Chapter 13 (cont): New beginnings and promising horizons

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"Chapter 13: New beginnings and promising horizons are afoot at Rosehaven Cottage"

I never thought I'd love the sight of a safety-orange traffic cone as much as I do the two that are sitting in front of our garage right now.

The work crew was back today bright-eyed and raring to go... except they got word from the county inspector that the inspection would be happening between 1 and 4 p.m. instead of the preferred time in the a.m.

So that kinda put a damper on the crew's plans... kinda...

Most work crews would just kick back and hang out until the inspector came. But not these guys. They had other tasks they could do without the inspector's visit. So they dove right in and hooked up the drains and pipes, drilled into the side of the subterranean storm drain box, created a connection to the downspout coming off the eaves, and finalized them all before the inspector got there. Nice.

Look at how beauteous the connection is on that downspout (below). You have no idea the relief I feel knowing the winter rain will go right down that tube and back to the storm drain instead of gushing out right in front of the garage door.  

In all the excitement of actually getting this job done, I had forgotten that there would be two drains! One drain is in the driveway (below) and the other is in the middle of the utility area of our side yard (above). No more slogging through ankle-deep water in my Sunday shoes on Easter Sunday ever again!

The concrete pour on the footing happened this afternoon once the inspector signed off on the forms and everything. Fortunately, this crew has a great working relationship with the county so the permitting process goes a lot smoother than it could working with another contractor company. It's a joy to work with these guys.

I can't help but smile looking at the beautifully poured concrete footing with the bolts coming out of the top of it. That's where the framing for my new studio window will bolt into the new foundation.

It's all really happening!

Chapter 13: New beginnings and promising horizons are afoot at Rosehaven Cottage

Click here to start at the beginning 
of the story of how Rosehaven Cottage came to be

New beginnings and promising horizons are in the forefront of my mind (my last post was about it). I have reason for them to be. We have several "new beginnings" happening around here. Hence, a new installment, Chapter 13, in the story of how Rosehaven Cottage came to be. And this time we're living through it as I write it.

'Our Lady of Guadalupe' is in full bloom again as if she's excited for the new beginnings too

Every year since 2000, when the winter rains come we've braced ourselves. We knew we were moving into the southernmost part of the rainy region of the "North Bay" and it's notoriety for deluge rain in the winter. What we hadn't anticipated when we bought this home was that our southern property line is, in fact, the lowest point on a long keyhole court with water draining downhill toward us from both directions. That's right... uphill to either side of us.

We soon realized why, during the first year of digging in the back garden, I kept finding completely buried brick walls that had once been part of a terrace system throughout the whole backyard. The water would run with such velocity diagonally across the yard that the 2-3 foot high brick walls were eventually buried in runoff silt, mud and dirt.

So over the course of time since our first winter in 2000-2001, we have installed a cleverly disguised drainage system throughout the back garden so the water is moved away from the house and under the garden instead of through it.

From February 2008: in the midst of installing the drainage system in the back garden.

From March 2008: after the drainage system was completed (click here to read more)

The last piece of this difficult drainage puzzle has been in front of the house.

Our driveway slopes downhill away from the street and toward the house. If the storm drain a few inches from the edge of our driveway is clogged with leaves and debris (as it was last Easter Sunday), water diverts down the driveway straight toward our garage. In 2005, after I had a strong intuitive feeling that we needed to do so, Hubby and my brother jackhammered out the 8'x8' section of driveway right in front of the garage door. They thought I was nuts to insist upon it... that is until 2 months later we had torrential rain that flooded many homes and garages in our town. Ours would have been one of them and we would have lost over a $1000 in building materials being stored there for the other restoration we were doing at the time.

Since 2005, we have had to live with an embarrasing gaping hole in our driveway. First, we filled it with pea gravel and then realized that wasn't the best solution because the neighborhood cats thought it was a giant litter box. Then we moved the pea gravel and used it elsewhere (I always have a purpose for pea gravel in our garden). It remained an empty "pit" for a few years that would get soggy and muddy every time it rained. The last couple of years, we've had larger rocks in it that are difficult for an ankle-spraining-klutz like me to traverse regularly. All the while we knew we needed a permanent solution, but funds had to go elsewhere (like when the south side of the house suddenly started sinking in 2008).

