View Full Version : Now the Fun Begins
We have lived in our house for 3 years now. !wow! what a lot of stuff we have. We are preping the back yard for a new two layer deck, a 3000 gallon pond, a greenhouse plus landscaping. Here is some pics of what we are working with. The deck will be fixed up for this year as the pond will have first priority.
All these pics are from spring 2006. You can see the shipping creat that is covered with the tarp. It was free and it served it purpose. Now i's time for it to die :twisted: Besides I need the base for my GREENHOUSE :smile:
The crate is gone and the spot it was in is cleaned up. The base is in it's new home. It took the four kids and me to lift and carry it! It is a heavy sucker !wow! We spent today building the greenhouse. Started at about 11:30 and finished about 6-6:30. And the distructions :lol: say it should only take 3 hours. If this is a sign of things to come my three year plan will take me 6. :smile:
Even though I'm not in the pics with Pete amd Megan I did work to !rofl
Will up date as time goes on, Wish me luck!
Jackie Ramo
04-15-2006, 12:32 AM
Hey good work. You know it takes 3 hours if you read the instructions FIRST!!! :frisbee:
Look forward to seeing the rest of the upgrades.
About that 3 year plan, mine was a one year plan going on six now...
We as I said the greenhouse is up. We spent Saturday shopping for stuff (food :frisbee: material for around the house :smile: ) As you can see the greenhouse now has is benches in place. I can't believe its full already. I think once I get all those plants in the ground I'll paint the bench brown so it blends in better. As you can see I still have the flower beds to go in around the greenhouse, Have to order topsoil for that :( . The rails are back on the deck after a long hard winter. Had so much snow it popped them off. Patio set is in place and even managed to get grammas swing in place. Still a lot of crap under the deck and around the yard. I'll have to do a dump run soon.
Jackie Ramo
04-16-2006, 10:19 PM
One thing about gardens ponds and houses the work is never done :lol: Loooking good though!!!
Thanks Jackie, your right but worth it in the end. I see the light at the end of the tunnel boy it's a looooooong way away :lol:
Jackie Ramo
04-17-2006, 10:39 AM
Yeah, I see the light but its an oncoming train :grin: I love spring but there is so much to do and this year it seems so early. If I don't get these pesky fruit trees sprayed in the next two days it will be too late, again.
I don't see no dirt flying? Bridge over to the green house no grass to cut :grin:
Terri
04-17-2006, 08:33 PM
I wanna greenhouse..... *pout*
Busy B
04-18-2006, 03:00 AM
That's pretty slick! How handy to have the base...A suggestion would be to get a thermometer if you don't have one and a pedestal fan...ghouses heat up fast when your not looking :grin:
I want to redo our deck too..hard to say if it'll get done but the stairs do need redone. Hoping for lots of pics as you go!
Jackie Ramo
04-18-2006, 10:03 AM
A fan is pretty much a necessity with a greenhouse. We put two ceiling fans in to keep the air moving. Not only with heat but with damp rot and fungus, like powdery mildew in check.
The green house has two roof vents and I open the door in the morning and close it down at night. We always have some breeze. I like the fan idea, have on old one I can use if need be. Will start to level the ground where the pond will go on the weekend and move the other white shed for a friend to pick up soon. I have to map out the yard with stakes and string to see where everything is going to go and make sure I have room. Will send pics as soon as I convert to jpeg. :twisted:
Here it is, Pond will be 12' long x 6' wide x 5 deep. 12' long x 8' at its widest point (the Half -circle) and about 3' deep to be used as a step like some of you good people suggested :grin: If my math is good and it's not really :lol: It should give me 2920 gallons plus my skimmer , filter falls and plumbing. Does anyone know how to calculate the amount of water in the plumbing? Gallons per foot?
Jackie Ramo
04-19-2006, 10:58 AM
For some reason the thumbnail will not open for me so I can read the plan.
Terri
04-19-2006, 06:13 PM
I can't see the plan either.... box with red X.... newbie you can email me the plans and I can upload for you if you like...?
:-)
Hey Jackie I'll try to send it again. It was so nice here after work that I desided to move the white shed. Got it all ready and had dinner then Peter and I moved it. Here are some pis of the yard now that both the sheds are gone :smile: :smile: :smile: Still got lots of clean up but its comming. The yard looks so much bigger!!!!
Still wont work got any ideas :roll:
Thanks Terri :-) I'll send it to the email thats on the back yard puddle. If I see it here I know it worked.
Jackie Ramo
04-19-2006, 10:39 PM
Isn't spring exciting!!! So much work to do and the list keeps growing. Still you guys are making better progress than me. I'd say Us but his butt hasn't been in the garden this year. :lol:
Terri
04-19-2006, 11:07 PM
never got an email?
Terri I sent it again But this time to canadaian koi and pond. Lets see if that one gets to ya :grin:
Terri
04-20-2006, 09:31 AM
got it... :-)
http://backyardpuddle.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/peggys%20yard%20plan2.jpg
Jackie Ramo
04-20-2006, 10:09 AM
Well that is a projct and a half!!! The filters going under the deck?
Thanks again Terri.
Its nice to have people see the plan and get some feed back.The plan is to have the skimmer on back side of the pond Where the lower deck is . There is 3-4 feet from the pond wall to the deck which will be covered with a small wood walkway to cover the skimmer ,uv and return plumbing which will re-enter the pond at about 2.5' below the water line to add current for the fish to swim and to keep the water circulating ( and I will make sure that I can get at it by hinging or lifting) :smile:
The bottom drain will be retuned to the fillter falls. Both pumps will be capable of 3000 gal/hr, both will have there own filter with bio/mech. system.
