Week 2: Starting the Vertical

Hi all!

Back with exciting news from 'The D's Outdoor Living Makeover!' Project:

Here's a quick re-cap of what's happened thus far: The D's have decided to transform their back yard into an outdoor living oasis! We've designed and begun to install a patio/trellis/outdoor kitchen area for them that will provide them with an all-inclusive outdoor space. (For details see here, here, and here.)

So when we last checked in, the project area had gone from looking like this on Monday:

To looking like this on Friday:

Since then, though, we've made some exciting progress!

First, Dionicio, Jesus, and Jose M. were able cut and install the triangular- shaped pieces of paver to fill the spaces between the soldier course and the 45-degree patio pattern:

This step took a great deal of painstaking measuring, re-measuring (what's that old addage? 'measure once, cut twice'?) and very careful cutting. All the attention to detail paid off, though! The patio looks beautiful!

As you can see in the photo above, we've left some special electrical sleeves that will eventually provide power to the outdoor kitchen. (Remember our planning from here?)

*In this case we knew about the need for electricity before the installation of the patio, but we find that it's always a good idea to leave sleeves for any potential future work when installing a hardscape. That way, if the homeowner decides later that they would like outdoor lighting or irrigation, the installation process for those elements are significantly easier and less destructive to the existing landscape!

So now that the patio is installed, we've moved on to the trellis!
Here's what the structure is looking like right now:

You can see we've got the vertical posts installed as well as 2 of the 4 horizontal beams.

Right now the diagonal scaffolding-like pieces are supporting the structure in place as the posts cure in the handy footings we constructed:

You can't see the footing construction anymore because we laid pavers over the footing sites for a seemless effect (the area with the re-bar will be cleaned up once the trellis is finished up!):

Can you almost imagine how this is going to come together!?

Back soon with more trellis progress!

Has anyone ever installed a trellis? Anyone else out there lusting after such a beautiful outdoor living feature?