The embarrassing but very necessary hole in our driveway that we've lived with for way too long

Finally, this last spring we determined (thanks to a healthy income tax return) we could venture to ask for a bid for a permanent drainage solution to be put in by the same skilled company that had saved our house and its foundation a few years ago.

We also determined we needed the garage less as a garage (it's too narrow to pull a car into anyway) and more as a studio space for me where I would get the right natural light I need for photography. We concluded that if in the process of installing a drain, we also had a foundation footing constructed across the existing garage door opening it would be advantageous for two reasons. First, it would be further protection against flooding, and second, we could install a beautiful set of windows in the existing opening that would mirror the living room windows on the opposite side of the house. The light from the new east-facing windows would make the space ideal for the official headquarters of Rosehaven Cottage Inc. that currently resides in a bedroom with south- and west-facing windows that are not conducive to the work I do.

We had the foundation company come out and draw up a bid a few months ago and then had to wait for their very busy docket to free up so they could do our job. They are a reputable company with solid ethics and a phenomenal end-result, so they are in high demand.

In the meantime, I was able to get my head around the design of the new studio space; what I would be using it for; and how I was going to accomplish it.

Through much prayerful pondering on the subject, I was led to some conclusions about my own career path. My true passions were brought to the forefront of my mind--photography, historical research and preservation; digital restoration of rescued antique and vintage graphics on paper ephemera; creating digital art from photos and rescued images; and teaching.

I set goals for myself.

I spruced up www.RosehavenCottageStudio.com (my companion blog that focuses on my creative career).

Then I decided to completely overhaul my digital download shop and reopen it as an Etsy store at www.RosehavenCottageDownloads.com with the express purpose of using the proceeds to finance the buildout of my studio space. And I determined that I wanted to do most of the work myself while learning more construction skills and cabinetmaking in the process.

So that "new beginning" started for me about a month ago. And I must admit that writing about it here (or anywhere on my personal social media accounts) is a hard thing to do. I have a hard time being a self-promoter, because I'm always concerned that I will offend someone. But I finally realized that my friends probably want to know about the promising horizons I'm exploring. So I'm going against my natural tendencies and being more open about the goals I'm setting for myself.

There... I did it... back to the house...

Today (August 19, 2013), first thing in the morning, work began on we have waited so many years to see completed. It makes us emotional if we sit and think about it. We have waited so long for our little home to be truly safe in a rainstorm. And... it... is... finally... happening!

By mid-morning today, trenches had been dug for the foundation footing as well as the drain and drain pipe that would take water away from our house underground to connect to a storm drain box we share with our neighbor who also has to deal with flooding issues.

After the end of the workday, I felt it was okay to go out and take more photos. I didn't want to get in their way while they were working so I waited (Hubby took the ones above because he's braver).

The trench for the drain wraps around the corner of the garage and down our side yard to connect to the subterranean storm drain just on the other side of our fence. Our neighbors won't have to have anything dug up on their side. All the work can be done on our side.

The forms for the foundation footing are all constructed and ready for the concrete pour to happen once the county permit inspector gives them the thumbs up.

Another view shows the beautiful rebar work that's been constructed (well... at least we think it's beautiful).

Only a few feet away on the other side of the front porch, our highly prolific but completely unplanned 'Sweet 100' tomatoes are unaware of the goings-on. Planted by tomato-eating critters last summer, these volunteers have given us a produce garden this year even though we didn't think we were going to have one because I was out of commission when planting season was upon us with a back injury, then a cold, then a fibromyalgia flare-up, then another back injury. By the time I was actually functional, the volunteer tomatoes were already producing sweet, ripe, red fruit.

Once again, our needs are being met. We are being watched out for and blessed with what we need, when we need it.  I couldn't ask for more than that.

The 'Sweet 100' tomatoes the critters planted

The Birth of a Workshop

There are some garden projects that fall into the "weekend warrior" category where you can complete them in a day or two, and then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labors. I have plenty of those mostly because I divide up my big mongo projects into smaller increments so I can enjoy a sense of satisfaction along the way. I subscribe to the old adage, "What's the best way to eat an elephant? A bite at a time."

