Spring is in the air and we're building a Greenhouse from old Windows

Spring is in the air in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Daffodils are in full bloom and I've been posting the progress as they open on my photography Tumblr blog, 30 days of Daffodils. The Forsythia is bright yellow all over our neighborhood and the pink peach tree blooms have opened and are filling the air. We did have a frightful event yesterday when we experienced Graupel, on a 50 degree day lit began to hail! Such starts and stops are routine when Spring rolls around.

Graupel event, March 26, 2022

I didn't bother to write my annual 2021 year in review, Covid put a damper on most activities and I can't report any exciting updates. We did continue to removed old drafty wooden windows from our house and install replacements. I hate removing any solid materials from a home, but it's a 70's split-level so not much historically to get upset about. The exciting news is that we're using our collected stash of these windows to finally build a 90% reclaimed greenhouse!

My first greenhouse was attached to our old 1930's home, we didn't have recycled materials so we used what was cheapest and using a roll of plastic we built a double wall greenhouse with purchased 2 x 4's. It wasn't particularly attractive, only functional. We hauled in huge metal tanks, filled them with water for solar gain and used it as the base for work benches but we still often had to fire up the kerosene heater in the winter.

Husband had to remove and rework stairway

Our new lean-to greenhouse is currently under construction. My husband has 3 walls up and left to complete is installing siding, a door, and roof panels. We fortunately hit the jackpot and hauled in 3 car loads of solid wood from a 1940's roof demolition that we're using for framing and the roof rafters. Our only purchases have been Tuftex roof panels, nails, and screws. The cost for framing materials is at an all time high with no sign of relief in the near future. Regardless, I prefer to use recycled materials and am lucky that my husband willingly was on board as he had to do the lifting and nail removal. Back in the 40's they used big wide planks for the top of the roof instead of plywood so the materials are amazing.

As Anthony builds, I work on a little flower bed next to the greenhouse, trying to not hit buried electrical lines which I've been known to do. Removing a jumble of a dying overgrown Viburnum, Creeping Jenny, Creeping Charlie, and Black Eyed Susan. I'm left when an open pallet to correct the old mess. I did leave 2 native climbers one being a delicate Wild Yam. I've divided some of my Iris, Daylilies, and Sweet Box and reworked a some Black Eyed Susan, my dwarf Carnival Rose bush, Daffodils, Dwarf Hosta and other perennials. I purchased a Mars grape plant this year and hope to trellis it beside the Greenhouse. I also purchased a colorful Spirea, Candy Corn, to add to my collection. I don't have many native plants in this area but I do have natives throughout my larger flowerbeds as they need a lot more leg room than this space would allow.

A work in progress

We also had to relocate our handmade bird bath to another area in this space. So many different critters love this little ground water feature. It's one of our favorite DIY project completions.

Seems there is always a Spring project to tackle. We have one big project left, connecting our garage to our house. We won't start it until lumber prices go down, if they ever do.

It seems like Winter was especially long and cold so get out and enjoy the warmth. 

HAPPY SPRING from Forsythia Hill.

~Rebecca

Finding a Place for Mom, Options and Adding on to your Home

Me and mom early 1960's

At some time during your 50's, the question, "Where should mom live" will probably arise. The situation came about for us when my father passed away from Alzheimer's over a year ago. Options will depend on the physical and mental health of your parent. Many years ago, my mother and I looked at retirement facilities and found it to be shockingly expensive and my mother's main complaint was "these people are OLD". I hear this often from seniors that have good physical and mental health but there are a broad range of options one can explore.

Aging in place is of course the top option but one should plan for the future expense of hiring in home health care. We found that having the same person assigned to my father was nearly impossible. Constant demand, patient needs and health care workers qualifications all cause the reassignment of caregivers. We finally did get one wonderful caregiver but it took several months to iron this out. In retrospect this was the best choice that my mother made for my father during his illness. Once he was placed in a dementia unit, a whole host of other - over the top - stressful issues arose. A topic I hope to one day be able to write about.

Tiling the new shower stall.

