Jeff Mottle Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Thought I'd share some pics from my backyard landscaping/construction project. The piece de resistance is still the Japanese Tea House with curved roof which I hope to errect in a few weeks. Just have to finish cutting the last of the curved rafters and beams. The pics below are of the deck, fence ,and Tora Gate that I have been building. The pond I contracted a company to do, but all of the design has been my own. Just one of the reasons CGA2 got put on hold from my progress made in the spring. It's actually nice to get away from the computer and work on something that had nothing to do with computers. The fish in the pond are our four Koi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted September 5, 2006 Author Share Posted September 5, 2006 a few more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Tori gate. But it's still very nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted September 5, 2006 Author Share Posted September 5, 2006 Tori gate. But it's still very nice I've seen it referenced in books as both ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffc Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Is that cedar for your decking and rails? I used cedar on mine, and love the look, but it does require a bit of maintenance if you don't want the gray weathered look after a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted September 5, 2006 Author Share Posted September 5, 2006 Is that cedar for your decking and rails? I used cedar on mine, and love the look, but it does require a bit of maintenance if you don't want the gray weathered look after a year. Yup all cedar. I've used Sikkens Cetol SRD stain, but even that has to be repainted every year or other year at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neko Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 looks like a great project. i've made a similar transformation to my garden(s) and i know what it takes to do all that work (and i get the summer off !) here is a great link to japanese zen gardens - very inspiring.... http://academic.bowdoin.edu/zen/index.shtml?overview cheers paul rodham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Eloy Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Looking good, Jeff. The pics just remind me of that TLC show "While You're Out", lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Alexander Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 Hey We'll just start calling you 'Butch' - affectionately short for "Wood Butcher". Great job so far You should have at least dug the pond. Renting a little backhoe (Crawler) with 'Joystick controls' soo very easy to operate and fun too- all growed up Tonka Toys. or maybe not (see image) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted September 6, 2006 Author Share Posted September 6, 2006 Hey We'll just start calling you 'Butch' - affectionately short for "Wood Butcher". Great job so far You should have at least dug the pond. Renting a little backhoe (Crawler) with 'Joystick controls' soo very easy to operate and fun too- all growed up Tonka Toys. or maybe not (see image) Haha funny poster. Well I would have done that pond myself, but some of those rocks weight over 500lbs, and when it comes to 3000-4000 gallons of water I'd rather leave that to a professional.LOL We also have extremely rocky soil. The guy who drilled the post holes blew the gasket on the driller and the guys who dug the pond were using a front end loader and an excavator and it still took them 2 days to dig out a 15 x 20 x 2 ft area. Most companies won't even dig in our area or they use special bits meant for offshore drilling so they don't break. Even after the guy came to drill the post holes I still ended up spending an hour a hole with a manual post hole digger a rock bar and a sledge hammer to finish them and still never got much bellow 24"-30" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted September 30, 2006 Author Share Posted September 30, 2006 Thought I'd post some pics from the last week of work. Just need to stain it and put the T&G sheeting and cedar shakes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted September 30, 2006 Author Share Posted September 30, 2006 Here's another shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted September 30, 2006 Author Share Posted September 30, 2006 For scale, the Japanese Tea House is 10 ' x 12' base about 16' x 14' roof footprint and 13.6 feet tall to the top of the ridge beam, which was quite a feat to rig that high up given it weighed about 150lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 did you construct it using the 'wax on wax off' method? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Beautiful structure, can't wait to come over for tea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 How did you create the trusses for the gazebo? Were they lofted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Alexander Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Jeff, Your hired! We'll swap jobs....I'll do the CG & documents and you swing the hammer and make dust. That is some 'fine carpentry'. What did you end up using to cut the rafters? I know all the possibilites and the ones I'd use, but real curious as to the what whys and hows for you So the soil up there is bank run with hard pan or more on in the way of Moraine right above bed rock or stone outcroppings? Yes better let the guys who can afford to replace teeth, drills, and shears pins (on a minute by minute basis it sounds like) to the work WDA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 Did not have as much time this summer to complete my landscaping as I wanted, but for the last 3 weeks I have been making some more progress so I thought I wold post some more pics. In the spring I will be laying sod where there is currently soil and I will be planting shrubs, oramental grasses and perennials where there is mulch. A few more things left to do, but it's getting there. The last few weeks I laid all of the walkways, mulch and for the last week have been putting down all of the cedar shingles on the tea house. This weekend I installed the custom coppper flashing. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 some more shots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 and a few more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Oh wow! That looks amazing as is Jeff. You make me want to pick up the tools and finish a couple of project I have been putting off at home. Did you teach yourself carpentry? How many guys do you have helping you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 Oh wow! That looks amazing as is Jeff. You make me want to pick up the tools and finish a couple of project I have been putting off at home. Did you teach yourself carpentry? How many guys do you have helping you? Thanks Ernesto. Yeah most of what I know I either taught to myself from watching home shows, or reading and what my Dad taught me growing up. Most of the work I did myself, except for the pond, which was done by professionals due to the amount of excavation and weights of the materials. My parent helped out a lot too with things like shoveling gravel, staining and misc other items. I figure there are approx. 1500 man hours into the yard now. It's definetly fun doing carpentry. It's definetly not perfect, but this was the first roof I've framed and shingled and the first deck I've built from scratch as well. It's all my own design though. The tea house was from a set of plans I bought, but they were just templates for the curved rafters...no assembly instructions included. I find working with my hands a lot more rewarding than working on the computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Warner Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I find working with my hands a lot more rewarding than working on the computer. I find both equally rewarding, but there's definitely something about building stuff that makes for a good break from the computer. The tea house is awesome Jeff. I built a screen porch last summer that kicked my butt, and it's got nothing on the complexity of the tea house you built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchrender Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I know this a very Irish think to say ...but ....... were is the grass................. Hard gray ground is all i can see................Are you putting any grass in.... it would set everything off beautifully....... looks great. The old dear next to me would have a heart attack if i put that up in the garden. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 I know this a very Irish think to say ...but ....... were is the grass................. Hard gray ground is all i can see................Are you putting any grass in.... it would set everything off beautifully....... looks great. The old dear next to me would have a heart attack if i put that up in the garden. Well done. Shoulda read my post Where you see dirt currently, there will be grass in the new year and where you see mulch I will be planting ornamental grasses, perennials and shrubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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