It's cement time

For Valentine’s Day, instead of asking for a rock on my finger I asked for a rock wall. My wish came true a day early. The remaining foundation was poured and the forms removed. Never have I ever been so excited about concrete. The cement crew probably thought I was a few bubbles off level watching me spinning in circles singing, my walls are alive with music. A very bad impression of Julie Andrews*cq



I thought it couldn’t get any better when Stephen Aiguier*cq from Green Hammer Inc.*cq our REX Project Mentor pointed at my muddy boots and said we could benefit by getting rid of the dirty soon to be crawl space.



For around $1,000.00 and one day’s work, we can stop mold growth, rotten framing, say good bye to drafty spaces and hello to lower utility bills. Check out this link about conditioned crawl spaces; http://www.hgtvpro.com/hpro/bp_foundation/article/0,2617,HPRO_20146_3463221,00.html, it will make you wonder why anybody who is building a new house would ever want to deal with spider webs, dry rot, termites, and throw money out the window, or in this case, foundation vents.



I tip my glass to Stephen who gives rock solid advice, and then I start singing, Celebrate Good Times, Come On.



Shannon

Great Advice

One of my goals with the REX Project is to share everything that I have learned on the way of completing this great endeavor. Christine Ellis and Carolyn Gregg my landscape designers have been with me from the very beginning. They have provided key information that has been crucial to the landscaping planning, design, implementation and ultimate beauty of our new yard.

Plan before construction begins:
Know zoning regulations for your area, such as storm run off containment and tree removal permits.
Inventory existing plant material to save and protect during construction.
If large trees and shrubs are being saved, they need to be protected from construction damage and soil compaction or moved.
Analyze site and assistance with home placement for best advantage.
Think about views, privacy and potential drainage issues.
Plan for access to yard from home, hose bibs, and outlets.
Prepare a master plan matching budget and priorities.

During construction, appropriate landscaping phases can be done to maximize access and possibly come under the construction loan if a landscape plan is ready.

Do before construction begins:
Serve top soil for future plantings.
Create a nursery area to heel in plants being saved.
Fence around trees at drip line to project roots from compaction and possible damage to trunk and limbs.


Shannon

Saving History

It took less than four hours, a 50 ton crane, the crew of ProGrass and Gregg and Ellis Landscape Design and a bit of luck to move our trees from one location to another. The REX Project, Reuse Everything eXperiment once again proves that you can make a difference. We saved 50 year old trees, preserved the history of the Westmoreland neighborhood in Portland Oregon and $15,000.00 dollars! That's right! According to Steve Varga of ProGrass landscaping we had $25,000.00 worth of original landscaping materials. To save everything, hire the crane company and move it all cost us $10,000.00. To me, that's a major duh! All win-win.

Come by and see our progress, 2030 SE REX ST. Portland Oregon

More to come

The beauty of embarking on something that has never been done before is knowing you are not following directions because there are no directions to begin with. Let me share with you some lessons I've already learned. Step one, deconstruct the house. Step two, inventory the materials that you have and know where they will be stored. Step three, design the house and landscaping with the knowledge of steps one and two. I did step three, then one, followed by two. Sounds confusing? Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Not only will this save you time, but money too.

Currently we are in the middle of excavation and our excavator Brian Jackson, is dealing with more scrambled and out of order procedures. We pocketed thousands of dollars by saving the trees and plants instead of replacing them. However digging them up and transplanting them created huge holes that need to be filled before the foundation starts. Cost, around $4,000.00 and an extra week of delay. But this is construction and I've quickly learned that the phrase "set back" is as common as a coffee shop on our neighborhood street corner.

No Hex with REX

Never in a million years would I have ever guessed that digging up a tree and preparing it for removal would be a work of art. The crew from ProGrass Landscape Care and Design *cq completely knocked my socks off. Working in extreme muddy conditions, and only a crew of three, a back hoe, and two shovels, they managed to sculpt the most perfectly shaped ball around the base of every tree and shrub that needed to be relocated. I thought it couldn’t get any better but after watching how they wrapped each plant in burlap and twine with such precise and expertise, I was at a loss of words. And if you have ever met me, that just doesn’t happen.



The whole day was full of wonderful surprises. The REX Project Landscape Designers, Christine Ellis*cq and Carolyn Gregg*cq of Gregg and Ellis Landscape Designs*cq also were there. With tools in hand and both wearing matching red rubber boots they chopped and cut the last remaining laurel branches. Without their help I would have been buried in “The Beast”. We ended up with a pile six feet high of wood trimmings. Call me crazy but when I look at that stack of limbs all I can see is furniture, fencing, and railings. More art to be made.



If that doesn’t take the cake, get this, I asked Steve Varga*cq from Prograss*cq, who is working along side with Ellis*cq and Gregg*cq if I choose to buy trees like these (there are six total) how much would they cost? He estimated each would run approximately $2,500.00 to $3,000.00 each. I immediately called my husband Glenn and told him I just saved a minimum of $12,500.00 and if he needed to reach me later that evening, I would be at Nordstroms *cq.