Phase I complete

Phase I of the backyard landscaping and storm-water run-off mitigation project is complete. I wish I could say I am thrilled with it, but it is hard to see how it will look until the rest of the project is finished.

The wall itself is nice. I like the irregularity of it, and so far it seems pretty sturdy. I put permeable pipe behind it, and am glad I did, as our soil is so heavy and full of clay that it seems it will never dry out. I am planting, planting, planting to try to keep the dirt from sliding away every time it rains.

We ended up with a lot of dirt left over. Enough to regrade the entire side of the house, make a sizeable stash for future projects, take a Honda trunk-load to a friend, AND still have enough to give away on Freecycle. Some guy came and took away three pick-up truck loads. That's a lot of dirt!

Now we are just waiting for the 12th, when excavation starts on the green driveway. Of course, in the meantime, we've decided to have monsoon season here in Southeastern PA. I used to love thunderstorms. I'd sit on the porch and watch them roll through. Now, I obsessively watch the radar on weather.com and feel sick to my stomach as the red bands of heavy rain approach. We got water again in the basement again, of course. At least I know my brand-spanking new sump pump works!

I truly wish I had known more about surface water when we bought the house. Our flat roof is perfect for installing a green roof. Sadly, we had to have a new roof installed pretty much right away; unless I can convince some leprechaun to part with his pot of gold, we won't be doing a green roof any time soon. Then again, maybe a green roof is just the thing to attract a leprechaun.... hmmm...