Summer Remodeling Project

My home has been an ongoing project ever since I got it. Originally it was supposed to be a quick flip: new coat of paint, re-finish the floors, update the cabinet doors, swap out the plugs and switches for more modern ones. Unfortunately the inspector was a bit less than competent and it’s been an ongoing project ever since.

This summer the projects were mostly working on the outside than the inside, the inside being done except trim and finish work, and new repairs that have to be made. Part of the outside work has been improving the patio.

The patio has a southern exposure and often far too much sunlight reaches the patio to be comfortable to sit upon it, or the sunlight reaching the downstairs windows and making the house hotter than desired. So a better cover for the patio was designed, to extend the patio outa bit into the yard to increase the amount of shade.

The project is mostly done, as far as it will reach this summer will be getting all the woodwork nailed up and done. The actual cover, which will be either shade cloth or I’ll get some hanging planters and run lines for vines to crawl across, will be a spring project next year.

Patio cover, seen from the west end

Seen from the yard, pieces all cut, painted, and ready to be nailed up

From the east, detail work on the end

Garden has done alright this summer. I got too busy with summer coursework and forgot that I needed to prune the tomato plants. The cherry tomato plant has done wonderfully, but the regular red tomato plant grew wildly out of control and most of the fruit on it remains green. The cucumber plant did pretty well, except I didn’t pick them quickly enough and a fair number of the cukes went yellow and bitter before I picked them and the plant ceased sending out new flowers.

Cherry tomatoes (back left), Tomatoes (center), Cucumbers (back right)