Backyard party

We’re on Month 3 of a four-week home improvement project.

We knew enough about how these things typically go to cushion the “oh, about a month” completion estimate from our landscaper. We figured six weeks. We were going with the flow when we approached eight weeks. But as we rounded the corner yesterday on Week 13, we declared ourselves sort of totally and completely over it.

The project started innocently enough at the end of last summer when Rob and I realized two things.

First, we had spent very little summer time enjoying our valley view in the backyard because there is no shade back there. And with 15 years of Pacific Northwest Assimilation under our rain boots, we now sort of desperately require shade in order to fully enjoy the sun.

Second, the cool-looking but functionally inadequate brick fireplace that was once the centerpiece of our outdoor dining area was literally falling apart. Original to our 1993 house, the mortar was failing and bricks could wiggle with a fingertip much like a 6-year-old’s baby teeth.

We decided we could either try to fix the quarter-century-old fireplace or knock it down and start over and build in some shade in the process.

I have watched this video countless times
and it is still exceptionally satisfying.

Enter Dan.

Dan is the landscaper we found the way we have found just about every professional who has done work at Woodhaven. We asked around, got recommendations from people we know, and stalked the heck out of Dan’s online presence. Our due diligence and nosy snooping paid off; Dan rocks.

Dan is young (early 30s), creative, energetic, personable, professional, and driven by integrity. He has a very loyal crew that he treats well. Hours are reasonable, appreciation is shown, profits are shared. Dan sweats and digs alongside his crew, stopping to answer the phone and respond to texts as needed. He’s clearly the boss but he’s also clearly one of the team. We like how Dan does business so we have been very confident in giving him ours.

Somewhere around Week 9 I asked Dan if our project was now being called "The Project From Hell." I think it was when he was telling me that a granite countertop was the wrong size and needed to be reordered. I have lost track of all the things that haven’t gone according to plan on this project, many of which were out of Dan’s control (like two weeks of rain just when we were ready to pour concrete).

Dan has compared our backyard landscaping party to running in quicksand. He admitted his company has never dealt with a seemingly endless series of problems on one project like this before. I told him that while we had hoped our project would be unforgettable, we were hoping it would be seared into his memory for better reasons. It is because the quality of Dan’s work and his dedication to completing everything perfectly are both so high that we have not exploded from frustration and exasperation. But in all honesty, our patience is running thin.

It has been difficult not having our privacy for three months. As introverts, our privacy and quiet are our air and blood. Having anywhere from two to eight men outside our windows on any given day at any given time has been arresting. Not being able to use our backyard for three months…especially as the sun has started to emerge…has been frustrating. Having to wear a bra every day has been annoying.

We could get upset, we could make demands, we could express our dissatisfaction and fatigue. And honestly, that might be rather cathartic in the moment. But it wouldn’t make the rain go away any sooner or the correct shade sail arrive any earlier or the grass seed sprout any faster. And it wouldn’t be fair to Dan, who is undeniably working his hardest to hold true to his vision and promises.

And so we wait. Again and still. For the sun to come out tomorrow. For the cement to be sealed yet one more time. For the final niggly items on the punch list to be checked off.

And then finally…FINALLY…the collection of new patio furniture that has made our side yard look like a Costco warehouse and the coordinating decorative pillows and cushions that I have been periodically visiting in our barn... all of these nesting items shall be moved into place.

And THEN, finally, Lord willing, Summer at Woodhaven will officially begin.

Celebratory wine might or might definitely be involved.