Pergola...

 

For anyone not familiar with the term, it is a structure that provides some shade.  "Some" because they are designed to add shade while allowing some sunlight access.  The one we are having installed will have slats - the thickness of the slats will provide more shade morning and afternoon, not as much when the sun is directly overhead.

I was told to expect the pergola guys "between 8:00 and 9:30"... they started bringing their equipment and building supplies into the yard shortly after 8:00.  It is two guys from the pergola company doing the install: my new friends Martin and Brett.  They are young, but they seem very competent and went right to work...

 

Robert, the landscaper, texted me just before 6:00 pm yesterday, asking me to empty the hot tub and move it.

Nope.  When the pergola guys got here, Joan and I had all the furniture out of the way, and I asked them if they could work around the hot tub... "No problem."  I would have been pissed if I went through the time and expense to drain and move the hot tub for no reason.

 

They had to pull up some pavers to put the concrete footings in for the support structure.  I was pleased to hear that they will reset the pavers when that is done.

 

I visited with them a bit while they were working, being careful to not delay or distract them.  Martin (the lead guy) said they should have it done between noon and 1:00.  He asked if I would mind if they played some music... I said, "No issue - well..."

Martin said, "No rap - I promise."  I was relieved when they had some nice reggae music going.

Robert and I discussed the pergola when he was putting together the bid.  Looking back, I should have asked for more details... I essentially picked the color and texture - it is "Adobe" to go with our light green color scheme and is made from steel supports with aluminum slats that have a wood-like texture to it.  Robert asked if I wanted it on 4 posts or attached to the house and 2 posts - I decided to go with the 2 posts.  When I asked Martin about it this morning, he said, "You picked the right way to go with this - it is more solid and will give you more shade."  Good reassurance.

Setting the posts...

Plenty of clearance by the hot tub...

These guys don't need "babysitting.  I stayed out of their way, occasionally getting some photos.

More progress...

 At 11:57, Martin said, "We just need to put some caps on the struts and clean up - right on time."  He nailed it.  Whooohoo!

Done...

The pergola looks good.  As you can see from the photo above, the sun is low enough this time of year that it doesn't offer much shade around the ground.  As the sun moves west, it will provide more shade and further out from the house.  When summer rolls around, it should make a significant difference.

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That completes the "big projects" to be done around the house.  We are still working through the "30 day punch list" for repairs.  The guys to caulk the windows came just as I was saying good-bye to the pergola guys; good timing - they had their work done in about a half hour.  There are about 5 other things on that list (nothing major), but it is someone different for each task and they can't all come the same day - that would be too easy.  So, another week of needing to be around the house at some "non-specific time" (like: AM or PM) and we may be able to wrap things up for a while.

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With the pergola work done, it was time for a video walk-about in the yard...