We had been hoping to do it this week for a while, but weather and uncertainty about Mr. Bunkport's schedule had us crossing our fingers. The finger-crossing apparently worked because it happened (this is how science works, right?)!
Here are some photos of the wall. It's unreinforced masonry, which in earthquake country means "uh-oh."
(If you're wondering, the boards and tile shards to the left in the photo are just an attempt to keep the dog from getting muddy in the rain we had recently.)
There was a good jolt in October of 2011 -- just before we moved in -- that put a crack right in the center of it. It was barely visible when we moved in in December. Over just five years, it has opened up this much:
Here are some photos of the brick retaining wall at the base of the cinder blocks. It's a little tough to show just how screwed up this thing was. Try to look for the very wrong angles and the empty spots where bricks have popped out. Basically, the retaining wall failed some time ago and there appeared to be nothing but a mighty little snowball bush holding it in place.
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| Mighty snowball bush on the left. |
This little arrangement of bricks supporting the end of the wall was here when we moved in:
So, increasingly a hazard for people and dogs named Pickles, and also a haven for our friends, the mice. You could watch them scamper around in there all day long. It was one of Pickles' favorite spots in the yard for sniffing and barking.
Needless to say, as the Mars Safety Marshal, I have been dying to get this thing replaced. And as the Mars Landscape Architect, I have been dying to get this thing replaced -- it's holding up things I want to do on that side of the yard. Anything I did or planted would get destroyed by the construction, and also, it just seemed like a really bad idea to dig around and loosen up the dirt right there....
We've been talking about doing this project all year with the neighbors and with Mr. Bunkport, and finally calendars aligned.
Demo on November 1:
Pickles perched herself on a tiny pillow to register her protest at the eviction of the mice.
The fact that it was completely unreinforced worked in our favor for the demo -- it all got done in one day, and cost half as much as it would have if it had had rebar in there:
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| The height differential between the yards is about three feet. Steep hill. |
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| Pickles mourning the fun hunting times that would no longer be had in this spot. |
November 2, a guy with a shovel dug 30"-deep post holes all day long in the hard, dense clay soil:
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| Poor bastard. |
November 3, posts and the retaining wall went in:
November 4 -- finished!
The neighbors, inspired by fences they have seen in wine country, had the idea to use corrugated steel in between the posts instead of planks. It looks very cool, and the shiny finish will give the lemon tree that I'm going to plant over there a little extra oomph.
It's about two feet taller than the wall, as well, which gives us all a bit more privacy.
In the back corner, you can see how far out the wall had moved by the dark patch on the back fence:
We have all kinds of plans for this side of the yard. Plants, a brick path, a tiny patio for the tiny grill, and a swing back there by the panda. Stay tuned for big stuff over the coming months.
But first, we need to celebrate our anniversary this weekend. Eleven glorious years!
