Home accessories: Renovation Diary: Courting Behavior

A small, square courtyard sits in the front of Rattlebridge.

As my general contractor said, the area is pretty but it was built weirdly, without regard to

the slope of the land and without the use of a building level.

You can't really turn your car around in the courtyard or you will

bump into a rosebush hedge or the front porch. Everyone uses

the blacktop strip as the "turn-around."

A view of the turnaround.

One day Bandwidth and I began to wonder how the courtyard might look if

steps were added in the center. I tried to create an image with my

limited photo-editing skills.

My general contractor thought that steps would add to the curb appeal,

even though we would need to level the inner part of courtyard.

A few ideas were tossed around. Concrete or Bomanite would

be very, very expensive. Since this area isn't really functional as a

parking space, why not turn it into a formal courtyard with sod, boxwoods, and

a walkway?

Bringing in truckloads of dirt can be a "spendy" thing, too.

Bandy suggested that we use the dirt that had been moved to make way for the steps.

My GC perked up and said, "Dr. W wants his pond dug out--we can use that dirt to fill

the courtyard."

Dr. W. loved that idea. He will finally get a "Duck Island," to protect the furry critters from

foxy predators.

Demolition began.

You can see the deep tilt of the existing courtyard. Much of this will be hidden by

shrubs, though. Will and our GC have a few ideas for the structure, too.

Later, the blacktop will be removed and soil will be added.

Come spring, the Lord willing, we will add the garden details.

Also, the bricks will be painted SW's Tennessee Limestone, to match the house.

My GC built the steps to echo the porch design. They sweep out, with columns at the base.

We love them.

We haven't decided what to put at the base. Another garden? Pavers? Benches?

We have plenty of time to think about it. And, with surgery looming for a certain, unnamed family member, he is looking forward to dreaming about outdoor projects. I am looking forward to

dreaming this dream with him.

Mediterranean Landscape by Vienna Landscape Architects & Designers Wheat's Landscape

Traditional Landscape by Mundelein Landscape Architects & Designers Schmechtig Landscapes

I love this photo of father and son as they admire the steps. They are so alike, right down to their body language. Had to share it!

In other news, the steps to Will's garden are finally in progress.

Weather permitting, the structure should be finished before Thanksgiving.

We also have a terrible leak near the swimming pool, like, under the Bomanite. The pool

also needs a new liner.

It takes up quite a bit of space in the rear courtyard. We need to decide if we want to fill the pool with dirt (my favorite idea--I'm not a fan of pools).