The Gomez family of Hollywood, FL (population 153,067) have had a growing list of projects for some time; however, our return for the birth of Happy Charlie Gomez, was the next opportunity for us to help work on it. We took our normal three days to get there from Arlington, and as described in ASing Sabbatical – Part 2, Hap was born during our trip down.
Once Sarah was permanently home from the hospital and on the road to recovery, only then were we able to start doing projects.
Michael is an excellent project planner. He does the research needed to purchase the right products and employ the best steps and techniques for accomplishing the scope. But he is even better at executing his plans, not being one to dilly-dally once the decision to start is made. As such, he had already completed several list-projects and started some others before we arrived. First, he had removed the substantial Surinam Cherry bushes from the east and part of the south sides of the yard. This was needed to support the contractor who installed their new backyard wooden fence. TPM had helped remove the roots of several of these bushes during the previous visit, and therefore, was familiar with how physically difficult this was. Second, he had started to build a wooden border and create a planted rock garden along the yard on the west side of the house. Third, he had constructed a CMU (concrete masonry unit) low wall around the remaining Surinam Cherry bushes on the west side of the backyard and constructed a CMU enclosure for the butterfly garden on the east side. Reinforcing and stuccoing the walls had not yet been done and was on the project list. Fourth, he had placed white granite rock beds with concrete stepping squares at both the backyard gate and entrance door to their bedroom. Did I mention he isn’t one to dilly dally?
We accomplished three smaller projects before addressing the big ones. Sarah and Michael liked one of our large paintings by the artist Scott, and since it was just sitting in storage while we’re on the road, we brought it to them. Michael wanted it to have a simple wood frame, so we tacked one around the perimeter and stained it with a color they chose. Looked very nice in their dining area.
Sarah wanted a flower box outside the kitchen window. We copied a box design used at Pisgah View Ranch, lined the inside with plastic, painted it black, and secured it to the stucco wall. Uses included plants and bird feeders.
Most of the west side yard was occupied by grass and weeds and needed some landscaping. Using pressure-treated 4″ X 4″ timbers, I built a border for a planter running nearly the full length of the house. We filled the planter with stones, and Michael bought plants and moved others to start filling the beds. Will be lush in the future.
Now it was time to tackle the major projects. The first one was to repair the clay-tile roof and pressure wash it in preparation for painting. I had started repair work during the previous visit. What was left was to finish caulking broken tiles and gaps around roof penetrations, re-adhere the crown tiles, and place mortar along the crown and edge tiles to prevent uplifting.
Because of the age of the roof, almost every crown tile was no longer attached. Each loose tile was glued down with caulk before mortar was placed on the end to prevent uplifting during high winds. This method is now standard practice when installing new tile roofs. The edge tiles had been previously mortared; however, the mortar was often cracked or had pieces missing from years of wear and tear.
The repair work taught us the importance of getting onto the roof as early as possible. This meant by 9 am in order to at least delay the onslaught of afternoon heat. Our longest roof-days ran until about 5 pm at the end of which we were exhausted, sweaty throughout, and stinky. Showers never felt so good or were more sorely needed.
Michael had borrowed his brother’s pressure washer for the roof and a future washing of the patio and driveway paving tiles. The washer came with multiple tips depending on application, and we used the tip that provided 40 psi. This was highly effective in removing the algae and dirt, and in most cases the terra cotta paint that had been previously applied on the original white tiles. