Do the Math: #ThisOldHouse gets grass

We left off 3.5 weeks ago with a laundry list of things to do at #ThisOldHouse…ironically enough to get to the point of actually having laundry capabilities in the house. Yes, right now I am at the mercy of using my parents’ machines – thankfully they live relatively close. Anyway, let’s see what’s progressed since then:

The plumber was at #ThisOldHouse working last week and will be back at the beginning of this week to wrap up. The electrician also starts this week on some of the pieces here and there – now that the dining room ceiling is out and she can see more. I actually don’t want to focus on that part of the project today, so bear with me. Remember how I talked last time about projects shuffling because of priority shifts? I had another instance of that. So while the full bath renovation has continued moving along, I had another project that took priority of my personal (wo)man hours due to some future scheduling.

It’s Party Time

The family will be getting bigger in the future and I am the happy older sister to a newly engaged sis and future brother-in-law! I love both these kids (and his family) and am so happy for both of them, so when she asked if I would be okay with hosting their Indianapolis engagement party at #ThisOldHouse (they now live in Sacramento), I was more than willing to help out.

Sidenote: What is it about architects that makes us only operate well with 
5,001 things to do?

The party-hosting meant, however, that some priorities needed to shift because the backyard needs to be “done” sooner rather than later. I say done in parentheses because this project is actually step 1 of about 14 that needs to happen for the backyard to actually be deemed done. That step? Tilling. And ordering grass seed and compost. This is where the latest lesson learned from #ThisOldHouse comes in.

Do the Math

I don’t care if you’re doing 12 different things (I was), or are en route to a meeting (I was), or feeling rush from project schedules (I was)….Do. The. Math. The lesson learned on this project is, while it’s wonderful – and important – to trust your contractor when they’re on the job getting stuff done, when it comes to anything financial, double check the numbers. Especially if you’re just ordering something.

I’m new at this. I’d never ordered dirt (I’m sure there’s a landscaper rolling his eyes right now) – compost – for a job before without someone else on the job having run the calcs and merely having to parrot numbers. So when I was driving to a meeting and calling the landscape supply company (hands free, I promise!), I figured it was enough to give them the dimensions and let them run the calcs for me. WRONG. Even when you’re busy…do the math. Otherwise you end up with 11.5 cubic yards of compost instead of 2 – the amount I actually needed when I took the time later to do the math. By then, it was too late. I’d wheelbarrowed most of it around my yard and let friends know the rest was free reign.

That is the lesson for the day, folks. Do. The. Math. In this instance, it was a couple hundred dollars lesson for me, so hopefully the lesson saves you money.

Now onto the fun stuff

I was so thankful to have a good friend Paul Reynolds free to help me that afternoon, since said landscaping company told me last minute that they didn’t deliver on the weekends and I was left with a 12:30 Friday delivery. On the street. In a small neighborhood where every street spot is precious real estate (making a mental note to talk about the insanity of that later). So we wheelbarrowed and chatted. And wheelbarrowed and chatted. And wheelbarrowed some more. That was – AFTER he tilled the backyard (while I was wheelbarrowing). And then when we’d gotten the backyard full of piles that made it look like I had a groundhog problem…he tilled it again. I mentioned he’s a good friend, but that day made him an *awesome* friend. By 7:30, the pile was finally off the street and I started on the front yard.

 

After that, I walked around and hand-seeded with my new eco-lawn. I’m excited to not have to mow or water (once it’s mature) and am hoping it lives up to its marketing. I have a second round of seed en route, partially because it got pretty cold again after the install weekend and I’m not sure all of it survived, and partially because I know it’s worth over-seeding this first round anyway.

 

 

Three-ish weeks later, some of the first seedlings have started sprouting at #ThisOldHouse.

 

I mentioned that I had told neighbors and friends about the remainder of compost being up for grabs and could hear some people loading up wheelbarrows into the night. The first person with a project, though, when I went out to finish the front yard and seed (I’m not superwoman – I didn’t get all of that done in one day) was this little guy.

I talked to him for a little bit – long enough to hear about his garden project in his backyard that he was going to use this compost for – and it made the over-order on the compost sting a little less. I enjoyed hearing about what he was going to grow and seeing the excitement in his face as he told me his plans. If I can help a budding dreamer become a future maker, a little extra compost is well worth it.

But seriously, though. Do the math. 😉