Backyard Shed: MHA Part 3

Mr. Monkey is here to file a report on the latest news from the backyard shed project - also known as the future margarita holding area (MHA). I caught up with him for a brief interview. This is what I uncovered. "In this picture unlike previous ones [filed here at this link - modern backyard shed] the roof is all framed out, the windows are double pained wood framed. I built wood frames for them so I could install hinges. The siding is up - it's the same wood that was used to form the board-form concrete. It's rough cut cedar. Okay I'm going back outside." That Mr. Monkey is tough to pin down! He is very focused on getting this backyard shed up and running so that we can enjoy the MHA by summer time. The other post on our modern backyard shed can be found by clicking on the link in this sentence. Scroll all the way down to see the batten in progress. For those of you less savvy about these small construction and architectural items the batten is used to cover the seams in between the boards. So you often hear the two words used together - "I'm going to install board-and-batten siding on the MHA".

In the picture below Mr. Monkey was working on installing the batten. The batten is usually the narrow strips of wood to cover the seams in the wider pieces of wood that make up the siding. I think it's looking pretty snazzy. Next up the roof gets installed . . .

Modern Fences IV

The quest for the perfect modern fence continues on . . . Mr. Monkey and I have been on a search to be good neighbors and to have happy neighbors. In our case this involves hiding their houses (for privacy) and keeping our late-night laughs and bunches of bon fires contained to our yard and not echoing off their walls. We often walk around the neighborhood in search of ideas for fences. These first pictures are of the winner of the fence that we liked best in the neighborhood, that is a little different and meets our needs. It's modern but not too modern like a wall of corrugated metal. I like the horizontal lines and the big carriage bolts. I also like their color scheme and their overall landscape. We'll be skipping the raised bed boxes and our fence may not be 3 thick pieces. We're thinking four slightly narrower pieces that would also have a slightly smaller gap in between each horizontal strip. Of course we'll keep you posted on the existing fence coming down and the new fence going up! Next up -scroll down for a wacky totally unique Eugene fence!

Recently this fence went up in our neighborhood. At first we walked by and wondered what was going on over there. Was it a parade float? Was it a booth for a festival? Was is a gazebo? Finally it took its final form as a fence! I'm not the hugest fan of the aesthetics of this fence (aka I don't like the way it looks). But I admire the way they just went for it big! It's new and different and it seems like it uses twigs and not processed wood so it's environmental impact is small. It is creative and offers the house a nice privacy screen without feeling unfriendly. Yay for fences. Even though we've ended our search for our fence I'll keep my eyes for y'all. You can click here for my other 3 posts on modern fences.

Modern Fences III

From Modern Phoenix link below

Mr. Monkey and I have been once again thinking about fences and of course not just any fence but a modern fence. What's that saying about good fences and good neighbors? Mr. Monkey spoke to our neighbor who can't contribute funds but has offered to help out with the construction. This is not so good. But on the other hand she says she really doesn't care what it looks like. This is great news for us. Our neighbor's main concern is the protection of her elderly cat in her yard from other cats (including ours apparently - which is funny because our monkey cat is always getting beat up by a fluffy fur ball named Squeaky!). This means that she wants the fence to reach all the way to the ground, no spaces down below for kitties to sneak through. And although cats can often scale and jump over fences we will make this fence as tall as we can without a permit. My. Monkey thinks this is 6ft. Here are some pictures I've come across in my search and here's a Dwell link to a nice slideshow of modern fences. Here's a link to a real estate site in northern california that specializes in Eichlers and they've posted some ideas for Eichler owners. Here's a link to an Apartment Therapy post on Modern Fences in Austin, Texas. As for the pictures above. I found one in Photo Bucket and the other on the Modern Phoenix site. Finally last but not least I've blogged about fences in the past. You can go to Part 1 and Part 2 when you click on each link. If you have any good pictures of modern fences please send the link via comments. Cheers!

More Modern Patio

So one little piece of modern living that I'm proud of and that I have to show off whenever we have visitors is our patio table. Check it out. The whole set was purchased from Bring Recycling. First we found the pocket door that looked like surplus - new but never been used. Then we started looking for legs and found the yellow metal sawhorses. Then we found the chairs. Add an ikea light fixture and you're all set for less than $50!  The "art" on the wall is leaving thanks to a deal I made with Mr. Monkey. The "art" has sentimental value for him  . . .  The rocking chair in the corner was a thrift store find. I'm thinking about painting the sawhorses and nice shade of blue or green. Plus we're on the lookout for newer chairs. These are not bad but I'm not a fan of the golden yellow hue and it's too much work to reupholster 3 dollar chairs - not worth it. What do you think about tulip chairs? Hope you find yourself sitting in a modern patio soon!

Modern Patio for BBQ

So my latest obsession has been to find a patio set on the cheap for our big BBQ next weekend. We're expecting about 30 people and we only have one long table on the back patio that fits 8. And yes it is modern if you must know. I'll post a picture later this weekend. Me and Mr. monkey made it from reused items from our fave recycling place called BRING. Anyway so I've been trolling craigslist and I'm on my way to check out this set. I can change the seat cushions to modernize it. Any other ideas? I was also thinking about splurging on some modern print beach towels and outdoor pillows as extra seating on the lawn. Okay well I'm off to check out this set. Wish me luck!

UPDATE: We got it. I was able to get a $10 reduction in price so I feel good about that. Send in suggestions for modernization. I was thinking of sanding and staining a darker color. The wood is cedar. . .