The pump in the skimmer will be T'd. I figure that will allow me 12-15 fish maxed out at 24"each. I'll just have to be picky about what I get :roll: Glad I found Terri :wink: I had a hard time picking out my butterfly koi. They say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". I guess that's why all my fish are so good looking :lol:
Koidaddy
04-20-2006, 09:46 PM
That's fine lookin'
Keep us posted.
KD
!dude
Jackie Ramo
04-21-2006, 11:09 AM
Sounds like you have it all planned out. Can't wait to see the shovel hit the dirt!
Hey Jackie
I still have to decide if I want a natural berm made with the fill I take out of the pond or if I want something more man made. I am leaning towards block covered with ledge rock on the two sides that will not be covered by deck. Something a little more formal. Our gardens are done in an Asian style. I have found someone to give me a price to do the concrete ring and stone work. He can do it on the weekends so it cost less. Just waiting for him to look at the plans and price it. If I can afford the liner this year the dirt will fly fast and furiously :lol: If not the dirt will fly next spring as I dont want a hole with no support to sit throught the winter.
Jackie Ramo
04-22-2006, 12:20 AM
I'd definately do the concrete if I wanted a formal pond. I'd also raise it high enough to sit one the edge. Something I regret more each year is the kneeling to feed the fish by hand.
I know were to get a good deal on liner :wink:
Thx Ian I'll call ya when I'm ready. Not much work done around here this weekend'. It's done nothing but rain :mad: Good for the gardens and ducks. But it sucks when you have so much to do outside. Thats all for now. Hope everyone has a good week :) Oh here is one of our other babies
Jackie Ramo
04-23-2006, 11:25 PM
Such a cutie, looks a lot like my Skipper but cuter.
Hey look Ma. Twins :lol: They do look alot alike so if one is cute so is the other
As for the pond no updates yet still to wet around here to start things rolling. Talked to our local pond expert on Saturday and have an meeting on Tuesday May 2nd to go over pond lay out location and all the other things needed.We need to run power to the back yard as one plug will not do. Will have to get talking to someone about that. Anyone here an electrician? :smile: Plants are doing well in the new greenhouse, seeds are starting to pop up. They are calling for (you know that "S "word) tomorrow :twisted: so my fish Will have to wait a little longer to go out side. When ia a good time to move them out side? I normaly do it on May 2-4 weekend.
Jackie Ramo
04-24-2006, 11:05 PM
Mine are out now... only one but he's the only one I bring in the rest stay out. Certainly I'd not suggest against what has worked in the past. I'm south of you so know your winter is longer. We will have freezing temps this week and had sleet on the weekend... but the pond is large enough to stay stable at around that 50 mark so the old guy is doing well out there.
Be sure to have a dedicated line run for the pond or better yet 2!!! There alwasy seem ssomething to be hooked up to the darn things. I so want it rewired, only 2 plus, running off the greenhouse... not a good situation with all those pumps running. Couldn't hook up lights for the yard without blowing the breaker... Have a couple more run to the patio near the pond now but they are still not dedicated and I crashed my computer last week....
We have room for 4 outlets haveing two plugs each and each outlet can have its own breaker this would give me a total of 5 outlets out side. A good start and I think even room to grow it need be. Just not sure on the wiring :roll:
Jackie Ramo
04-25-2006, 10:02 AM
That sounds good to me. Especially the room to expand. One of the plans this spring is to get an electrician to come and redo the box and maybe add a box. problem with a 50 year old house is there is like one plug per room, never mind anything outside. I want to add a new pond with stream and waterfall and can't without new wiring.
Dirt, Dirt & more Dirt :smile: I had 5 yards of top soil delivered to day. Got the greenhouse garden in after work. Ordered enough soil for the front lawn to be topped off and reseeded. and will have some left over for around the pond for landscaping. Now if I can just get the prep work done I could start the pond :lol: Gonna have a cup of tea and crash early tonight. I'm burnt out for tonight :sad: Here a pic of the garden will start some planting this weekend. Getting dark here so pic is not the best
Jackie Ramo
04-28-2006, 12:00 AM
You are making me tired with all this energy, slow down !bonk i only moved 1 yard of dirt today and a couple of piles of bricks and I'm tired.
Here are two more pics. The garden has some plants now mostly lillies and lupins my fav. most of the topsoill is moved hope to have the rest done today. I think were going to bite the bullet and have a friend come and price the fence,deck and dig the pond and get it done in one big push.
Jackie Ramo
04-30-2006, 12:50 PM
Love the Chinese Soldiers.
Well enjoyment of warm weather is short in the north. I'd vote to get it done now and hang the costs.
Terri
04-30-2006, 11:51 PM
I like it!!! Best keep up dates coming, can't wait to see how everything looks next year! :-)
Ian you will be glad to know that I am doing a test hole this week. If all goes well I will map out the pond and the dirt will really be flying then. I even have a crap load of topsoil left over for landscaping. Do you have any idea how many wheelbarrels 5 yards are? I do! Way to many to move by hand. LMAO. I gotta stop that, I hurt all over. :-)
I cant wait to see what it looks like either Terri. All I know is that if I keep this up I will have to go dormant (sp) with the fish in the fall to recupe and rest up for next spring. :)
Terri
05-01-2006, 10:35 PM
LOL I think that is pretty much what we all do...????