Another option for seniors is to move into a rental. After living in a home, some seniors balk at the idea of having close neighbors. There are rental communities designed for 55 and over, they often have long wait lists so plan in advance. Private home rental is another option but safety concerns must be addressed; one level, no curbs in showers, stairs, slippery flooring, drivability to shopping or alternative transportation options.  

First day of ripping up the yard.

My mother did not want to live alone and wanted no part of a retirement facility or rental so we considered a mother-in-law addition. Our neighbors built a lovely apartment connected to their home for their mother and she also has hired home health care assistance. We entertained adding a complete addition, but pricing was upwards of $300,000. The time frame of the project and expense was like building a stand alone home. After speaking with our realtor and several builders, we decided that adding a garage with a bonus room over top would help better sell our house down the road vs adding a mother-in-law suite. We were fortunate to have a one level basement with 11 full size windows and doors that was acceptable to my mother. I do not recommend putting a parent in a dark and dank space, way too depressing! We would have to add a small kitchen and remodel a bathroom, add some insulation and sheet rock to a few areas, and attach it to our new garage. If you decide to go this route, make it as separate as possible (words of the wise from my neighbor with the mother-in-law addition).

Lots of big trucks, some driveway damage is bound to occur.

It has taken 1 year to investigate remodeling our home and it seems like a century! Everything takes longer than expected and a big part of it is pinpointing exactly what you need and want. Our original concept of adding a complete suite has been whittled down to a large single car garage with office space (or possibly a future master suite if we sold our home later). We are very happy we chose this route as the thought of undertaking anything larger is truly mind boggling. 

Concrete is a messy process, hiring out is the way to go.

A list of the steps: 1) Talk to numerous builders about options and the lay of the land. 2) Get a notebook with grids to draw, draw, and then draw some more. I filled a complete notebook trying to nail down what we needed and what we didn't need. This really helped! Even with this detail, I still screwed up in the end but even I am not perfect. 3) Talk to neighbors or get on a local online neighborhood group list and find out who they are hiring. 4) Try to do what you can yourself. I am the contractor for the project. I contracted a concrete guy myself and a separate builder. We'll be wiring the garage, insulating, and adding sheet rock as my husband has worked in construction in the past. 5) Get estimates as your time allows, bite the bullet at some point. Figure that no soil will be turned for a solid year from when you begin your project due to weather, busy contractors, and to give yourself a little breathing time to not make too many changes in your design (big $$). 6) Pick a builder and try to get a concrete date of beginning 7) Get that foundation scheduled as weather delays are imminent. 8) Wait for the builder, as there is typically more of a wait than anticipated. 

Foundation DONE - Done - DONE

I have worked my way to step 8 over the last year. We selected a prefab garage builder as I really liked the idea of doing the construction elsewhere and popping it up over 2 days! In and OUT fast! The garage slab took what seemed forever as the soil was wet most days (hurricane season) for months. It was also a little more complicated as the lot sloped off and required a cinder block foundation to compensate for the elevation. We also wanted a breezeway poured that we can later enclose.

I hope this has help you think through your situation. First and foremost you need to match your decision with your parents wishes. It's never easy, but it can be done. Deep breath.

I'll be writing soon as our project develops. We're estimating mom will move in 2019 at this rate! 

~Rebecca

DIY Reclaimed Material Storage Cabinet

We've been dragging around these huge heavy shutters for years now.  Storing them in our shed and even moving them from SW Virginia to Central Virginia.  I knew that one day we would find the perfect project for them.  Our neighbor had taken them off his parents house and of course we took them off his hands.

Gear eating up our patio.

We had a lean-to Greenhouse on our old home where I stored all my gardening pots and gear.  When we moved there was no place for my stash and the pile was getting out of control so my smart husband decided to finally put those 70 year old + shutters to good use.

 

I just love my new cabinet to keep things tidy and out of sight.  I still have a little tidying up to do but it is much improved.  This was a 2 day project that used up 100% scrap wood and screws that we had on hand. 

-Rebecca