Above -- new siding and soffit to finish off the exterior of the Black River cabin -- it's good to let the attic breathe and to appreciate the effects that the elements, especially moisture, can have on the life of a structure.
Below -- new stone steps out to a garden in east Toronto. First, rotten wooden deck-style steps were removed to make way for a level base of limestone screening and then the bottom layer of stone was carefully positioned, leveled and back-filled; the second photo shows the steps two-thirds done; once the third step was in position the upper walkway interlock required extensive leveling including repairs to frost upheaval. All done at a very reasonable cost. The original garden steps on the left were slightly modified and maintained by the homeowner until the next project; the area around the steps was then seeded with grass. .
Split-rail fence project in Elora, Ontario, using fallen cedar wood from the same property.
Below: A simple and cost-effective interlock repair. This patio was installed by contractors only a few years back and had recently started sinking in the center until there was a one foot depression. When I removed the affected stones, the problem was obvious: the patio had been installed over-top a huge oak stump. As the stump decayed, the patio sank. It was actually possible to push a 2x4 a few feet into the ground in places where the stump and roots had rotted out. The solution was to remove as much of the stump and soft soil as possible and replace it with limestone screening, tamping the screening down bit by bit as it was applied and then tamping vigorously to create a solid finished base for the stones.
Left: A flagstone walkway had heaved up and many of the stones were broken. In this cost-effective project, all of the stones were first removed, limestone screening was added and well tamped down, and then a walkway was created using square pavers. The best pieces of the original flagstone were re-used to create an attractive border to the walkway and to rebuild the flower beds.
Below: Simple walk-way replaces old, cracked and upheaved pavers.
Below: Garden retaining wall made of pressure-treated 6x6 timber.
At Left: The problem was old interlock, set on sand, that was collapsing onto a neighbour's chain link fence and depositing sand above the waterproofing membrane of their house. The ideal solution, both aesthetically and structurally, was to build a raised bed to retain the interlock. Several courses of stones were removed to make room for the raised bed. It will be filled with premium top-soil in the Spring and decorated with shade-favouring plants.
Below: Raised garden beds using various pressure-treated lumber.