Home Projects Continue

We spent far more than we set out to spend and our children will never go to college, but at least we have a nice new fence and staircase in the back yard.

Despite the financial hit, it really did need to be done. The old fence had been there for a good sixty years at least and it was leaning so far in the direction of our yard that a strong wind could have taken the thing down. Then there's the fact that Max would periodically come around the corner with a piece of rotting wood he had ripped off of the fence shouting, "Look Mom -- rusty nails!". I may not be a perfect parent, but I know that rusty nails and toddlers do not mix.

After much back and forth and negotiations with the neighbors, we chose a construction company and decided to move forward. I have to say, the entertainment value alone made the whole project worthwhile. The boys LOVED watching the workers with all of their tools. They had a particularly good view of the new deck and staircase going up directly outside of the kitchen sliding door:

I should have been better about taking "before" pictures, but the few I found while going through my iphoto gallery will have to suffice. Thanks to Anj and her family for being my unwitting models!

Fence Before:
(Behind the boys and the sand table you will notice a rotting fence with boards missing. You will also notice the out-of-control trumpet tree that we had removed).

Fence After:

Deck and Staircase Before:
(What a death trap! Notice how when you stepped out of the house you had a big step down. Plus, the deck didn't extend along the entire opening of door which made it very dangerous for kids).

More Deck and Staircase Before:
(Here you can see the dangerous alignment with the door and the fact that the whole structure was not attached to the house and was basically sitting there on top of the concrete on a few planks. Are you kidding me? Who ever thought that this was a good idea?!)

Deck and Staircase After:

Hurray! We're so pleased with our home improvements. Now if we could only afford new windows, new paint, new brick stairs in the front, new landscaping, a master suite addition...