Well it took me about 6 hours of digging but I now have a test hole. This is what I have
1) 6-8" of top soil
2) 6-8"of a red sand clay with lots of rock and stone
3) 16" of dirt
4) hit clay at a total depth of 32"
Stoped digging at that point filled with water. See pics
I really thought I would do the digging by hand and enjoy it NOT! :-x I think I'll be getting a machine to do it the same time they dig for the deck and fence :lol:
So at 7:30 I Filled the hole and by 8:00 the water had gone down 1" No cave in as of yet ,I'll check in the A.M to see how well it held up
We are now waiting for estimites before we can start.
Jackie Ramo
05-03-2006, 11:46 PM
That looks just plain nasty to dig by hand. Funny that we hit clay bedrock at 32" as well which is why the hand dug inside pond is only 32 inches deep!!!
I thought you might be sick of seeing the mess in the backyard and show you the front garden. Oh and by the way the water in the test hole is still there. Gone down about 6"now in almost 24 hours. Not sure if thats a good thing or not :roll:
Terri
05-04-2006, 09:25 PM
That's it, I'm planting more bulbs for spring colour.... our gardens look so drab atm.
Looks great newbie :grin:
Jackie Ramo
05-04-2006, 10:00 PM
Terri, can beat bulbs in the garden any time. Don't forget the lilies for summer
Lovely garden. Nice to have somewhere that is organized during construction. I'd take pics of my front garden but right now it has bags of mulch (from last year) and bags of manure (this year) waiting to be put on.
Test hole still has water in it Some plants planted :) No other updates Still waiting for contractor to show up :( Hey Terri how does Ian feel about working out of town? Free room and board :lol: Will update as soon as there is something to update you all on. At least We are getting a good rain.
The contractor came to day and will have a price for us next monday. As soon as we get a price its off to the morgage company and then we start. Hes out of town though the week and will do ours on the weekend and thats ok with me. Then I can keep my eye on him. :wink:
Well seeing that the backyard is still the same as last week I thought I would update the pics from the front yard.
Hey Jackie. You seem to be a bit of a plant pro, Do you have any idea what the plant is in the second pic. I have no idea and dont remember planting it. I am leaving it to see what happens.
Koidaddy
05-18-2006, 09:24 PM
Love your gardens. Something to be said about a beautiful green lawn... Wish I could say the same about my backyard ~ no grass at all. Removed all of it years ago. I was always re-seeding due to lawn burn from the 4 legged monsters (JR :)) . Don't have to worry about that today, but I still miss my grass... nowhere to lie down and gaze at the stars without rock burn!
KD
:grin:
Thank you. Not bad seeing that this is our 4th year here and I started from scratch. There wont be much grass in my backyard when Im done. Just enough for jr to burn. Shouldnt be to bad. Good thing mom takes him for lots of long walks :lol:
Jackie Ramo
05-18-2006, 10:38 PM
Funny you should ask about the plant in pic 2, I was going to ask you :frisbee: It looks to be a daylily, gone a bit mad perhpas but one of the early bloomers...? Wait and see. i found 3 white tulips today the squirrels planted, doesn't make up for the large stand of yellow ones they removed from the base of the pear tree though. or the ones in holding pots while the outside drains were being done... squirrels took 20 tulip bulbs in one night.
The garden looks great. Sad to see you have as much rain as us. the tree peony has taken a beating just as it hit the glory days we wait all year for.
Well I guess that says it all :( I was going to get my guys out this weekend but it is crappie and cold. Winter coat weather almost. Got a few pond plants divided and repotted out in the greenhouse. Just waiting for the quote to come today for the backyard. Got a new house pet on Saturday. Been saying NO to new pets, but I am a sucker when it comes to cats. This is Captain Jack Sparrow
Koidaddy
05-22-2006, 11:30 AM
Looks like Jack is settling in nicely!
KD
:)
Terri
05-22-2006, 12:10 PM
Oh he's sweet! :-)
Well the contractor showed up as planned. the price was right. Just have to get the permits and make final arrangements and we should be able to go in a week or two. As soon as we get the go ahead we will start ripping off the old deck and he can start. :grin: I have everything on order for the pond and will be kept for when Im ready. If the weather warms this week koi kids will go out to what will become a temp home for a few weeks untill pond is up and running. Would it be better to keep them in untill pond is ready so that they are not moved twice in a short time and have less stress. Will update soon I hope :smile:
Jackie Ramo
05-23-2006, 12:35 AM
That cat looks nothing like Johnny Dep.... but it is cute :frisbee: and I'm sure just as full of mischief.
I'd leave the fish unless they are not doing well. Moving them twice if we are talking a couple of weeks isn't that great, imo. Mind fish are moved across the world and most of them survive quite nicely... If they were mine, I'd move themonce.
Well were just waiting for the utilities to be marked. So far so good. Nothing found in the backyard. We figure things will start around the end of June. So I thought I would up date the pics of the front and the small pond in that garden. The fifth pic is what I see from the living room window. The rest are from around the front.
Jackie Ramo
05-31-2006, 09:43 PM
Looking good. My lupins are still almost thinking of budding... I don't think I should let either of you near my gardens. All that neatness is depressing when mine are such a mess.