Because of this, many of you have been following the progress of the back garden for well over a year. For a quick refresher of what has transpired, you can click on the following links and take the quick journey:

Before and After: The Drainage Project
If I Had a Hammer... (actually I have two!)
Houston, The Shed Has Landed!
You know you've been working hard when...

After all the sledgehammer wielding and rock throwing, I ended up with a number of raised planters made from recycled chunks of concrete as well as some retaining walls made from the same materials. It was time to get down to business and prep the site for my "Dream Workshop".

The first order of business was to call the landscape guys and have 6 cubic yards of pea gravel delivered to our driveway. And the second order of business was to shovel that pea gravel into the wheelbarrow and haul it one wheelbarrow at a time to the back garden. Here's what almost 6 cubic yards of pea gravel looks like (I'd already started taking loads back when I realized I ought to take a picture)...


After the first day of hauling gravel, the site started to take shape. I learned the best load for me to haul in the wheelbarrow consisted of 20 shovels full of gravel.


After speaking with the installer that would be constructing the workshop, it was decided that I should leave the last section of concrete pad for stability and put pea gravel on top of it. That was fine by me! It meant I didn't have wield my sledgehammer anymore.


By the end of the second day of hauling gravel, the site was really begin to fill in...


After a few more days (5 calendar days in total), the site was completely filled in with all the gravel. It looked exactly how I had pictured it in my head...


There was also enough gravel for me to complete the rest of the drainage area that I put in last year...
With the gravel all in, it all looked seamless--exactly how I'd envisioned...


We only had to wait a couple of days more for the installer to come and put in the workshop. Interestingly, as he was putting it up and getting the shingles on it started to rain for the first time in weeks. He continued to work through the sprinkles and by sundown the workshop was up.


Although I still needed to paint it, I was more than happy to take a couple of days off while it rained.

Once the rain let up, I had to get a floor covering down so we could move all the tools out of the garage in preparation for the foundation work that would commence--in two days. I had one Saturday to get the floor in and the stuff moved before the crew was coming. We chose nice peel-and-stick vinyl floor tiles that look like ceramic tile. I got 100 sq. ft. down in a few hours.


As angry looking clouds gathered overhead, we hastily moved all the tools from the garage. Miraculously, the dark clouds never dropped any rain on us. It was a huge blessing, and I was able to get all the tools organized in their new home by the time it grew dark and chilly outside.


All that work made Sunday's day of rest, even more sweet and special than it usually is. Both of us had nice long naps after church.

Monday came, and it was time to paint. So while the foundation crew was jackhammering and digging around the house to re-level the foundation on the 1961 addition, I had to climb up on the roof of the new workshop and paint the cupola first (easier said than done). Hubby spotted me on the ladder and handed me things, while I maneuvered around on the steep pitch of the roof on my belly while avoiding the two skylights and the ridge vent. The roof pitch sure didn't seem that steep from the ground. It was tricky, but I did it! Whew! Never again will I do that!


Then I tackled the rest of the painting which was far easier. Over the past few days of this week, I've managed to get the front and one side painted with two coats on the trim and the body. With the front done, I thought it was about time I photographed it and debuted it here for all to see!


With an adorable little double-hung operating window, I can open it for ventilation. And the window box is all ready for me to plant some annuals for color. I wonder what I'll plant first... maybe some pansies or some violas.

Houston, The Shed Has Landed!!!!

Well, it's time for a garden update.

In a previous post I wrote about my sledgehammering activities and how I was building a well-draining foundation for a new shed kit that we were going to put in on at the back of the garden.

I also wrote in a more recent post about my installation of the pea gravel into drainage trenches as well as the foundation pictured at left.

After all of that hammering and hauling it finally came time to construct the shed kit that we had purchased last year to go in this spot. The kit had been sitting under tarps during the rainy season, so there were some interesting critters when we uncovered it prior to construction. Some of the corrugated cardboard from the shipping container had deteroriated enough that an large earthworm family had decided to take up residence. They were relocated to one of the veggie planters. And a small Pacific tree frog had also decided the cardboard container was a good home. The frog was gently escorted to a nice sheltered spot next to the pond under some gazanias.

