.. and so it begins (finally)
Finally. Finally, finally FINALLY!
We have digging. Commencement. Our incredibly long overdue backyard project, which has gone through innumerable phases of redesign, budget constraining, hang-ups, project managing, material selection, ordering, prep-work, phasing, scheming and planning- officially starts Today. The process overall has made the project stronger and far more refined. It is a much better and more effective plan than our first few stabs. In the end, Matt has ended up project managing the entire thing, from coordination to materials, in addition to the normal work he is doing. It’s been a lot on our plate, but I can say worth it as by the end of this week, we will be putting the deck back on and the finishing touches on the major infrastructure work. Fast execution for a very drawn out journey to get here.
The kids are plastered to the dining room window, perched on the bench behind the table watching our excavators work as I type. Brian Sr. and Brian Jr. are out there cutting away, pulling our huge cliff face back, recreating our outdoor space with such skilled ease as they maneuver these large machines in an intricate dance around our constrained backyard. And they had to bring everything in through our back-yard neighbor’s yard down his driveway from the street above ours. Already I see such change as the simple act of moving dirt results in such a transformation. It is one thing to envision the outcome in my head, which as a designer I have had brewing up there for months and months. And another to plan it out on paper and in our digital model, adding to the visual decision making process. But entirely another to see the actual physical being carved out, to know so intimately every detail which has been mulled over, worked out and emerging into true reality.
Granted, the model is rough, mostly utilized to do take-offs for ordering materials and dimensioning. There are elements which will be worked out as we go, such as our intrinsic garden mounds and the finished shape and size of the creek bed play area. But the ideas are there, worked out and solidified. They are really going to happen to the point we will be using this space by next week. It will be so exciting to see this project come to fruition. For me it means a usable extension of our house that will be integral to how we live out the next few months after the baby comes, providing a place for the older girls to go play in and enjoy as we stick close to home for a while.
g.design | journal 