Project Timeline

Summer 2008....Silver maple is taken down. Large, sad stump remains. We decide to build a detached garage and exercise room in it's place.

October 2008....Excavation starts in the driveway. Landscaping project also begins. Backyard is graded. Back door landing and steps are eliminated. Rot under the back door is discovered and fixed. Arbor vitae "fence" is put in the ground. Paver patio is installed. Kasota stone retaining walls are started.

November 2008-January 2009. Working on garage and exercise room.

February 2009. Treadmill is delivered mid February and we can finally start to use the exercise room.

March 2009. Discover a tax credit for geothermal. Decide to drill wells in the mud pit that has been our driveway throughout winter.

May 2009. Geothermal wells drilled at the end of the month. 5 wells. 250 feet deep. Landscaping begins in earnest.

June 2009. Geothermal system up and running. Final overhead line is buried (in total we buried phone, cable, and power lines....of the three....dealing with Xcel was the most expensive and time consuming....started this process in October 2008). Last of the retaining walls are built. Permeable paver driveway is installed and we are FINALLY able to use our driveway and garage properly. Proper doors installed. Still landscaping. Arbor and gate for asian garden are installed.

July 2009. Landscape lights installed. Gutters on garage installed. Window boxes for the garage arrive and are to be installed. Still waiting on the pond for my Asian meditation garden. Waiting on wrought iron gate for our formal garden. Waiting on Indiana limestone caps on pillars.