It’s difficult to believe that we went from having to improvise a ramp to a new door last weekend, all the way to having a new deck and fenced in yard this weekend!
It was a whirlwind week and we’ll show you in photos how the week progressed:
Monday: by the end of the day we had the decking, but no stairs and rail. I had to find a set of old stairs to get the dogs off the deck safely (see behind the dogs). I also had to use leads some of the time because they didn’t see any reason not to tear out the door and dive off the deck any old place (not a good idea for two arthritic dogs and one with bad knees)! Luckily we only had to play the game of guiding them to the stairs for one night.
By the end of Tuesday, we had the rail and the stairs!
Wednesday, they finished putting lattice work on that side of the deck, to keep the dogs in without having the chain link fencing there. Once that was done they’d be able to start moving the fencing. They got the first gate secured to the deck, and got started putting the posts in for the yard. You can kind of see in the photo how they had to tie the other panels together temporarily.
Our contractors are so great! They GET us. They know we’re all about our dogs and they did everything they could to keep things convenient for us. Every night when they left we still had a secure place to take the dogs out to. The gates would be closed so I could let the dogs out. We had one contractor in the past who constantly left gates open and our beagle Kobi got out one time (luckily he didn’t go far). When they completed the deck stairs I commented that they were wider than I thought they were going to be. “Well, we wanted to make sure it was wide enough for both you and the dogs to go down at the same time.” 🙂
Also, after completing the deck, they were supposed to go do another job and then our main contractor was going on vacation (his brother works with him). My hubby asked if there was any way they could get our fence done enough so we could use it before he left. The Dadz explained that the dogs were getting antsy and really needed more space to run (totally true!). They kindly put the other job off (it was on a seasonal home so not urgent). These are the same guys who came through for us when we needed last minute help moving because we thought our sale had fallen through and we weren’t going to be moving. They are just really great guys.
By Thursday afternoon, the dogs were out running in their new yard! They had a blast just sniffing around and exploring every inch of it. There was still a bit more work to be done the next day but it was usable. My sister was over Thursday evening and we even got to throw the ball a few times (before the bugs drove us indoors). The fencing you see in the foreground of the below photo still needed to be moved. We did something cool with those panels which we’ll share when we give you the full tour of the new yard later this week.
They still need to come back after vacation and finish up the gates. There are two other gates in there but they’re just closed off now because they ran out of the parts they needed (and time). They also will be coming back to put in a half moon window above the slider. The window that was there that you can see in the first photos had been leaking (which we didn’t find out until they tore the house apart for the door!).
This yard is not as big as the one at our old house; but it is still plenty big for lots of running and ball playing. We even got the Chuck It* out!
We’re looking forward to a quiet week this week with no construction, just enjoying the yard and our usual routines!
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How exciting for you and the dogs! We have an appointment to start planning our fence next week! I love how great your contractor is–the stair comment just warmed my heart. I’m glad you’d found good people you can trust to help you!
It’s great and I love that the contractors were so in tune with your needs. So the fenced area might be a bit small, but you still have LOTS of room for exploring, I know they will enjoy that!
Yay for your new deck!! That is going to be so nice!!
Now we just need some nice weather so we can get out there to enjoy it! 🙂
You’re making great progress. I’m sure you still double-check the fence, but it’s nice that your contractor tries to remember to secure the gate for the dogs.
You know me well! Yes, I always double check it. I even double check it when my hubby has been out there doing stuff. 🙂
So wonderful! Your contractors can restore some of that faith in humanity you lost during the selling process, that’s for sure! 🙂
So true, Lynn!!
YAY! I am so happy for yall. I know the gang is loving their new porch and backyard. What great contractors to work with you so well. Must be dog lovers too. ☺
Wow it looks really great. They sure got it up and usable quickly.
Hurrah for the new fence! Sounds like you have a great bunch of contractors. Someone came over to repair something at our place and he left the door open. I freaked out because I thought Mr. N had gone out… it turns out he was standing behind me the entire time.
Mr. N is such a good boy!! 🙂
That’s so awesome that they got the fence and decking done for you! I bet the pups were so excited to have more room to run around! Way to go! 😀
It looks wonderful. enjoy!
It’s amazing how content we (humans) feel once we know the pets have what they need. A fenced in yard with a deck that they can use to get to it is the best in the world! Enjoy it!
That is great. Can we borrow your contractor?
Ha ha, a friend of mine asked me that too. I told her she couldn’t have him until we’re done with him! (and this house needs a lot of work…..)
Whew!!!! It made me tired just reading about all you had to go through but look at the pawesome end result! Fabulous! Just in time to enjoy some great weather!!
Mom can’t believe that it is possible to get so much done in such a short amount of time. I guess it’s all down to having a contractor, something we’ve never had. Just a dad that is SLOW! Love Dolly
I dread to think how long this would take if we didn’t hire people. As it is, we have a million other smaller projects to do ourselves, and my hubby is spending more time playing with that darn tractor than anything else! LOL
It looks like your own little slice of heaven! And like Pam said, contractors with heart – “what a concept”!! Enjoy your coffee breaks on the deck this week without all the noise!
It’s really shaping up nicely! Congrats again!!
You guys are making so much progress! Yay for being able to roam the yard freely. 🙂
Contractors who CARE….wow….what a concept! It’s nice when they listen and respond to your needs isn’t it? We know they’re in business and work for money but they need to add I a little “heart” and you have that with your guys for sure. The place is shaping up just GREAT…….the deck and yard are lookin’ super!
Hugs, Sammy and Mom Pam
We are really lucky to have these guys. I’m sure contractors who care are pretty hard to come by! As it is, we’ve seen the previous work done on this house, and I don’t think the previous owners even had contractors who knew what they were doing! LOL
that was super nice to make sure the gang has a safe playground every evening… it’s great to see how a house becomes a home step by step :O)
Take a break and enjoy the new deck and fenced yard. It looks great!