Year Two Renovations

This past year, our second year in the house, we redid the decks; painted the window frames;  removed some of the structures we did not want; added raised garden beds, and a living fence on the far west of the property as well. We also expanded another garden bed due to tree damage.

Removed the smokehouse/shed

Stained the decks


We added a rock layer to the newly raised garden bed area on the west side of the house. 

 Enjoying the spoils of my hard labor


Before spruce was removed

After the spruce was removed  
(note: the tarps are so unsightly)

We painted the front door in the autumn 2020. You can see the tiger lilies are doing great!


We also painted the trim on many of the windows and had the fascia covered with white metal trim (the door hasn't been painted in this picture)
Caulked the windows after painting
Striped the windows in prep for painting

My husband also tore down the steps inside the garage and build a new larger platform and step area. It makes getting in and out of the door easier and safer. (Dec 2020)
Here are the new indoor steps. The top platform has an additional foot to stand on.

Ramblings about the garden beds
I had plenty of research on the sun's movements for this area before the tree was removed. I knew the house side of the bed had lots of shade. At that time I was only able to plant shade-loving plants. After the tree was removed, there was more sun hitting the grass and the bed. I had to adjust some of my plantings. On top of saving some of the plants from the old bed, I was able to get about fifty new plants from a fellow gardener who was demolishing her garden (due to the house repairs needed from earthquake damage). In class, we talked about “beware shared plants”. As I consider last year and the new knowledge I acquired in the Master Gardener class, I learned I will have to monitor the plants for growth and shade tolerance. Some of my new plantings may grow or become invasive. If so, I may need to replace and remove it. Many of the plants I took include lily of the valley, sedum, Lamium, Shasta daisy, Lady’s Mantle, Jacobs’s ladder, delphinium, peony, and sedum. I also bought plants from a well-established nursery with Alaska-proven plants. These include Hostas, day lily, lilac, and pansies. After taking the Master Gardener class, I understand the hostas, lilies, sedum, pansies, and a few others may do fine in the new location but I may have to move the other plants due to lack of sunlight. 





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