Dont dispair Jackie you have what is called an old English garden. :smile: The more the better. Thats what is so great about gardening no two are ever the same. Maybe thats why koi owner have gardens. and gardeners have koi. The two seem to go well together
Jackie Ramo
05-31-2006, 11:58 PM
Trust me I have flower beds full of weeds. and we never call the grass grass as it is mostly weeds as well. Old English is something to dream about, I'm more of a jungle gardener. :lol:
Well we started to tear down the old deck to-day. Spent the last two days moving three compost bins to the side of the house and cleaning up other stuff around the yard. The contractor has a dump truck for the dirt that will not be needed and any other junk we need to get rid of. Will take about a week for the permit and then another week for the lumber and we should be under way. The first pic is before we started and the next three are how far we got before the rain came.
Terri
06-18-2006, 08:28 PM
Lookin' good :-) Send us the rain when you're done with it... LOL
Jackie Ramo
06-18-2006, 08:38 PM
Indeed, send the rain!!!
Must feel good to finally get in there and get started. Still could you reserve one of the peanut gallery seats for me, I love to supervise !rofl
I have just the seat for you Jackie. Right beside all the other peanuts :lol: Here are a few pics. The deck is now gone and its time do do some weed killin. :twisted:
Jackie Ramo
06-25-2006, 10:07 PM
I see in the last picture that you already have a peanut gallery :grin: Lots of work but I'm sure you will be happy with the results.
Well Monday is the big day. We get started on the deck and fence posts, the hole for the pond should be in by the weekend. Have the liner and underpad ready to go. Have havd to change the size of the upper deck. The city will not let us build a 13x13 covered deck because of an easment on the property. !grrrr Will end up with 11x13 instead. Not what I wanted but it will work. I just have to be more creative with the landscaping. The good new is that it does not change the size of the pond. Han I knowen sooner I could have made the pond two feet bigger but the liner had been ordered already. It does give me room to put in a plant bog later if I want :grin: Will spend Sunday doing the last minute cleaning up. Will start sending pics of progress tomorrow.
Terri
07-09-2006, 09:49 AM
Can't wait!
Well the Bobcat is in the driveway and the contractor should be here any time now to start the holes for the fence and deck. I have the liner and underpad here and ready to go. The hole for the pond will be the last to be dug befor the fence goes up. The contractor was able to get us the 13 feet we wanted for the upper deck, thats what put us back a week. Gardels has every thing else we need for the pond on hold so when were ready I just have to go and pick it up. I want to cycle the system for two weeks befor I move my big guys to the pond. Also want to add some of my plants from thier smaller pond to the larger pond is that a good idea? When I do some water changes from the small pond can I use the water I remove in the big pond to help the filters cycle faster?
Well it has finally started :smile: . They managed to get 6 of the sonna tubes in and pull out 3 of the old ones that were in the way. Five more to go, pour the concreate Mon-Tues and the framing starts. The hole for the pond should be in late tomorrow. Should be able to go 4 feet down and 1 feet up. Here are some pics from today
Terri
07-15-2006, 11:59 PM
Too cool. Nothing like breaking ground ;)
Jackie Ramo
07-16-2006, 05:34 PM
Looks like it should move fast for you!! Woo Hoo, almost a pond!!!!
Well Ryan started the pond first thing this morning, and fiished putting yhr tubes in.He is back tommorrow to level off and pick stones. The inspector should be here tomorrow as well for the tubes. The pond needs to be pick axed and the sides and shelf need to be fine tuned by hand. Hope to have the liner in by the weekend and start to back fill around the edges to raise the sides another foot. Here are 2 pics, The first is Ryan starting the pond and the second is Peter clipping tree toots, the hole looks bigger in real life then in the photo.
Photos are in the wrong order :roll: That should read tree roots, not toots !rofl
Jackie Ramo
07-17-2006, 10:14 AM
Only fishy folks get excited about a big messy hole in the yard.
Well peter and I started at 8:30 this morning. Peter pic-axed away at the hole. We had to drain about 6" of water by bucket from the nasty rain we got, and that got in under the tarp. Managed to get the pond hole shaped and took out another 4" of clay from the bottom. Framed up the lumber for the 1' more that we needed to get 5'. Couldnt believe it we were only out by an inch or two for the whole thing to be level. I spent alot of the day shoveling fill to level off the ground and running here and there to get this and that. WOW looks so much better. Sorry no pics. :( All that running around and I forgot batteries !rofl
well they called for rain to day so we tarpped the hole and no rain. They are calling for rain the next 3 days so here are the onlt pics I got. Nice tarps Ah ! :lol: Not really more like :cry: We need to have the deck framed before we can do any more.
Jackie Ramo
07-23-2006, 11:52 PM
See the blue tarp almost looks like water :frisbee:
Hard when the weather doesn't co-operate with plans.
:lol: your such a card Jackie :wink: . Maybe Ill put the blue tarp over the hole and pretend I have water and fish swimming around. Might hold off my fustration for a few days :) Well looking out side I dont see a cloud in the sky. Peters on days and Im on afternoons this week, It will take the two of us to put in the underlay and the liner. Good thing we start 2 weeks holidays next week. If the deck is not framed by the weekend :-x the pond goes in no matter what
Jackie Ramo
07-24-2006, 10:45 AM
I'm the Ace of Diamonds my dear !rofl You could paint some fish on the tarp :frisbee: Doesn't sound like you two are going to get much of a vacation but digging is cheaper than the gym!
