Labor of Love

Our friends Tim and Tiphanie embarked on the ultimate home enriching experience this past summer. With more time on their hands than expected, they decided to dig in to an extensive backyard remodel. Tim’s well known by family and friends for his handy ways and the ability to be thrifty, but he outdid himself w/ this project. They had done some planting, mild improvements and had even built an amazing tree house (coveted by the local teens and, on occasion, furtively used in the wee hours), but they’d always planned to do more.

With an extra large yard to play with, T & T set out to create a tranquil, peaceful Asian-themed family escape- partly in honor of Tim’s mother (who had passed away in recent years), and a good sized dog area for their 3 canines. Mission accomplished…and then some. Tim began by rebuilding the deck entirely, which required some pretty extensive structural reinforcement. No small feat. He disposed of most of the old deck using the free section of Craigslist and got some of his materials for the new deck, free of charge, as well.

They laid claim to a ‘Softub’- a hot tub which Tim extracted- free- also from Craigslist. It’s a unique and very interesting tub…not your standard issue, swirly faux marble, ‘70’s box. It’s shaped like a dome and looks like an orangish-brown version of a ‘Mallomar’ (the cookie w/ the marshmallow top all covered in chocolate). Curiously, it’s one of the most energy efficient models available, even though it’s ancient. The Softub uses an efficient heat recovery system and requires only a standard 115V outlet. It has a high density insulated body and cover, is renewable and recyclable and is produced in a green manufacturing facility where no VOC’s are present. It costs roughly $6- $16 per month to heat. Works like a charm. The whole family piles in often to relax and recover after soccer, running & basketball.

Next, Tim picked up free brick pavers- mostly from Ballard and Mercer Island homes (thank you, Craigslist). After painstakingly hand-chiseling the mortar off of every brick, he artfully arranged some 3,000 of them, creating a zen-like hardscape that’s quite pleasing to the eye. The intent was that the bricks look like rippled water- as if a stone had been cast. I haven’t seen anything like it. Amazing. When they bought the property, the area had been an impersonal sea of damaged grass, laden with tree droppings. Now the space is a visual feast, feng-shui functional, the family sanctuary, low maintenance and sustainable.

The Asian garden encompasses the northern yard, in between the house and southern brick area. It is enclosed by a low, cedar fence and features an elaborate arbor, black bamboo, Japanese maple, water feature, a fire pit, sitting area, the Softub and a plethora of carefully chosen green plants. Almost everything was, again, free. The pictures don’t do it justice. I’ll snap some more photos when the plants are in full bloom.

One of my favorite pieces is the sitting rock that the family lugged back from the Grand Canyon. Happened upon it, curbside, and had to have it. They couldn’t have planned that their brakes would almost fail for the strain, as they stretched down a long expanse of California’s Highway 101. Both family and rock made it back safely, and the slab accessorizes the garden beautifully.

All told, free and/or re-used items included several truckloads of sand, yards of rich topsoil, 3,000 plus bricks, lumber, plants, river rock, the sitting rock and, of course, the Softub. Major coup!