The Goodrums

After much grueling labor and two weekends of help from Michael's parents, here's an update on the very ambitious backyard landscaping project.

First and foremost, the homeowner's association is crazy. The homeowners association requires that you submit a plan if you will have less than 50% sod in a front or backyard. Our lot is so small that we can't put 50% sod in the backyard and comply with the builder's requirement that you have a 5 foot rock buffer around your house (to help with drainage and foundation stability in our crazy clay soil). So, we submitted a detailed plan with layouts and measurements. They replied and approved our plan provided that we have 50% sod. Hello?? If we had had 50% sod, we wouldn't have had to submit a plan. (They also could have easily calculated and seen from our plan that we had less than 50% sod.) Sigh...

What makes this process even more humorous is the fact that the homeowner's association supposedly encourages xeriscaping, which typically involves putting in less sod. Yet, if you put in less sod, you have to jump through the hoops of submitted a plan, fighting the homeowners association, etc. Irony.

We also filed an extension request with the homeowners association, asking to have until June 1 to finish our landscaping. This was especially critical given the fact that it SNOWED last week. Snow makes it mighty hard to work in your yard (although it was 80 again by this past weekend - 20 to 80 in one week). They finally approved our extension request amidst nasty threats of what they would do to us if we didn't finish - $25 a day fines, taking away our rec center privileges, etc. Ummm yeah, last I checked we were the good homeowners who actually read the rules and took the time to file an extension request like we were supposed to. Why not save the nasty stuff for those people that make no effort to comply? I guess this is why most people dread working with their homeowners associations. I guess we never really understood that concept until now, as our last homeowners association was quite reasonable and civil!

In spite of a crazy homeowners association and crazy weather, we are making progress. We have lots of sore muscles, bumps, bruises and Band-aids, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

DONE:
- Flagstone pathway
- Sprinkler system
- 10 plants planted in our crazy soil (2 allgold scotch broom, 1 Texas scarlet flowering quince, 5 yellow flowering currants and 2 sester dwarf blue spruce)

The first two projects were major undertakings! Who knew...

Also note: The scotch broom picture linked above is out of control. Ours will never look like that. :)

STILL TO DO:
- Interior edge of flagstone walkway (almost complete)
- Dry Riverbed (about half completed)
- Weed fabric (for rock areas, started)
- Rock
- Edging for sod
- Dirt work in sod area: tilling and topsoil
- Sod

Hopefully we will be able to finish in another couple weekends. We have to finish by the end of May. After the letters to the "good homeowner" above, I don't want to find out what the true wrath of the homeowners association is like.

The ultimate learning from this project is - thank goodness for the Goodrums. Without their help, we would be pretty defeated by now. We are super thankful for their help.

Pictures to come...