Painted fish on the tarp. I could have as many as I wanted, as big as I wanted and never have to feed them or do water changes. Nice Idea but rather boring dont you think. I think we each lost a good 5 lbs this weekend. Sure slept good though.
Well got 14" of water in the pond .To bad the liner wasnt in yet :lol: Have to drain it with the sump pump. Have a few sink holes to fill in after all the rain we got. Got one yard of sand delivered to put in the bottom, once we get all the water back out. Hope to be up and running by Mon-Tues next week.
Jackie Ramo
07-27-2006, 10:13 AM
Might as well wait until the rain finishes, looks like you are getting more today... my parents who live near Magnetawan said they got 6 inches in 2 hours the other day. Water in the basement for the first tme in the 15 years they lived in that house.
Well we made good strides to-day. Here are a few pics. Yes there is no bottom drain and yes I may regret it later. But right now I dont care Im just so happy to have a pond :grin: :grin: :grin:
Terri
07-30-2006, 08:56 AM
Newbie has water!!!! :grin: You got a lot of work done, way to go. Can't wait to see it finished.
Jackie Ramo
07-31-2006, 12:49 AM
Wow! almost a pond!!! Good work, looking good. Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel? yes, its a train so hurry up and finish already. !rofl
OK, So I picked up the 2 pumps yesterday. Both are able to pump 5600 gph. Pond is 3600 gal. One for the skimmer and one for the bottom that will return the the filter falls. Also picked up the uv light, air pump and liner for the waterfalls. They are out of lights, should be in soon. Also out of hose, should
be in to day. Looks like Amber going swimming. Going to home depot for some pvc and a ball valve to be able to drain and back wash filter boxes. Got part of the water fall installed yeasterday. Not sure how to hide the liner at the sides. Liner hangs about 3"down the side. Will post pic and see if anyone has suggestion as what to do.
CHOO, CHOO I better hurry my a-s up or it will run me down and then who will look after my fishies :lol: Hope to have them in Thurs- Fri.
Jackie Ramo
07-31-2006, 10:30 AM
You can back fill up around the waterfalls to hide the liner and then place some rocks, trying not to make it look like a necklace or the watefalls to look like bumps in the yard. A gradual slope out and away works.
Well here are some pics of the start of the waterfalls got some tweaking to do. Not sure Im happy with it. Need to step away and look when I get home tomorrow.
Jackie Ramo
08-01-2006, 11:43 PM
The waterfal lshould be 3 x's the width that it is high to give it the right proportions. Bigger rocks at the side going out, then up. Teh rocks can then be planted up with sedums and such.
Well here are some qiuck pis of the progress weve made over the last few days. The underwater retuns for the skimmer are at either side and opposties ends. The electrical went in to day, air pump, transformer and uv light are all hidden under the deck and will be closed in and unseen. Water is a little cloudy. Here is the water #'s with no fish ammonia 0, gh 120, kh 60, ph high 8.2, ph low 7.6 nitrate 0.1.
heres a pic of the water falls the right way. still got lots of work to do with it. Heading to the ledgerock quarry to pick up stone for the edge. The two black square slabs are for the sitting area. Kh seems low but its right around were it normaly sits.
opps, in a hurry, was the right way after all :lol: !bonk
well they finally made it to the new pond. Its sooooo good to see them have the room they need. Took about half an hour of them checking things out before they came back to the top.They are eating like nothing is different. watched them play in the water return. They are a little spooky, but doing good so far. Here are some pics. They look so small now, will be fun to watch them grow.
One of the waterfalls a little more done. Will look better when the plants go in.
The water is still a little cloudy. Pete had to get in and fix a little leck under the falls and stirred it up a bit. After adding the fish they stirred it up a bit more while checkinf things out. Put in the clay pots like Jackie suggested. Though they would head straight for them, BUT NOOOOO! they just had to prove me wrong. :lol:
I should not post at 4:00 in the morning. Even after doing a spell check I still messed up :lol:
Well we worked on the water falls to day. looks better with some plants around it These are bad night shots, but it was getting dark as I was planting the last of the plants for the day. Plan to plant some more lillys on each side where it is still bare. Will get some more in the morning.
Here are some pics from to day. still alot of work to be done around the yard.
Well we are on hold as far as doing any more for now. We are waiting on the contracter to get here and do his thing. So here are more of the waterfall. Seems to be the only thing to work on. Will take a year or so before it looks its best.
Terri
08-06-2006, 11:20 PM
I like where you're going with the waterfall... well done!
Slow but steady. Were going to need a holiday from our holidays. Been working hard to get most thing done before we go back to work next week. Started closing in around the bottom of the deck and back filling. Moved the rock pile. Hope to be putting down some planks on the weekend. Started to move the top soil around. The pond is starting to get its algae base. Starting to see some green on the waterfalls rocks and the sides of the pond. Here are some pics to update.
Jackie Ramo
08-10-2006, 10:15 AM
I can see the guests cannon balling off that deck now. j/k Looking very good.
I dont know about the guests but I will have to keep and eye on the kids !rofl
Jackie Ramo
08-10-2006, 11:54 PM
Being kidless these days make sme forget others are not so fortunate :lol:
Hopfully our youngest will be gone in four years. If were lucky :lol:
Jackie Ramo
08-11-2006, 12:02 AM
Buy suitcases for their 16th!!! :frisbee: !rofl
Well we got our first pond side visitors last night. Peter and I were sitting pond side getting the last bit of sun befor it went behind the house. I no more then finished saying to Peter, I wounder when the birds will start drinking and having a bath in the waterfalls. Low and behold a bunch of sparrows droped down from the tree, then a robin and the 2 cardinals and a canary. It was so cool.
