Saint George Court,Warwick,RI Home Exterior Renovation Roofing - Siding - Deck by Linda Maintanis

There are some signs of change on Saint George Court. If the big blue dumpster in our yard wasn't a clue then the long parade of workmen that moves up our driveway at 7:00am should be.

This week workers began replacing all eaves, soffit and fascia boards. This is necessary to complete before the roofers arrive. 

We are also replacing the timbers on the stucco areas of our house at the same time. All material used in these areas is Azek. A man made material, it is only available in white. As you know from prior blogs we are switching up the color palette on our tudor. Watch as the timbers are replaced with white and the background of the house goes darker.

All woodpecker damage will be repaired as these conversions are completed. see right




Work on the rear of the house is like climbing a wall.
The sheer expanse of the house is a challenge. By midweek our crew was up to the peak with staging.  Friday afternoon they had turned the corner and were working on the east exposure, by the pond.
This side had the heaviest damage from the birds
and will be completed on Monday.

March 21, 2014

Saint George Court, Warwick, RI - 25 Year Renovation Project Roofing, Siding, Lighting and Deck by Linda Maintanis

25 years old. When a house reaches this milestone it is time to bring back the builders. Our home, fully remodeled on the inside, has started to show some signs of age on the outside. Mainly, the roof is looking rough, and some woodpeckers have been snacking on the brown timbers which made my tudor a tudor. Renovation is a necessity, so I'll be blogging the dirty details of living with a major project for the next 8 weeks.

Our woodpecker problem made us search for a synthetic board to replace wood, which wouldn't  allow the birds to peck anymore. Azek, a man made material, was perfect to replace the peckered (?) timbers and has a 25 year warranty. The switch-up? Azek is a WHITE product. Our tudor color scheme would now be in reverse. First there were the color choices. This was tricky. As a tudor style home we had the usual brown criss-cross timbers over cream stucco on the front side. The remainder of the house had cedar shingles painted cream to match. 

Siding choices are limitless, but we wanted another product that would give us longevity. We chose Certainteed for their style, durability and color spectrum. The house won't have the traditional brown boards any longer which means darkening the shade of the siding to allow for some contrast. Here we chose the Seagrass; a soft, greyish green cedar looking product.  Cedar Impressions Double 7 inch Straight Edge Perfection Shingles will allow us style and lifetime warranty.

Roofing selection was a choice narrowed down from three possibilities in the Tamko samples. Olde English Pewter was a bit too light. Oxford Grey seemed right, until we checked it in the light; it had too much green, similar to the siding. Virginia Slate was perfect. Enough contrast to the siding, it tied in the pavers and decking and had that English Tudor charm.

Our sidewalks and paved areas are all in great condition so we wanted to keep them and work that color into our palette also. They are classic granite grey stone. We chose grey Trex for the decking material to create flow on the lower and ground levels of home and yard. Fiberon gave us a white deck railing with a flat top for service value. This would tie in with the white Azek on our trim and timbers, and beef up our deck with a commercial grade railing. 

 

The next week brings a large dumpster and a Port-a-potty for the workers. As our construction schedule becomes more detailed I will post again. Keep watching for my next blog? Linda Maintanis

Note: the photo of our home as shown on the top of page is from the original builders home plan book, William G. Chirgotis, 350 Home Plans. When the snow melts off of our roof I will take some more pre-construction photos. I promise.

March 6, 2014

Vertical Gardening on Saint George Court, Warwick, RI Reaches New Heights!

Amazing things are happening in the gardens on Saint George Court. Butternut squash was planted at the base of the grape arbor, as it was last year. The location produced about a hundred pounds of butternut that lasted until the next spring and we knew that we would replant there again. With just one catch...

The squash would go vertical.

Instead of creeping and climbing like an octopus with fifteen foot long arms I would train it to climb up the arbor towards the canopy of grapes overhead. With a bit of garden wire the butternut vines have been lifted and teased into the strong trunks of the grapes.

In this photo to the right you see butternut squash approximately two months in the ground. It has been gradually trained up the trunks of the grape vines forming a weave of squash blossoms.

The baby squash are peeking out of the vines everywhere!

Eggplant Frost Protection Again? How to Prevent Damage Saint George Court Gardens, Linda Maintanis

It seems like we started the year the same way. Back in early May I posted on Saint George Court about the frost warnings and how I protected my eggplant from damage. Sheets of bubble wrap were gently secured around the small plants with a tab of scotch tape.

 

This time, this past fall, I found the plants needed frost protection once again. A warm, sunny September had allowed another heavy crop of around fifteen or more eggplants to set up. 

But by the middle of October I was watching the temperatures each night with keen eyes. The days were still so glorious; strong sunshine that still branded pink cheeks. And this crop was a bit small, they could use every extra day of growth. So I left them on the vine. 

When temperatures dropped below forty degrees I conceived a plan. A cocoon of sorts, like a tent/greenhouse, to protect them from a freeze. My first idea was to drape a tarp around them, that was too heavy, and actually would have trapped condensate inside. So I kept the concept with one modification; cotton sheets. They would breathe and trap ground heat at the same time. Perfect.

The sheets were draped over the stakes at dusk. Tucked under the drooping eggplants, they formed a breatheable cocoon. Able to trap warmth but exchange moisture to avoid condensation.

 
It worked! I was finally forced to harvest this bowl of eggplants on November 1,2013.
They were definitely worth the effort, a very nice Halloween "treat". Try some of these recipes with your own crop, Minto Island.

Squash on the Vine - When Do You Harvest Your Crop? Saint George Court, Warwick, RI

If you've been reading me all summer then you know that I planted some butternut squash in the garden. Two on trellises, one in a patch near the cucumbers and several up and over the grape arbors.

For weeks now curious family members and spectators have said, "Your squash is ready." and I say      "No. Be patient. You have to wait until the stems turn brown".

When a squash grows in the wild there is no one
there to pick it. When does it fall from the vine?
When the vegetable matures and the stem withers. Turning brown indicates there is no nourishment passing through the plant to the squash.

The large squash to the left is a perfect example. Shown here hanging from the arbor, it has been looking large and fine for months.
But not ready til this week.

Notice how dry and brown the stem has turned?
You can't see it but it actually has a crackle to it.

Look at the additional photo below,
the withering vines seem too dry to do anything.

But it is all part of the process
and picking too soon will only yield
under-ripe, overly-wet produce.

Saint George Court, Warwick, RI - Butternut Squash Bounty of Governor Francis Farms Gardens

While we've been enjoying the splendor of these last few weeks of summer some mighty big things have been happening on Saint George Court. Butternut squash that was planted by the base of Turtle Pond Wines' grape arbors has been steadily producing a bountiful harvest!