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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Sunday, August 11, 2013

{Our Wooden Balusters Repurposed}

When renovating the home there comes a point where you look at certain things that become trash and others that we still can REPURPOSE. Such was the case with our Vintage Woodworks Balusters. Several were rotting away, while others were still in perfect condition. 
Let's have a look...
Husband Pieter created this very romantic bridge across our creek, using what was left from the Vintage Woodworks Balusters on our Balcony.
This photo is from August 1, after he had painted the balusters and treated the bridge with a wood preservative.
This was on May 11, the Interlock Aluminum Roof by Interlock Metal Roofing had already been installed.
Next project was to strip the balcony before the painters would start pressure washing the entire house.
Off came the partly rotten balusters with their top and bottom rails attached.
From a different angle... Those rails with balusters measure 12 ft each!
Husband Pieter on the ladder, taking that corner post down...
Our gas tank will also be moved, in winter time, when it is no longer that hot for working outside.
A new concrete platform in front of the chimney, will hold it and there its color also blends in better.
Our Jasmine pots will go onto the old concrete platform. We learned a lot about mud splashing up on all our flower pots. Having concrete for placing them on, will avoid most of the soiling with mud.
One baluster with rails attached is down...
Taking it apart for REPURPOSING...
On the rain side, it is really rot...
How many times Pieter did repair it with epoxy over the years, but we had to give up.
New polyurethane balusters and rails with posts got ordered in Texas from Vintage Woodworks, so we never again will face any rotten wood.
Now, let me walk you across the lawn towards the creek, into our wood garden...
Look what Pieter built from the remaining good balusters and posts!
That looks quite romantic doesn't it?
Vintage Woodworks balusters and all three corner posts repurposed!
Our creek looks messy still from all the drift wood that came floating with the many floodings of last month.
For weeks, Pieter could not finish this bridge, as it was with the lower parts sitting IN the water...
Below post you find a short 1:29 minute video, taken with my iPhone on July 13.
These photos are from August 1.
Don't be fooled by its size; the center section measures 3.66 m or 12 ft + the two slanted sections...
It really looks beautiful to me.
What do you say?
Aha, we crossed the bridge and looking now towards our newly painted home. Your very first view of it on the driveway side. More to follow soon!
How many leaves got knocked down by all those thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rains...
We got very murky water, due to a damaged water pipe, two streets down.
On Saturday we were without water for quite some time!
Looking down from the bridge.
An entire beach from white sand has been build up from all the flooding.
Pieter had this fine sand for free for redoing our washed concrete path towards the gazebo.
Just hauling it on the wheel barrow.
In the back you see the huge pipe that goes underneath the road.
Since that pipe for drinking water got damaged and all the mud run into the creek, we have not had enough rain to wash it out again.
A beach with sand, still wet and muddy...
Lots of weeds growing but we cannot even mow the lawn near the creek as it is way too soggy!
Hope you enjoyed our bridge from our wooden balusters being REPURPOSED.
Next post you will get to see our finished home...

Related link:
Rainy July Day in Georgia II - iPhone upload | short Youtube video showing you the bridge in high water
{Our New 3rd Bridge} | previous post by me


Friday, August 9, 2013

{World Cat-Day 2013}

According to Cute Calender, August 8 is World Cat Day. Let's hope that more and more people, world wide will take full responsibility of their felines. That includes neuter and spay them in order to limit the problems that already do exist because of irresponsible pet owners. May there also be more respect for animals in general, not only felines. There is still way too much animal cruelty in this world! May more felines end up living like our 5 siblings...
Here they are, only five months old at that time. All five of them lounging in our bedroom on the cotton mat.
We lost Sacha-girl, the one with the white underbelly...
Here they are again, eating breakfast; almost two years old now. Sacha-girl is at the very end. The one in front of her is Barty who is three years older.
Nice family and so well behaved!
To us it is such a joy.
We recall the UPS man one winter day coming into our garage and all pet beds were occupied by our felines... He laughed at the sight.
To us they are a treasure!
Do you have cats?
Or Friend Cats that lounge around the house...?
Peekaboo... look under that left chair. Friend Cat is lounging against the gazebo step.
And... you just caught a glimpse of our newly painted exterior!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

