Before and After
Once Diane regains some or her drug-sapped energy and can stop by, she will be happy to not have to have to negotiate the makeshift stairs that disgraced the approach to our house from our new garage level all Winter and Spring.
As I write, Linda beautifies our new morning-coffee-and-paper view, engrossed in her next favorite passtime (after cooking) — planting Stella Dora Day Lillies, purple Salvia, and Variegated Coreopsis along 
the patio wall (that’s Gracie inspecting her work).
No remodeling result is more impressive than when depicted in
before-and-after shots.
It’s as cool to experience its actualization as it was to design it!
Oh yes, the excellent, meticulous and incredibly fast-working Brazilian craftsman, Miguel, and one of his apprentices, Aljon. “This is my house now; when I’m done I’ll give it back to you”, he proclaimed, just before starting. He truly attended to every detail as if it was his own. Thanks also to Oscar, who went two extra miles and patched the garage siding!
Kudos to Matt Junod, owner of JHS Landscape Construction for a project that exceeded expectations. Matt says what he does, then does what he says — with quality, speed, and a smile. You couldn’t expect anything better than that.
Stay tuned for the patio-warming party!
Man, it’s a whole new world! Fabulous! The extent of the cut into the slope wasn’t really apparent until one sees the retaining wall … Bring on a party … !
Comment by adam — June 23, 2008 @ 5:46 pm
It is a whole new world and that Patio is big enough to invite everyone over for breakfast.
What Dan, by his deeds, said to these guys: “As long as you’re working for me you’re part of my family.”
Comment by michael — June 23, 2008 @ 8:56 pm
I love that gnarly white New England granite (having moved a bit of it around myself in the Granite State). Here in Boulder, everyone uses pink Lyons sandstone. Pink is nice if it’s color-coordinated properly, but gnarly white goes with anything.
Comment by rakkity — June 23, 2008 @ 11:03 pm
Leave it to the one rock climber among us to notice the color and texture of the granite! 🙂
Rakkity, did you know that those steps weigh 600 pounds each? They had to be set and tweaked into place by a forklift, then leveled with strokes of a sledge hammer on a pressure treated 2×6 till perfect. It was an impressive process.
PS – I thought “gnarly” was strictly a term of endearment reserved for Linda to describe me in my younger / wilder days!
Comment by smiling dan — June 24, 2008 @ 8:49 am
man, very good!!!!
Comment by oscar — June 24, 2008 @ 9:26 pm
This comment was not meant for this specific post, the post regarding the Tillson family would not allow me to leave a comment.
Anyways, browsing through google using my Grandpa Tillson’s name, I came upon this site and could not resist temptation.. Yes, you may have guessed it, I am Jo Ann’s youngest daughter.
Don’t delete yet!! 😉
Regardless of how relationships were broken, regardless of why communication no longer exists, I have always had a never ending list of questions about the Downing family.
Thank you for sharing these memories and these pictures. Your family still remains a mystery to me, I’m sure mine is a mystery to you as well but it is nice to know you all seem to be doing well. 🙂
Comment by Amanda — October 4, 2014 @ 4:36 pm