The shed kit was not easy to construct due to a set of instructions that mostly devoid of words and only used graphic illustrations and photographs for guidance. And quality assurance isn't all that great in anything nowadays so some of the parts needed some "coaxing" to fit together. But after two successive evenings of Hubby patiently tolerating my inability to "play well with others" when it comes to doing a joing project, the shed was finally up!

Drumrolll please...

TAH-DAH!!!!!

Hubby went out the following evening and screwed in all the final screws that hold everything down. I still have yet to go out and position my shelves and hangers on the walls. I'm just happy it is done! It's petite 6x8 foot dimensions are so much more appropriate for the space than the 20x20 foot monstrosity that was there before and, thanks to wood rot and termites, was basically a safety hazard. Don't have to worry about termites with this new little number! It's all plastic. And it has a skylight along the "ridgepole" of the roof and two little windows on the sides to let in natural light so it isn't a dungeon. It even has venting on the front and back. Tucked under the big oleander it shouldn't be too sauna-like in the heat of the summer (at least I hope).

So here are some more views of the new shed that now sits nestled at the back of the garden in back of the pond, the plum tree, the pomegranate, and the Eureka lemon tree. The photos below were taken yesterday (yes, in our neck of the woods this is what it looks like in April).

Before and After: The Drainage Project

I have mentioned many times before that our home sits at the low point of our street with everyone's water from both directions heading toward us in a big rainstorm.

A few summers back my brother came between semesters at his university and, with pickaxe in hand, dug a massive trench in the hardened clay soil. He lined the deep trench with river rocks and dubbed it "Trenchy" (said with a heavy French accent... emphasis on the "ee"... just because my brother said it that way).

"Trenchy" became the main dry river bed (or "arroyo") that led all other drainage efforts to the back corner of the property where a large county storm drain sits just on the other side of our property line. Each successive drainage project was heavily dependent on "Trenchy". One hidden drain system next to the house was even dubbed "Trenchy Junior".

As I've gone out during winter storms and observed the flow of rainwater since "Trenchy" was dug, I knew that there would be further adjustments over time once I figured out what we were doing with everything else back there. Last summer, I got into "Trenchy" and removed all the river rocks that had lined its banks. Most of the rocks were buried in layers of silt and their beauty was wasted with them buried like that. Since I was demolishing a large concrete slab adjacent to "Trenchy" it made more sense to remove all the river rock and replace them with large chunks of recycled concrete. Then the lovely river rocks could be used decoratively elsewhere around the garden, including filling the head of "Trenchy" with a bed of river rocks that supports the new flagstone sitting area that I put in next to the pond just last fall. The river rocks are great for draining the water out of the hidden "aquifer" that is under the flagstones built with crushed concrete, pea gravel, and sand. You can see the river rocks against the flagstones in the photo at right.


Once all the river rocks had been removed, I lined "Trenchy" with the concrete blocks at the same time as I demolished the concrete slab. I'd sledgehammer out chunks of concrete and then fling them into "Trenchy", going back later to more carefully arrange them.

Once "Trenchy" was lined completely, I installed large diameter french drains (those cylindrical white things in the photo at left) with branches going up mini trenches to take the floodwater away from the areas around the pond when it floods in heavy rain and quickly divert it down "Trenchy". The drains sit at a slight incline to shed the water toward the storm drain and they sit at the lowest point down the center of the trenches. I then took more chunks of recycled concrete and fill in up the sides of the french drains.

When that was done, it was time to hide everything under a thick layer of pea gravel and make "Trenchy" into "Super Secret Trenchy". We had 3 cubic yards of pea gravel delivered to our driveway from the local landscaping outfit, and I hauled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of gravel to the back to fill the foundation of a new garden shed as well as "Trenchy". The few wheelbarrows' full, my back was gone so Hubby kindly came out and finished up the pile for me.

With the pea gravel in place, the trench and french drains are now completely hidden. All you can see are pretty gravel paths that meander toward the back of the garden past raised planters made from recycled concrete where the dogwood (far right in the photo) and the olive (left foreground in the photo) have found their permanent homes.