Jackie Ramo
08-12-2006, 10:42 AM
It doesn't take long for the wildlife to find the pond. Raccoons should arrive tomorrow :frisbee:
One of our favourite things is to watch the birds around the pond and of course the dragon flies. I had to rescue a monarch that fell in yesterday.
Lived here four years now, havent seen a coon yet. Always a first time I guess. Well the rest of the framing went up this morning on the upper deck and most of the trusses are up. The tonge and groove cedar for the ceiling will go up tomorrow. Waiting for the inspector to do his thing. Here are some pics. Ignore the supports in the center of the last pic they should be gone soon.
Jackie Ramo
08-12-2006, 11:54 PM
What are you using to cover the roof? We have a covered pergola and used the clear UV plastic. Expensive but we just love it. Lots of light and the temp difference is at least 10 degrees.
The inside will be open concept. You will see cedar tonge and groove when you look up as well as seeing the cedar rafters. Shingles on the top to match the roof. Will add shade to the kitchen. It gets alot of sun and is very hot most of the day.It will let the pond get sun from 6am till about 3mp and then shade from then on.
Jackie Ramo
08-13-2006, 10:29 AM
Oh the joys of southern exposure. At this time of year the pond starts getting shaded by the house around 3pm. When the shade hits the edge of the water the fish all come over and wait for dinner.
Here are some pics of the pond
and just one more. Not very good but oh well I guess I need more practice. Oh ya I got lights for the pond :smile:
Jackie Ramo
08-16-2006, 11:57 PM
Well you are ahead of me, 6 years and still no lights
Well I tried to take some more pics of the falls tonight. These are a little better.
Jackie Ramo
08-18-2006, 10:02 AM
Bet it looks real nice in person. Are the fish in there yet?
Hi Jackie
The fish have been in for about two weeks now. Ther are loving it. Its so good to see them zip around in all that space. Just took the netting off this week and thats even better. There is still alot of work to be done. Slower going then we hoped. Heres a pic of them when they were first put in.
Fish in before work is done...Big problem.. go out to work on the pond....few hrs later........still feeding fish playing with plants....:grin: ...
Reminds me to finish our pond....after I feed the fish :-?
Looking good so far hope your having fun.
Jackie Ramo
08-19-2006, 11:11 AM
I see Ian has pegged why it is going slow:lol: We have to add pond time to everything. Feels like you have only watched the fish for a minute or two but in truth a half hour has passed and we're late again.
Well the decking is here. We still cant put screw it down untill the inspector comes and that wont be for another week. But we have somewhere to sit for now, heres kinda what it will look like when it does go down for good.
Jackie Ramo
08-20-2006, 09:51 PM
Looks good, will you stain it to match the side?
The decking, posts and rafters, fence and rails are all white cedar and the sides are red cedar. We did this so that there would be some contrast in color. The plan is to leave it alone for one season then treat it with Thompsons water sealant. Try to let it age on its own to keep it as natural as we can.
Jackie Ramo
08-20-2006, 10:11 PM
Great, thats sounds like a plan. Using the different woods that way really appeals to me.
We plan to only do this once, so I wanted something that will look better with time (I hope ). If we did it all in white cedar then over time it would all blend together. I think it will give it a nice warm rich feel with out the cost.
Jackie Ramo
08-20-2006, 10:26 PM
I agree, I think you've got a good thing going here. I do live with a wood carver after all and have a small understanding wood and grains, colours etc. Should work real nice for you.
Thanks Jackie, I knew that I didnt want an ordinary deck I wanted someting pleasing to the eye and the butt. :lol:
Jackie Ramo
08-20-2006, 10:37 PM
Must be exciting to be so close to being finished.
Close to being finished :lol: Remember that time you told me there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Well it seems there was a cave in :lol: No light in this one for a long time to come.
Jackie Ramo
08-20-2006, 10:54 PM
Welcome to the real world.... nothing is ever finished :twisted:
Ah! !wow! I like the world that everything is done and I can kick back and relax for just awhile and enjoy it
Well the building inspector showed up to day. A week early, before everything was done for him to inspect. What a dink :twisted: He left a message on the phone as we were at work when he came. Never said a word about the framing. Only about the pond. He wants a temp fence put up around the pond until the real fence is ready. I see his point but what a dink :twisted: Should have seen us scramble to find a rental place open at 5:45 to find temp fencing. Guess what were doing tonight when we get home from work.
Jackie Ramo
08-22-2006, 10:29 AM
Inspectors a necessary evil. Here you would have had to put the real fence up before digging.
well the 10' fence is up and looks like crap :-x The contrator had them deliver the kind you see on construction sites. Sorry no pic tonight. Dan downloaded something on the computer and Petes trying to get rid of it. Im on his and its not set up for my camera. Send some tomorrow if all goes well.
Jackie Ramo
08-23-2006, 11:29 AM
Well, think of this fence as motivation for the new fence. Nothing like ugly first thing in the morning to move one to action.
Ugly is being kind. This is grotesque. Here are the pics. Cant wait till there gone.
