Sunday, December 14, 2014

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back


In my last post, I was talking about how
houses turn into money pits. Here's just a
few of our issues.
We wanted to change our walkway to our
house because the one the builder put in
was a hazard. Big cement blocks with strips
of space between where nothing would live,
but on which anyone could trip.
We paid to have the blocks jack-hammered
up and carted away. It wasn't cheap.

A new curvy walkway replaced the blocks.

And looking at this picture makes me realize
the solar screens we added to block the sun's
rays match the shutters too much, so we
will need to paint the shutters a different
color at some point.
The walkway made the planting beds around
the house look shabby. We pulled out the worst
plants and added new ones with drip irrigation
to conserve water.
Then we added small river rock instead
of mulch.


The new plants, rock and walkway made
the door look shabby, so Wild Bill
refinished the door.

The new walkway and refinished door
make the cement inside the entryway look
a little sad, so now we're looking at a
non-slippery tile to cover it.

Doesn't it always seem to take much more
product than you expect a project to take?

I thought this was overkill when they delivered
two tons of river rock for our little beds.



But we had to go back and get almost
another ton before we finished the project.


There's a chandelier hanging way up top
the entry that shines through the window
in front of it -- real pretty...EXCEPT...

The birds fly into the entry and sit on the
chandelier up there and poop all night.

Which ends up in a pile on the cement right
in front of our door each morning. Lovely.


We're looking for a replacement light that
offers no place for a bird to sit, unless you
have a better idea.


Anyone out there ever have this problem?













12 comments:

  1. Rivercrest Cottage,
    Oh, dear friend. . .what an ordeal!!!
    You've made some amazing transformations in the process!!!
    Don't lose hope. . .for there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
    I have NO clue how to suggest a solution for your bird problems.
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  2. I think all your solutions have been wonderful, and honestly, I can't wait to hear how you solve the bird poop problem. :) Ah, the joys of home ownership...

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  3. That is so true! I do know that you have a gorgeous home!

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  4. Wow! What a project or projects you have completed. The walk way looks lovely. Yes one project always leads into another, hence more money.

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  5. LOL- It is just NEVER ENDING, isn't it? We had problems like that with seagulls when we lived on Lake Michigan. If there is a way to do it you can string piano wire (or any thin thin wire) across the top of the fixture so that the birds cannot gain purchase (a foothold) on the light fixture. We had to do it across the peaks of our roof on the lake. Otherwise it is a MESS. Good luck. If you need to get a new fixture get one that you can string the sharp wire across it. xo Diana

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  6. Funny how that works! You fix, or upgrade, one thing ... then one thing leads to another ... and another ... Looks lovely though.

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  7. Let's see, garlic oil will shew them away and monofilliment line scares birds and also reflective tape.

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  8. Yes, one thing always leads to another, and another, and yet another!!!! Your upgrades look amazing though! I love the river rock and have often thought about adding it to the beds in front of our house since the mulch we currently have always needs refreshing every season.
    ~Des

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  9. you made wonderful changes and I too love the idea of the chandelier, but the bird poop is not a good thing. I wonder if they would sit there if the light were motion sensored, would lights move them on or give them more warmth to cuddle up?

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  10. It's like if you give a mouse a cookie, he'll want to put in more plantings? :) All of your hard work is paying off, though- great curb appeal!

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  11. It's just lovely and so worth it. Get two or three rugs to change out each day...ones that hose off!

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  12. When we had swallows trying to nest on a light fixture, we hung a toy stuffed cat there for a while, and it did the trick:)
    Maybe you could set one of those plastic owls up to look like it was meant to be there, and that would have the same effect?

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