Rainwater will now drain through the gravel into the french drains and be diverted to the county storm drain so we have less flooding under our house after heavy rainfall (hopefully I will be able to alleviate that all together with a few more minor tweaks farther up toward the house).

And the big bonuse is that I'll be able to walk around in the back garden without any difficulty even though it may be pouring rain. Before, it was like crossing multiple fjords back there. Now I won't even have to think twice!

The view from the back of the garden looking up toward the pond and house is now one of my favorites. The shadows lacing the path are being cast by the huge white oleander and the cherry and apricot tree conglomeration that I call "The Thicket" because the birds love to hang out in there where they feel safe. You can see the newly planted olive tree on the left in the raised planter with narcissus coming up around the base.

At the right is a 150 gallon horse trough that I used to house the goldfish for a while during renovations to the pond a couple of years ago. The horse trough will eventually become a part-sun water garden with a small recirculating waterfall in it. I'm really excited about that because up until now the only water plants I've been able to have in the pond are full-sun water plants. It will also serve as a nice little oasis to just sit and relax in the shade when the summer temperatures are scorching hot and soaring over 100° F (38°C).

But for now, I have more concrete to demolish, more planters to build, more paths to install, as well as a shed to assemble (well, Hubby is going to handle that part).

We survived "The Monster Storm"

My dear friend, Holly, of many years over at 2 Kids and Tired left a comment on my recent post mentioning "The Monster Storm" that hit the West Coast of North America last week wondering how we were doing. Then Jodi at bloomingwriter left a similar comment and so did Yolanda Elizabet at Bliss.

In response to Holly's comment I wrote her an email back. Then I realized that I should post it here to give everyone an update. Can you say, "Duh!" ??? All the rain must have gotten into my brain.

Anyway... here's the latest...

There's been flooding all over the place here in the San Francisco Bay Area with some horrible damage from the hurricane-force winds (big trucks were tipped over on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge). Some people are still without power and have been for days. Luckily, we are not in that group. Also fortunately, over the last 7 years we've taken lots of preliminary measures to prevent flooding here at Rosehaven Cottage during major storms such as this was.

Since we live in the low spot of our street with it going uphill in both directions, we and our next door neighbors get everyone's water. That's why years ago, long before we moved here, the county put in a three storm drains right along the property line between both houses--front, middle, and back. I have spent the last seven of winters figuring out how the water flows through our yard during heavy storms and then creating a drainage system of hidden drains, artificial aquifers, and arroyos as well as a pond. Each successive year as I refine and improve the whole system, we have less water flood in our crawl space (sometimes it was up to a foot of water!). With "The Monster Storm" as bad as it was, I am so happy that we had no standing water flooding our crawl space. I must be doing things right!

Originally, the pond was born out of the flooding problem in our garden. The first January we lived here, I watched one area of the garden never drain properly so I got out there with a shovel and started digging. When I finally stopped digging I had a 1,200 gallon pond! In storms like this, the pond acts as a catch basin for flooding with some spillways on the backside to prevent overfilling. The spillways flow into an arroyo of river rock that leads to the back storm drain.

I feel very blessed, because the I've always received promptings when I need to do something to prepare for a storm, along with inspiration for exactly what to do. In 2005, the kept feeling strongly that we needed to remove the patch of concrete right in front of our garage door and fill the area with pea gravel. We did. And a couple of months later, we had a huge New Year's storm that flooded a lot of our town and our neighbor's homes. Our garage would have been flooded ruining all the tools and building supplies we have stored in there. I feel very blessed to have this gift that helps us stay safe.

The weekend of this New Year the weather forecast said we were in for three big storms in a row. I had the same prompting to prepare and how to prepare. I took advantage of the sunny days leading up to the storm and went out to sledgehammer more concrete off the old 20'x20' pad that was part of a defuncted lanai structure that I've been dismantling since August. I used the concrete blocks to shore up the arroyo that runs to the back storm drain. I was glad I put in the extra work a couple of days ago, because it really helped prevent flooding through the redirection of water. And the reenforcement with the concrete blocks was absolutely necessary to prevent flood erosion as the water poured through the steep banked arroyo.