Nice!! This inspector making sure all the water up there has a fence :roll: What does he do when he looks at a cottage and there is a lake :-P
Jackie Ramo
08-24-2006, 10:37 AM
Hey that's not so bad,I thought it was one of those bright orange ones :frisbee:
:lol: Good one Ian. Id like to see him fence off Georgian bay. What a bunch of *&^#$@(*&. Its a wounder he didnt want to fence the 150 gal pond in the front yard too. Once again what a Dink! Your right Jackie, as bad as it is at least its not orange.
Well no updates. Still waiting for the conrtctor to come back. Tried calling him many times. No one home. Really starting to get PISSED NOW :-x
Jackie Ramo
09-02-2006, 06:32 PM
I hate that. Atleast call me back and lie that you are coming next week to give me something to look forward to
Well after a not so pleasent phone conversation the contractor has shown up to day. Will be interesting to see how far he gets. Recap Started July 1st, He only had to put in footings, frame deck and put in fence. The rest was up to us. Sept4th still framing deck and no fence. Great material used, good workmenship, Sh--ty attendance. If I showed up for work as little as this guy Id been fired a along time a go.
Jackie Ramo
09-04-2006, 11:15 AM
Well one would assume he is showing up for work somewhere other than your place or your are overpaying him !rofl
While he is there get a firm commitment of when the work will be completed.
Well he showed up to day. He managed to get the roof on, And will be back every day this week. Here are some pics. Peter and I removed the siding from under the deck roof and are putting up tongue and groove cedar. We even got up new lights. Amber and I are going to spend some time this winter designing a picture to be burned into the tongue and groove around the patio door. Something oriental.I would love to see Bonzi trees. We are thinking of doing some stained glass on the open upper part of the trusses as well. Id like to see lilly pads and koi up there. Would look great when the morning light hits it.
Jackie Ramo
09-05-2006, 12:42 PM
Looks good and I like the art ideas. should be a real show piece when done.
Terri
09-05-2006, 02:10 PM
too cool!!!!
Now I need to learn how to do stained glass :unsure: Spent some time tonight planting around the pond. Plants and bulbs. To late for a pic. Ill post some later on.
Jackie Ramo
09-07-2006, 10:49 AM
Stained glass is something hubby has always talked about doing. So far though he hasn't. He hates sanding so sanding all those little glass pieces would wear him out. Maybe you could take a course.
My friend and neighbor does stained glass, so I'll see if she will teach me. Well the roof to the deck is now shingled and the one side of the fence is starting to go up tomorrow. We had gravel delivered to go under the bottom deck and we can start to put down the decking. I see a little more light at the end of the tunnel.
Jackie Ramo
09-07-2006, 11:19 PM
Maybe you neighbour will make a piece for you. Smith and I just signed up for a stained glass course startingin Oct.
Well heres an up date on the yard. All the deck boards are on, on the upper deck. Look Ma no screws :grin: We used these things called deck board clips. They allow you to anchor the boards so that you dont see any screws. To :cool: The rest of the lower deck is framed. We have two sections of fence up, the ground has been leveled. The garden extended and some plants around one side of the pond. Its amazing what you can do in a 12 hour day :lol: No wounder when I go back to work on Mondays I feel like Im on holidays. Heres some pics.
Just a few more. Got that DANG fence in some of the pics. Cant wait till its gone
Jackie Ramo
09-10-2006, 11:10 AM
Well you sure are making good progress. Better than me on any project (none of mine are started yet)
Nice fence pics :frisbee:
Well every day a little more gets done here are a few pics
Here are a few updates on the pond and yard. Still alittle bit more to go. The fence has one side to go and the stone retainer wall is still to come and then its clean up time. Some updates of the fish as well. Its hard to get a good pic. They are alittle shy because of all the banging going on but hopfully they will calm down a bit now.
Heres some :smile: more. The wall of the house on the upper deck will be done in cedar.
Terri
09-19-2006, 09:37 PM
OMG it's looking awsome! Really like the railing - the glass panel is terrific :grin:
Thanks Terrie, Its so cool to see a years worth of planning and replanning come together and turn out the way you imagine. It feels like its taken for ever but worth the wait in the end.
Jackie Ramo
09-19-2006, 10:15 PM
Wow Peg, I can't believe the progress you gys have made. Its georgous!!! A real difference from the first pics you posted. You do good work!!!
The first fish pics look like the pond was frozen over, scared me !!
Thanks Jackie. I have to say I am pretty proud of the way it turned out. I guess all the years of landscaping other peoples yards payed off for me. :lol: Ponds not iced up yet just bad pics
Jackie Ramo
09-20-2006, 01:42 AM
My favourite part is the silver fence.... so artistic :lol:
Sorry killing time waiting for the pup Buddy to dry off from his 3rd bath. A mouth full of skunk spray is what he got.... poor guy. poor me !wow!
Well work on the pond is pretty much done for this year but work on the yard is still going strong. Jackie sorry to hear about the skunk. That stinks :frisbee: That lovely grey fence you like :roll: is gone now. replaced with this black one. What do you think. The board is up, the only things left is to nip off the top of the fence posts. evestrough and one set of stairs and the retaining wall. Heres some pic for the update
Jackie Ramo
10-04-2006, 11:11 PM
Really, I can't believe the changes you two have made. It is a wonderful oasis. Can you come down and do mine now?
