garden

Electrical audit and start of porch

In the beginning of June we visited Ikea, I wanted to check out some curtains and especially the electric ones, as they could be added to the home automation. We found the price of the electric curtains was not worth it, but we did find the very nice Hoppvall cellular pocket curtains that would fit exactly between the windows in the studio. Because of the air pockets, it has an insulating effect, both against heat and against cold. We also found a nice rainbow coloured mat to replace a pretty worn mat at the backdoor.

Then finally the electrical system and solar panels were tested, so we can finally get some money back for the solar energy produced. It seemed they did not like it that an amateur had done the system, so they were really looking for issues. They only thing they could find was:

the switch cabinet was not grounded
the main switch and main fuse (which are in the same spot in every house) were not marked as such (I checked several houses afterwards but I have not found any markings).
I had made a 5 wire system (3 x phase, Neutral and (own) Earth) while in Estonia they use the 4 wire system, where there is a combined Neutral and Earth. Just a bridge between the two solved that issue.
The main switch for the solar system had to be next to the inverter, not in the meter closet, so now I can disconnect the system in two spots.

All in all, if those were the things they could find, I am pretty proud of myself

To be able to finish the roof over the lower part of the house and the covered veranda/shed, I had to build the veranda outside of the backdoor and replace the window from the covered veranda and put a wall there.

A very nice improvement of the covered veranda, as now finally the ugly stones got covered as well.

Raised beds and a compost bin

As the garden beds in the back of the garden have not been very successful so far, Mo asked if I could build some raised beds. I decided to use new wood for this, so after a visit to Puumarket, I could quickly build 2 raised beds lined with root cloth. They were mostly filled with the compost from the old compost pile with a top layer of peat dirt. Mo planted the first seeds in it and a week later she stained the wood with a yellow lacquer. Meanwhile I replace one of the legs of the picnic table. Now it could finally stand stable without a rock under the rotten leg.

Upon reading the final regulations regarding organic waste, we found out an open compost pile was only allowed for garden waste. Kitchen waste needed to be collected in a bought compost bin. After some online research, we got a simple one that would meet the regulations, it was delivered within a day and easy to assemble. I put it in front of the old shed next to the three stage composter and sent a picture to prove we have a compost bin and do not need a green container with a subscription for having it emptied.

Garden works

After the snow melted the garden was asking for attention. This season I finally trimmed the apple tree near the well. We decided to give it another chance. The tree looked a bit naked after the trimming, but it sure was in a better shape than before.

The garden furniture screamed for attention as well, so I sanded down the french bistro set and applied a fresh coat of teak oil. The set looked like new. Next was the bench of my grandparents, amazing how well that wood looked after some sanding and a layer of oil. Absolutely like new.

We decided to move the compost from the corner of the garden, where it was next to the place the neighbours are sitting to behind the chicken coop. This is partly done because Tallinn had decided to introduce green containers to separate organic waste. An exception would be made for houses who would compost their organic waste. After some research, the plan was to create a three stage system, again built with old pallets. Since it was getting close to the old shed in the back of the garden, I also improved that a bit. It is far from perfect, but then again, once all the wood that is stored there has been burned, this shed will be removed anyway. The total result of this build again improved the view.

Lots of stuff done

The weather is still good, and I want to have to solar panels on the roof before winter. Partly because this part of the roof still has some leakage at odd times. Besides it would be nice to have them online before January, so I will have a good start of the annual data.
We first took off half of the roof, the part that bordered the neighbors. Here would be normal roofing.
Dressed up in overalls, PF3 masks and gloves we took of the asbestos roof plates. The nails that where used came out surprisingly easy and there where no breakages. This went quicker then expected.
Under the asbestos there was asphalt. To take that off took way more time then anticipated. It seemed nail where free in the Soviet times, they used so many!
When the roof was clean, we placed the vapor barrier and the distance holders. On top of that the horizontal planks and after two days of work this part was ready for the new roof. Another two days later the roof was on and if looked fantastic! The neighbor was also very enthusiastic.

The next weekend I worked on some electrical things for the home automation without very much success and I finally placed the kitchen light in the final position.
Mo found a place that was willing to make a custom extractor hood chimney. In Tartu of all places.

The weather forecast was good again, so we decided to replace the next part of the roof that would hold the solar panels. It was easier because we did not have to work around the dormer, but connecting the panels and routing the wires took more time, so all in all it took another 4 days get the solar panels up. The roof looks absolutely amazing!

Before the winter would come in, I also upgraded the chicken coop with a door to make it easier to get in and out.

