Monday 6 May 2013

Spring cleanup

We took advantage of the warm weather this weekend and did some tidying up in the back dump yard.


It didn't always look this bad. When we started reno'ing last year we weren't sure if we would replace our appliances. Since we were doing the entire basement, main floor, and half of the second floor, and we don't have a garage, the appliances ended up under tarps on our back patio. And there they sat since last July. At some point recently the tarps blew off.

We tried to locate a charity that could use them. While the dryer was really old, we bought the washer and stove when we moved into the house in 2000 and they were both still in great condition. Unfortunately, not many charities are interested in appliances, and Habitat for Humanity has a bunch of hoops you have to jump through before they'll agree to accept them.

For most of the winter we didn't really even notice that they were there as it was dark by the time we got home in the evening. And then they just became part of the landscape. It's been such a miserable spring that we haven't been out in the yard. But with the fantastic weather this weekend, I realized how badly I wanted those things gone.

Thankfully, there are lots of guys listed on Craigslist who will come and haul away your old appliances for free. We called one and he'll be here on Tuesday to take it away. I'll be happy to be able to set up our table and chairs on the patio. Hopefully it won't be for long though - we plan to build a raised deck outside of the sliding doors and a large patio beyond it.

We have an unusually long yard for the middle of the city. It's 20'x210', so it feels a little like a bowling alley. I think that dividing it up into smaller, defined areas will help break up the long, alley-like feel. The plan is to build a raised deck area where we can put the BBQ and some comfortable seating (I'd like one of those L-shaped sectionals) right outside the door, and then steps down to a large patio at ground level where we can put the table and chairs. Whatever we do, it's going to be a big improvement over what we have currently!







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