I have scheduled the first consultation/estimate for today; and am in contact with another. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the right contractor.
2-Sept: The first contractor was efficient and came back with a quote that I thought was a little high for the pavers (625sq ft at a little over $20/sq ft); and they do nothing with the non-hardscape, just stubs for sprinklers and planter areas. The next contractor didn't seem to listen so well and kept insisting on some synthetic turf. Since it really seems that 20-30% greenery is needed, I'm thinking that I will ask for the rule-of-thumb that all plants be edible (i.e. herbs, vegetables, or fruit). We'll see...
3-Sept: It's strange that it seems like except for the first contractor, the others don't really want the business. One never called me back to reschedule the estimate, and the other said he would do an estimate this week, but, I haven't seen it yet. I called one more today for an estimate on Friday. Let's see how this goes.... At this rate, I'll just be going with the first contractor by process of elimation
9-Sept: So far, my remodeling projects have me reminding myself of Phil 4 - to not be anxious and to continually be in prayer. I still haven't received the latest estimate, and I feel like it's taking longer than it should. I am totally in prayer waiting for God's guidance and wisdom in this decision.
11-Sept: It is so interesting that I've decided to go with my last contractor. This was certainly unexpected, but what I liked about them was their pricing on the pavers (actually about half of what was quoted by the first contractor), and they gave me a book on the type of pavers, colors, and patterns I could select from. I'm thinking of going with the Orco Antique Cobble mainly Herringbone pattern in the Manor colors. Also, I will go with a low wall (20") at the same height as the neighboring walls and have it stucco'd to match the inner wall and the walls to the house. This will likely affect the color that I will choose for my house exterior, since I would likely no longer want a dark brown like I had planned, and would need to go with something more neutral.
12-Sept: I called 811 yesterday to submit a request for Underground Service Alert. The gas company came out to to mark their lines.
18-Sept: The Util guys came out to mark the electricity, phone, and cable lines. Walk-through with the contractor project supervisor scheduled for tomorrow.
22-Sept: Demolition started today. I've decided to remove all the existing grass and plants, except for one palm tree in the courtyard. After pavers and stucco walls are installed; I plan to mulch the remaining open areas and not plant anything for awhile. After looking into mulch options, I am leaning towards lava rock. It's not as light as the organic materials that will wash away and need to be replaced regularly. Though some will likely still wash away and may need to be replaced, it looks less "hard" than the actual decorative stones; and it is more natural than the rubber mulch.
It's also interesting that I've thought of an analogy to our spiritual lives. While no analogy is perfect, I see parallels between removing all existing plants and just preventing any new growth of weeds from now on as similar to our new life after salvation and just needing to get rid of any sprouting from our old sinful nature.
25-Sept: Now that the wall is being put in, it's nice to be able to see it instead of just picturing it in my mind. The block wall itself was okay; but, I really think that the stucco will tie it in much better with the house exterior and the existing taller wall. I like it; and I think it was the right choice.
26-Sept: Even though things are progressing fine, and the main crew works hard with long hours; there are several factors that when added together have convinced me not to use this company again, like for when I do my backyard remodel:
- The salesperson and project manager don't seem like they are such good listeners. I don't feel like we really understand each other - it's like when I talk to people with totally different personality types. Also, they didn't really offer any suggestions based on their experiences which would have been helpful. They also didn't warn me that they would be blocking my driveway.
- Some of the workers are not so trustworthy. I saw one walking around like he was scoping the place. Just last night, I saw another one take a couple of the paver stones - it makes me wonder whether he has been making a habit of pilfering. Also, the workers leave stuff lying around, threw tree stubs into my neighbor's recycle bin, shorted out my garage electricity and didn't tell me, etc.
I just hope that they will do a good job. This is their area of specialty, so, I'm hopeful.
Well, the palm tree in the front area got removed today; and though I had decided that practically this was the best way to go, my insecurities were causing me to second guess. I also don't want it to look too empty and cold. At least I'm glad I decided to keep the last palm tree.
As I think about it, in general, I had learned that the only opinion that really matters is God's; however, there are a few areas of insecurity in which I still allow the opinions of people (e.g. like my neighbors) affect me possibly a little too much. I have really thought through this decision and the hardscape is better for water conservation and maintenance. I've tried the grass and nice landscape, and I'm not good at maintaining it. So, this is definitely the best route for me. I just hope that it will all work out and still look good.
27-Sept: Most of the paver stones got put in today. The manor color ended up having more greys than brown, which was hard to tell from the brochure. So, I'm glad I asked for the brown border, which I think is a nice tie-in with my brown roof, and probably eventually the brown exterior paint for my house. Though the greys look somewhat bland, it actually blends in with the concrete.
However, it does look empty. Eventually, I may try to put in potted plants or some garden-type decor. We'll see. Also, I'm glad my driveway has been cleared.
3-Oct: They are scheduled to finish the wall next week by adding the stucco to match my house walls. There are little details that tie together; but, the overall whole still requires some more work to make it work.
9-Oct: They finally finished the stucco yesterday; and it really only took a few hours. I just wonder why I had to go through the frustration of waiting a whole week for it; and why the project manager never bothered to notify me. Oh well. It's done. And, the stucco did help make it look less hard and blend in better with the house. Now for the next project.....
Also, I learned how they got so many 5 star ratings on Yelp and other sites. They offer $50 for each 5 star rating and provide the links to Yelp, Angie's List, Houzz, etc I could not give them 5 stars because I feel that they could have improved in communication, clean up, scheduling, and providing recommendations and guidance based on their experience.
Well, the palm tree in the front area got removed today; and though I had decided that practically this was the best way to go, my insecurities were causing me to second guess. I also don't want it to look too empty and cold. At least I'm glad I decided to keep the last palm tree.
As I think about it, in general, I had learned that the only opinion that really matters is God's; however, there are a few areas of insecurity in which I still allow the opinions of people (e.g. like my neighbors) affect me possibly a little too much. I have really thought through this decision and the hardscape is better for water conservation and maintenance. I've tried the grass and nice landscape, and I'm not good at maintaining it. So, this is definitely the best route for me. I just hope that it will all work out and still look good.
27-Sept: Most of the paver stones got put in today. The manor color ended up having more greys than brown, which was hard to tell from the brochure. So, I'm glad I asked for the brown border, which I think is a nice tie-in with my brown roof, and probably eventually the brown exterior paint for my house. Though the greys look somewhat bland, it actually blends in with the concrete.
However, it does look empty. Eventually, I may try to put in potted plants or some garden-type decor. We'll see. Also, I'm glad my driveway has been cleared.
3-Oct: They are scheduled to finish the wall next week by adding the stucco to match my house walls. There are little details that tie together; but, the overall whole still requires some more work to make it work.
9-Oct: They finally finished the stucco yesterday; and it really only took a few hours. I just wonder why I had to go through the frustration of waiting a whole week for it; and why the project manager never bothered to notify me. Oh well. It's done. And, the stucco did help make it look less hard and blend in better with the house. Now for the next project.....
Also, I learned how they got so many 5 star ratings on Yelp and other sites. They offer $50 for each 5 star rating and provide the links to Yelp, Angie's List, Houzz, etc I could not give them 5 stars because I feel that they could have improved in communication, clean up, scheduling, and providing recommendations and guidance based on their experience.
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