{Our Interlock Aluminum Aged Copper Slate Roofing}

As promised in my previous post about Our Interlock Aluminum Slate Roofing Being Installed, here is Part II. This post will show you also very clear the Aluminum Aged Copper Slate so you finally will understand what it really looks like. 
This is at the end of day two, the front of our home is finished.
We had a crew of three men working very hard. Each late afternoon they gathered meticulously all scrap material and cleaned up. To the left you see one crew member at work.
By the time they left, the place looked tidy and neat.
Now you know... This is Aluminum Slate in Aged Copper. The color looks like terra cotta in a way, depending on the shine of course. It makes a difference if it is a sunny day or not.
If you want to read more about this Energy Efficient GREEN Roofing; you find the Energy Star Roof Product list in a link below this post with full information, also on Reflectance.
The gutter guards are new ones, from Home Depot. The old ones got removed.
Above our veranda and now the bay window area and above the dining room as last part.
Notice the sample spots where husband Pieter did try out our Benjamin Moore paint in Golden Mist?
Here they are, above the dining room and front porch, the final part...
You can see how dirty those gutters and the house are.
Pressure wash was the next thing we had done before having it painted in two coats.
Cloudy, but no rain...
We got so lucky for all those four days that they worked on our roof.
Yep, making progress in lowering our Carbon Footprint for the rest of our life!
Nearing the end...
do you like these Aged Copper Aluminum Slates?
One more detail. They really do look like natural Slates and the Aged Copper is a good color too.
Now the problem we had in February, was that those gutters got all clogged up with the sand that washed down by the rain from the asphalt shingles. The rain water ran over those gutters and than it entered the foundation...
It's done! Hard to capture with such overcast but you get the picture I guess.
Stepping back further...
Very hard to capture this Aluminum roof in Aged copper slate, with its reflection...
How many holly leaves that are on the ground...
Well, I must admit that before the roofers started out, husband Pieter had given all trees around the house a hair cut. Big branches got cut off, especially from the live oak tree.
Also the tree in front of our home lost quite some lower branches.
Lots of HARD WORK!
Tidying up the place...
These two photos are actually from the end of day two but I want to end with this view...
This is May 11, the day after they had come in the morning for gathering all their tools and leave the finished job.
The sky looks so pregnant with rain...
Tiny Tiggy-Tiger girl is dreaming...
By cutting off the lower branches of this tree, the house now is visible once again!
Here you can see that husband Pieter has taken down the wooden balustrade from the balcony...
The painters would start the next week with pressure washing.
Than the caulking and painting of two coats in Benjamin Moore Golden Mist and the shutters also in a darker Chrome Green.
You will get to see the end results soon!
And YES, our gazebo got also a new Interlock Metal Roofing in Aged Copper Slates!
Funny to see that sample spot in Benjamin Moore Golden Mist...
That's how it will be entirely.
New fan for the gazebo as well.
Hope you enjoyed this post and that you learned something about Saving Energy by putting on a Lifetime Aluminum Roof.
This material is available to all of Canada and the USA.
We both are very pleased with it and especially with the lower utility bills we got since!

Related links:
{Our Interlock Aluminum Slate Roofing Being Installed} | previous post by me
Never Re-Roof Again | link with full info, scroll down for reading more
Interlock Roofing | Manufacturer of Lifetime Roofing Systems. Never re-roof again
{Energy Efficient GREEN Roofing Arrived} | previous post by me
{Our Home on March 24 of 2013} | previous post by me showing the BEFORE
{Fighting the Water + Scanning Slides} | previous post by me showing the result of gutters running over...


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MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS © 2009. All rights reserved - Text and images may not be copied for distribution or sale.

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