Continue Planting the Seeds

Landscape work continues. As you will note in the plan, the landscaping on this project is quite extensive…and…extensive means labor. It has been quite a process planting the various grass, shrubs, and trees, but the vision is slowly becoming more apparent and will most certainly be worth it in the end.

You can start to the number of plugs that have already gone into the ground. We have planted much of the prairie dropseed, purple love grass, serviceberries, and redbuds, just to name a few. As previously mentioned, the intention was to maintain a native plant palette, as this is quite important in connecting with our local environment and utilizing plants already adapted to this region. It’s honestly a really great way to feel a stronger connection to your locale and to the environment in which we live. It actually serves as a reminder to the beauty that exists within our own landscape.

Much of the Shelby Street side is now planted. Next will come the Fletcher side and the backyard. This will include construction the raised beds for vegetables and hopefully we will see the construction of the deck and fence extension in the near future. Look for more updated pictures in the next few days.

Work the Land

This weekend we began the landscaping process. We started by tilling the entire lot. This is never an easy thing to do on an urban lot on which a structure previously sat. We encountered a lot of this:

However, we got the hang of the tiller pretty quickly and things progressed relatively smoothly, minus losing control of the tiller and having it crash into the house…not really…but it could have happened, right?

Although it is still just a dirt patch, it feels just a little closer to the real deal. After seeing the site as little more than a dried up dirt and gravel patch for such a long time, it’s rewarding to see us actually begin the landscaping process. We should have more news on plants, deck, and fencing this week. Stay tuned.

Hello…I’m back.

As you can tell…I’ve really been slacking on this whole blogging thing for quite some time. However, it seems like a good time to get back into the rhythm. Spring has made a few appearances, which means things should be picking up for both me, 701 Shelby, and various developments and happenings throughout the city. Spring is always a great reminder of the beauty and value in a place and a pleasant reminder why I am in Indy and all of the great things happening in the city.

Because it’s spring, it’s time for landscaping to happen at 701 Shelby. We have gone through various landscape iterations, with help from a few different people. A friend of mine, James Poisel, happens to be a landscape architect and has graciously lent his help on the project. Below is the current plan, minus a few very minor modifications (click on the link for a better quality image of the plan):

701 Shelby_Landscape Plan_040313

As you can see from the plan, there is a strong emphasis on native plantings and minimizing the use of turf. We all know the problems and issues that grass lawns create, and this house has always been about living the right way, living responsibly. The landscape is a direct reflection of this mantra, with a series of low maintenance, local trees, grasses, flowering plants, and plenty of space for raised vegetable garden beds.

Keep a watch on the blog for updated photos as the work begins. The landscape will really tie everything together and demonstrate the home’s strong intention to marry interior with exterior, house and landscape.

Also, there will be some updates in the near future on some changes in plans with the lot in Fountain Square…as some issues were encountered…though I still plan on building in the neighborhood…no doubt about that.

Thanks for following the blog and look for some more regularity being brought back to it!

Current Status

Sorry for the long delay in posts.  There has been a long lull in the project but hopefully things will be picking up this week.  The schedule says drywall is to be done this week.  If this indeed happens, the project will be picking up speed with the second floor plywood installation coming soon after as well as kitchen cabinetry, bathroom tile, and the pallet ceilings.

Keep you fingers crossed that things pick up speed this week.

One a side note, we are currently working on a landscape plan to implement after completion of the house.  We will share those designs as we get them to a more definite point.

Patio

Recently, we gained access to some free pavers…and couldn’t pass up the opportunity.  So, we’ve decided to start to conceptualize on what the back patio and landscape might begin to look like.  Here is the area we are talking about:

The pavers are a nice gray color and are 5.75″ x 11.75″.  They should make for a really nice patio surface and make for a nice floor transition from interior to exterior.

I don’t yet have any drawings of the specifics of the landscape but we will in the future. We are, however, imagining a rectangular firepit with some built in seating as part of the patio.

Further, we will be doing a full out landscape plan for the entire property which will include various native plantings and a series of raised garden beds.  We have enlisted the help of local landscape architect Karen Hartlep to help us with this process…though we have a ways to go before we are ready to do any plantings.