So although we are not "high and dry" as Jodi's well wishes hoped, we are "low and dry". And dry is a good thing.

It's Not Done, but I Have to Share!

We bought Rosehaven Cottage a little over 7 years ago and it was in a state of neglect, needing lots of love and attention (that's why we could afford it in the Bay Area housing market). Never afraid of a challenge and with my mother's mantra "How hard could it be?" repeating in our minds, we dove into the project of a lifetime. The house and the gardens had good "bones"--firm foundation in the house; great soil and a white picket fence in the garden. We literally pushed up our sleeves the day after closing escrow, and they've not come back down very often over the past 7+ years.

All photos above are what the gardens looked like the day we closed escrow.

Hence, today's post on my latest garden project. [I say "my" because the garden is MY domain. As well as having bad garden allergies, Hubby is a phenomenal chef so we compromised and made the kitchen "HIS" and the gardens "HERS". It works.]

Let me give you all some context...

Our home and garden reside at the low point on the street with every other house in either direction being on higher ground. Fortunately, the county put in storm drains decades ago to handle the water runoff both at the front, middle and back of the property line we share with our neighbor. Typically, we don't get rain during the summer. Our heavy rains come in the winter. Around here rain can come in deluges that can wreak havoc on the garden if the water doesn't have some directional help (which is why I found old 3 foot high brick walls completely buried in soil throughout the back garden when I first started digging years ago). The good news is that we get lots of "free" top soil from neighbors. The bad news is that unless we handle the water properly is collects in our crawl space under the house and pools in low points throughout the garden. So our priority in our garden has been to provide hidden channels for the water to go from the high side of the back garden diagonally across the entire property back to the farthest low back corner where a storm drain awaits to carry the excess water away.

Easier said than done when you want to have a functioning year-round produce garden.

So I've employed various features and techniques over the past 7+ years to accomplish this:

1. If you can't fight it, work with it. I put in a pond where the water seemed to collect anyway. I went out in the height of the January rains and started digging with a shovel. I moved the clay soil around as well as the muddy water that was collecting there until it "looked" right.



2. I used large rocks that I found all over the garden from the former owner (who had to be a rock collector because they are not indigenous rocks) to create borders around the pond and the gardening beds in the front garden.



3. We took out all the concrete paths that were in the back garden and have reused the blocks of recycled concrete to build raised planter beds that I plant in produce and flowers according to the Square Foot Gardening Method and basic companion planting techniques (which means now pesticides!).
   



4. I put in pea gravel paths between produce and flower beds. The pea gravel paths hide a water diversion system for high run-off. Every winter, I go out during the peak of rainstorms and push the gravel around with a shovel to divert water and make it flow where I want it, make mental notes, and then when the rainy season is over I drop trenches in those areas that were problems the previous year and hide them with the well-draining pea gravel.
   
5. My brother dug a major trench for me that is the beginning of the main trench system that is currently in the process of being installed by little ole' me. I will drop french drains in them and then mask the french drains with pea gravel and river rocks.

So that brings me to what what I've been doing the past couple of weeks. I've been installing a flagstone patio that actually masks a large subterranean drainage system which diverts water down the major trench.

I love rocks, I love dirt, and I love being in the garden, so this project has been so much fun! I let inspiration guide me each step of the way. Although the overall project is still far from being done, I wanted to share photos of my progress.

Above: The new flagstone patio that masks a subterranean drainage area that flows to the river rocks you can see in the center of the photo.

Click on any of the small photos above to see larger images.

Above left: View of the new flagstone patio area looking down the trench that is now filled in with river rock to handle water when it rains. I have built what we call here in No. California an "arroyo".

Above center: View from the back looking up the river rock trench toward new flagstone patio area. I've handled changes in elevation by building steps with recycled concrete blocks.

Above right: View of my chair under the plum tree where I feed the fish in the pond. Now my chair sits level on a lovely flagstone terrace next to a planter made of recycled concrete blocks with a birdbath in it.

Now its time to go play in the garden again and throw some more rocks around!