Backyard upgrades

Willow

Took yesterday and today off to get some work done. First the gazebo. We purchased it used but it was in new condition. Only thing is it didn't come with instructions. I never put one together before. I was all alone too. Not the easiest thing to do by yourself. Then today was the sand box for the kids. It's not just a sandbox. The second level will be a house with a rock wall or ladder going up and a slide. It is filled with Caribbean beach sand soft and silky.

Willow

Tomorrow after work we are going to pick up new furniture for the gazebo, 4 single wicker chairs and a fire table.

I'll be sure to update the sandbox / house in the coming weeks. Kids are going to love it.

cfrizz

Very cool.

scottyboy76

Man I would get in that sandbox and shove those rotten young'uns OUT. LOL

Nice work, and I'm sure the little ones are gonna love it.

how old are they?

Willow

Thanks to the both of you. They are 3.5 and 5. I can't wait for the top floor to be finished.

tonyb

You might want to re-think a fire pit table under a cloth gazebo. Just sayin'.....otherwise looks nice.

Willow

I agree if it was a wood burning. We are getting a small flame controlled by propane.

tonyb

Willow wrote: »

I agree if it was a wood burning. We are getting a small flame controlled by propane.

Willow wrote: »

I agree if it was a wood burning. We are getting a small flame controlled by propane.

Cool, have one under my deck with no worries. I use lava rock in mine only because the kids want to roast marshmallows at times. That would make a mess if I used the fire pit glass.

Keep in mind too, all Lava rock is not the same nor is fire pit glass. Certain lava rock is used for landscaping, certain stuff is used for fire-pits or grills and won't pop like the landscaping stuff. Same goes for fire glass, you want a high temp glass, not the cheap junk that can pop and burn someone, lose color, etc.

Just an FYI pal, enjoy the yard.

motorhead43026

You don't want Fire Marshall Bill showing up at your house.

polk500

Hey Willow nice play area the Kids I like the idea of having the upper level great use of space and keeps the weather / sun off them as well. But I like your fence is that metal or plastic as it is hard to tell but I can see the slots in the post where the panels fit so I'm thinking it's pre-fabbed.

Cheers
Roger

Willow

tonyb wrote: »

Willow wrote: »

I agree if it was a wood burning. We are getting a small flame controlled by propane.

Willow wrote: »

I agree if it was a wood burning. We are getting a small flame controlled by propane.

Cool, have one under my deck with no worries. I use lava rock in mine only because the kids want to roast marshmallows at times. That would make a mess if I used the fire pit glass.

Keep in mind too, all Lava rock is not the same nor is fire pit glass. Certain lava rock is used for landscaping, certain stuff is used for fire-pits or grills and won't pop like the landscaping stuff. Same goes for fire glass, you want a high temp glass, not the cheap junk that can pop and burn someone, lose color, etc.

Just an FYI pal, enjoy the yard.

We are thinking lava rock too, it comes with some but some colour would be nice. Spoke to the company and the flame on high is 5" low is 2.5". Thanks for the info on the rocks/glass.

Willow

polk500 wrote: »

Hey Willow nice play area the Kids I like the idea of having the upper level great use of space and keeps the weather / sun off them as well. But I like your fence is that metal or plastic as it is hard to tell but I can see the slots in the post where the panels fit so I'm thinking it's pre-fabbed.

Cheers
Roger

Thanks, that's part of the plan, shade and play space. For the fence it's pvc. In Adobe colour. Was very expensive compared to wood but maintenance free .

polk500

Kool stuff, we when with wood as per our neighbors request and it's a pain to maintain

Willow

No wood any more. Our old house we did wood. Look great like wet honey for the first year. Then grey.

Willow

Still some finishing touches to add. A real ladder a table and benches and finish the right side

Willow

Kids play area is almost done. Family/ adult is in the works. Got the permits today. Should be done in the next 3 weeks. Ill post as we start and go.

mrbiron

Nice!
I was laughing as the above photo was loading on my company's terrible network and in popped a folded (OSHA Violation) A-frame ladder modified (OSHA Violation) with plywood, not extended 4' beyond (OSHA Violation) the intended platform, and missing guardrails (OSHA Violation). Finally, scrolled to the bottom of the post and that was all cleared up.

Was this bought as a kit or did you buy everything separate? I see you have a fenced in yard which keeps the critters out of the sand. This is why i won't build something like this for my daughter. We had horseshoe pits at one point but the damn critters!!!!