Chicken, another kitchen and planting

We finally visited Mo’s sister and her family on Hiiumaa. It has been a great weekend with a big surprise at the end. Mo’s sister gave us two chicken. So suddenly the construction works are moved outside to build a chicken coop. The base will be the old dog house that came with the house. It is great this can be reused as well. With the help of Marc and Mattias it is placed on poles and then the coop is build around it. All was build with materials already laying around the house, made to fit, the only thing we bought was netting to close the coop.

In between I went to return the help by rewiring the kitchen of Glenn and Anton. I had to cut in the concrete wall of their apartment and add wires and power sockets as preparation for their kitchen renovation.

I made a new sill for the studio doorway, as the old one was beyond repair. Nice playing with the table saw again.

Meanwhile Mo prepared the greenhouse for a new season of tomatoes. We learned from last year not to plant to many plants, as the grow big.

The chicken also are settled in and start laying eggs. It is impressive how the plow the ground. Within no time all the grass is gone and they have dug up all kinds of stones and trash.

Some repair work and more Ikea stuff

Fall is taking over summer. With it comes stormy weather. Some of the fences need some attention.

Besides there was another email from Ikea. Finally the pull out fitting for the corner cabinet came in. Installing that turned the cabinet into a useful cabinet where our pots and pans can be kept in an organized manner.

The before picture. Seems I forgot to take an after picture.

Ready, set: GO!

This first decent vacation since we got the house has done us good. We rested, got inspired and were ready for a big large sprint. On a rainy day in France we went to Ikea and made the last decisions about the kitchen, so we where ready to order it.
It had been hot in Estonia, actually this region has been the hottest in entire Europe. Those small tomato plants we left a month ago, turned into a huge tomato plant jungle, which Mo cleaned up nicely.

After that it was a week of visiting a lot of shops. First stop was Ikea to check some final details and double check if everything we picked was also available in Estonia. Than we went for Floorin as I though linoleum might be a good solution for the kitchen. Mo’s first response was something like ‘No way!’ Ben when she saw the modern colours, she agreed to check it out and after seeing it in real life the decision was made quickly. We also found some roles of heavily discounted linoleum in the colour chartreuse, which we thought would be nice for the hall way. Nice detail was we brought a bottle of Chartreuse from France and it is clear how the colour got it’s name.

Next was a few countertop specialist, the good thing of have two offers is, you can negotiate prices. Since the first company we checked couldn’t beat the price of Granimar the order went to them.

For the living room we wanted a wooden floor. After earlier success at K-Rauta we went there and also this time we found a floor we liked quickly. As a bonus we also found a vanity desk for in the bathroom that was on sale, so we took that as well.

With these preparations done, we could start the real work. We wanted to try to get the bathroom done before my dad would arrive. It was just the ceiling, starting with plastering it.

And since we would replace the entire floor in the living room/kitchen we also needed to make space there, so we cleared out the garage to create a temporary kitchen there.

Spring cleaning in the garden

As I mentioned last week, I finally knew something for my birthday: a brush cutter. Both my dad and Mo’s mother sponsored this gift and it was great fun to clean out the parts of the garden with way to high weeds. I also cleaned the outside of the fence and the gutter next to it. A huge improvement.

Next to the new greenhouse was an old bathtub. It was pretty much in the way their and we figured it would be nice to move it under the corner of the garage roof to collect rain water. So some digging and than moving this heavy monster and placing it in the hole. With the help of Mattias it went pretty smooth. The dirt that came out of the hole could be used next to the green house. Meanwhile Mo cleaned up around the well and like that the garden had gotten a nice spring cleaning.

It has been a busy week, so little work on the house. We did a bit of gardening. More and more flowers are showing their beauty. During the weekend we are going to check out a tulip festival. Unfortunately, we were pretty late in the season, as a bit more south the tulips where almost done, while in the garden they are at their prime.
But on the bright sight, the place had a semi botanical garden with a lot of rock garden plants, so I could show Mo some of the plans I had for part of the front yard.
And due to a question of Mo’s mother, for the first time in years, I know something to ask for my birthday. So I order it and it should be available next week

Planting gooseberries and tomatoes

This week, Jan came back from Muhu with my van filled with 3 big old gooseberry bushes I had picket up from a friend of Daan who was redoing her garden. So we decided where to plant them and put them in. The bushes need a lot of trimming, but we figured it would be good to first let the root and than trim them for the next season.

To prepare the car for the vacation trip that seems to be more and more likely to happen, I gave it a 20.000 km service. Oil and filters mainly, it was clear the filters had been skipped the at least the last time. This jumpy has a few parts very well hidden. So I’ll leave the glow plugs for sometime later.

During the weekend, we sifted through the soil in the greenhouse, added horse shit and tomato dirt and than planted them. Very excited to see the results later this summer.

Tag: garden