House Work Never Ends!

I mentioned in a previous post that we had hired a contractor to come and replace the concrete cap on our front porch.  The job is finally done, and we are very pleased with the results!  Here are some before and after pictures:

Say goodbye, bushes!

The cap was cracked in two places, and the cinder block was not held in place with anything--not mortar, not sand in the holes, nothing!

We found out that these steps were poured over an existing set of steps.  I have no idea how.

The siding had been cut to fit around the cracks.

During--The blocks were mortared, and the porch base, which was hollow when the cap was removed, was filled in with gravel to provide more support.

Finished!  Gone are the bushes, the stairs are replaced, and the porch is beautiful.  The giant bare spot will be replaced with a retaining wall garden.

 

I also mentioned in the previous post that we transplanted some of the plants from around the house to the back yard, and they have been flourishing this whole time.  Here are some pictures:

I'll be posting our progress on the garden bed that we're installing in front of the porch in the next post!