of the same design they now look as though they belong. Once they are planted they will look even better.

The concrete wall makes a good sized garden bed on the east side. 

I have great plans for this spot.

Josh and Taylor put in a long day to get the concrete mixed and in place. This area is below 9 steps and above another 9 steps so it is rather an awkward place to work. Josh decided it was easiest to mix all of the concrete and place it by hand rather than get in machines. There wasn't enough concrete needed to justify a concrete truck with a pumper truck and telescoping hose to reach the spot. It took a lot of muscle power to carry bags of cement and wet mixed concrete all day. They did a great job.

The wet concrete was covered at night to keep the frost off it (this was back in March) and uncovered during the day.

Once the concrete had cured the clamps and formwork came off and viola, a garden bed area. Josh has to make the single step down into the area then my work can begin. I have already ordered some of the plants to go here.

Another structure in Phase 2  of the Backyard Project nearly completed