Willow

It's not completed yet but kids have been wanting to use it so we did what we could to secure it for now.
Funny about your violations.
This was drawn up by my dad. No kit. The fence is needed for a couple reasons, security so the kids don't run out , we have a corner lot. For privacy and to keep critters out too. No more neighbourhood dog poops in the backyard and it's also required by law for our upcoming project which I mentioned above.

Mike Reeter

Lookin good Willow!

maximillian

Looks great.

An option for the ladder.... get a wooden gang plank ramp with a rope pull in the middle. Something like this:

http://www.gorillaplaysets.com/v/vspfiles/photos/01-1006-6.jpg

You may be able to purchase it premade at a playset store, or they are easy enough to make yourself.

Willow

That pull rope could be an option. The kids are asking for monkey bars and a little Rock wall. What started out as a sand box.....

maximillian

We have one on our playset and the kids love it more than the ladder. At the top the rope is attached to the top of the beam at the entrance so the rope is in air instead of being on the ramp. Then at the bottom it's attached to the ramp.

Yes, it never ends.

tonyb

Willow wrote: »

That pull rope could be an option. The kids are asking for monkey bars and a little Rock wall. What started out as a sand box.....

Monkey bars and a rock wall.....you mean you don't have those on the inside of your house ? Slacker.....

Willow

tonyb wrote: »

Willow wrote: »

That pull rope could be an option. The kids are asking for monkey bars and a little Rock wall. What started out as a sand box.....

Monkey bars and a rock wall.....you mean you don't have those on the inside of your house ? Slacker.....

Technically we do, any piece of furniture, banister is a rock wall or monkey bar... sheesh!

tonyb

Willow wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

Willow wrote: »

That pull rope could be an option. The kids are asking for monkey bars and a little Rock wall. What started out as a sand box.....

Monkey bars and a rock wall.....you mean you don't have those on the inside of your house ? Slacker.....

Technically we do, any piece of furniture, banister is a rock wall or monkey bar... sheesh!

Amen to that...lol.

Joey_V

Looks good man... I have only built my wife a plant box... thats the extent of my abilities.

txcoastal1

Joey_V wrote: »

Looks good man... I have only built my wife a plant box... thats the extent of my abilities.

Manscaping ..TMI

Jstas

I gotta ask.

Why are houses in Canuckistan so close together?

Are they huddling together to keep warm?

Willow

Jstas wrote: »

I gotta ask.

Why are houses in Canuckistan so close together?

Are they huddling together to keep warm?

All about money. How many houses can a builder put in an area. Especially new developments. The older neighbourhoods have more space between them and larger backyards.

mhardy6647

Jstas wrote: »

I gotta ask.

Why are houses in Canuckistan so close together?

Are they huddling together to keep warm?

Heh. Ever been to California (LA basin or the Silicon Valley)? ;-)

When we lived in Milpitas (late 1980s) it amazed me that you could go way, way out in the boondocks... and housing developments still had houses crammed together cheek-by-jowl. I think outrageous land prices have something to do with it... although lifestyle fashion may play a role too (i.e., in CA).

Our house there (in 1989) was nearly $300k; I am sure the same house today would be over $1 million. We're talking a pretty modest 1800 ft^2 two story four bedroom (the fourth bedroom was pretty small) on 6000 ft^2 lot :-)

I think the houses in our neighborhood in Milpitas had 7 feet spacing from house to house. I know I could hear our neighbor's shower running in the morning when I was in our bathroom :-/

As an aside, the days of suburban sprawl seem to be pretty much over -- the current generation want to live smack dab in the bustling city centers again... but that's another topic altogether, isn't it? ;-)

tonyb

It's about the money. Your tax based mostly on square footage. One house of roughly the same SF would not generate twice the taxes if it had twice the lot size. Lot size does come into play, but not as much as improved SF.

"As an aside, the days of suburban sprawl seem to be pretty much over -- the current generation want to live smack dab in the bustling city centers again... "

Absolutely Mark, know why ? Because they can't afford nuthin'...and priorities are a tad screwed up. It's all about partying....cell phones, drinking. Much the same way we were but the difference was we knew how to do it on the cheap and paid our own way. These days, kids want to live at home as long as they can to afford that lifestyle. Nobody wants to grow up anymore and become that dreaded "responsible adult".

Suburban sprawl isn't what it used to be, but it's still growing. City living is getting too expensive, even burbs surrounding the city. So those that move there usually have to share an apartment with more than one other.....or live in a dump.

I have nieces and nephews who were all too enamored with the thought of city living and needless to say, moved back to the burbs after one year. All cited the expense as the main reason.....and traffic/parking.