Here are some update pics of the pond. I have some lillies doing ok, but plants this year are not as good as in the past. Have a bit of DOC happening and the water is not nearly as clear as in the past month. Can only see the fish at about 2'. Going to change the UV bulb and hook up the declorinder on Saturday and try to work on the parts I need to get the bottom drain working with another DIY filter. Stone is all in place but the lighter stone has to be cut back about 4". Have to pull Fly and Zipper and have a good look at them, I think a good salt bath is in order. Will scrape & scope to see if anything is bothering them. Still have to find a way to hide the power & air hose and plan on making a cover pillow for the skimmer to hide it. For some reason it seems to be my sitting spot !rofl
Peg
Jackie Ramo
06-30-2007, 01:43 AM
I don't know Peg but it seems like your lilies are really blooming :HAHA:
Actuallly it looks fabulous, it really does. An oasis against the storm for sure.
My water is so green after the spawn I can't even see GG who is very hard to miss, unless she lifts her head out of the water. Pond is in a sad state.
Terri
06-30-2007, 02:07 AM
Wish I could get my lilies to bloom so well Peg ;)
Seriously, looks fantastic!!! Can't wait to see it in person (some time ?? )
Anytime you two can pull yourself away the door will always be open for you to come. I think next year I'm going to fill the pond with those everlasting bloomin Lillies. Cheap at a buck a piece, no dead leaves and dont have to feed them. The fish must like them too, every morning I have to go flip some right side up, I guess they like to see the flower too :HAHA: As far as the pond on the outside. Thanks! But I know what you mean about the water. I thinks the weather has alot to do with it. I think it's doing a number on everything even us people.
Peg
Jackie Ramo
06-30-2007, 11:01 AM
I just wish we'd get some rain. I'm in al Gore's bad book today forgot I had the hose running, good job it was the veggie garden and not the pond. Been o n since 4 pm yesterday... Mind if it was the pond I'd have noticed sooner.
I tried those lilies but they ended up in the skimmer all the time and looked pretty ratty after a couple of trips.
Looks like we will have to tear down the greenhouse as the roof is no longer there. Plans are to build a new one out of wood & glass. I think if I do it right I can incorperate a Qt tank and 2 barrel filters and a bottom drain. Green house is 8x7 so I'm thinking I can do 8x4x4 and that would give me about 960 gallons :). I could build a hinged top so it could sit on top of QT & be used for plants when not being used for QT.
Jackie Ramo
03-21-2008, 08:34 PM
I read your post twice now and am unsure if you are building a greenhouse or a glass pond :HAHA:
I think it's the only way I'll get the glass over a pond. Lotto numbers just don't want to come up. :lol:
carcha koi
03-22-2008, 04:33 AM
Wood frame and a plexi glass style roof is the way to go. You can screen the sides then put s-foam in during the winter with plastic over it. Almost like a Florida room. When you are done come do mine :lol:
It's Finally Done, the stone that is. We picked up the stone cutter this morning around 8:45 and started right to it. First time for Peter, he had a blast and did an AWSOME job. As good as a Pro. I think he found a new toy. In the first pic you can see the lighter stone sitting on top of the darker stone. In the rest of the pics the lighter stones are all cut down to the right size & at the same height. Sunday is the install of the retro bottm drain and the Eazy will be moved to it new home. GAWD I'm tuckered out, didn't get in to the shower till 8
Terri
05-24-2008, 09:56 PM
Looks terrific Peg!! You and Pete did a great job :)
btw, water looks fantastic :grin:
Beautiful job. The stone is really pretty.
Cindy
Thanks You, a lot of hard work but worth all aches and pains. Hope to have it done one day so as to just sit back and enjoy it.
I'm really happy with the water this year and the fish seem to be doing good as well. Hoping that when the bottom drain is in it will be even better.
carcha koi
05-25-2008, 12:03 PM
WOW. Mine next.
Jackie Ramo
05-25-2008, 08:02 PM
I think Peter should divorce you and marry me, after all I am the mother of his dogs!!! :phfft:
Tell him Every Woman Crazy 'bout a Handy Man!!
Looks beautiful.
Well after a very long day and a few trips to HD the bottom drain is in and running to the new pump which is now feeding the Eazy and the water falls. We have an air lock in the leaf basket we can't seem to get rid of at the moment, may have to take it off and run without it. Have one small drip to fix, not enough to worry about right now. Sorry no pics to pooped.
Back off Jackie, He's mine, all mine :HAHA:but you can borrow him for plumbing, he's quite good at it. The plants you gave me are now in the pond need to add some water cress. Planted the lily in a pot with clay and water and will plant it later this week. I'll try for pics tomorrow.
Jackie Ramo
05-26-2008, 09:07 AM
Did you escape from here without watercress, I must be slipping. :grin:
If we'd been really smart we would have got the two of you to plumb the veggie filter when you were here. Hope to get to it this week, I need something to help with the string algae.
Not to sure how that happened :frisbee: Here's a pic of where the Eazy now sits. Plants look a little sickly right now, a couple of weeks from now & it will look different. I Hope. Also working on a cover for the Eazy as well. Were always up for a road trip even if it's just for the day. I'm sure we can put our heads together and come up with something & I'm sure the dogs are missing thier Dad by now :HAHA:
Jackie Ramo
05-26-2008, 08:35 PM
Peg, how about a couple of koi flags on a PVC frame, easily lifted out of the way and boxes in the filters out of sight.
Or canvas painted with bamboo, lanterns whatever Japanese theme you'd like, even koi :HAHA:
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