DIY Cleanup/Restore
-
So, to the side of my house is a pathway up to the backyard. I forgot to take a picture before I started that included the wooden planks strewn about and the giant crape myrtle that was taking up a massive chunk of space. Needless to say, it was MUCH worse than this "Before" picture in the true before.
Before but not really.
https://goo.gl/photos/WoC6htNEVZPsecXv6This was the "ramp" they had built up the hill, now in a pile. It was rotted out, slippery, and dangerous.
https://goo.gl/photos/k42k7fjgMEhSZhzx6This reveal the "ramp" that we though was just plankwood thrown down, actually went up to and covered a small retaining wall/step. Here is a close up.
https://goo.gl/photos/x27C6dqgyLhjVZsU9Pulling down the above revealed two Copperheads. Which are now headless bugfood. Gave me a good scare though. But now my pretty bricks are showing.
https://goo.gl/photos/LtZKaKQhgDNdQ75Z8Then I pulled down all the ivy off of the wall, and ripped up a BUNCH of weeds. Not done yet, but it was getting hotter and since there is a lot of poison oak I was in long sleeves and long pants. So I had to give up for the day. Here's how it was left.
https://goo.gl/photos/svAiwdE4Mu4hxNng9
https://goo.gl/photos/mBbMW7fTayGZXdLA6
https://goo.gl/photos/kbtdnFf63qZdEzg6AStill a lot to do. Need to remorter some of the crumbling rocks at the top. Finish pulling weeds. Trim back the neighbors big ass tree that's eating that corner. Do some repair on the wooden fence at the top, and build in some steps on the pathway.As well as put in a "rock garden" that runs up the side of the house and around the HVAC unit.
-
Step Two!
Time to get rid of that super ugly dead tree that's blocking the entrance and threatening to crush a vehicle. I didn't get pictures of the various phases of cutting… but here are the basics..
- Cut perpendicular to the tree/horizontal until you'r about 1/3 of the way in on the side of the tree you want it to fall. For me, this was the side facing the drive way.
- Once that's done you then go up about twice as high from the cut as the cut is from the ground and cut down at 70-80 degrees until you meet the original cut, and remove the big chunk.
- Back cut. Goto the backside of the tree and cut towards the very first cut. The big chunk you removed turns into a sort of hinge, and pushes the tree in that direction. Of course, this is assuming the tree has a center of gravity directly over the bottom of the tree.
For better and more full directions: http://www.jonsered.com/int/chainsaws/f ... p-by-step/
Mine was actually leaning heavily towards my neighbors house. So that was a concern. I wrapped the tree with a rope, and tied it to the bumped of my truck, which I pulled tight. I didn't go all the way with the fell cut, and then used my truck to give it a tug in the right direction.
https://goo.gl/photos/x44qbZUHehco7y32A
https://goo.gl/photos/D2u5soMrkCgT77iE9
https://goo.gl/photos/hPfQr4Uc62UCqRNJ7Made a mess.
Here is post-clean up.
https://goo.gl/photos/UvJbgXHZYvWQyuBC7
https://goo.gl/photos/WYSPv9hJyYV8Ayrp9
https://goo.gl/photos/jB9dKbuVLE63fM1m7
https://goo.gl/photos/Pnpfiv1dELDXQf3L7Next up, stump removal!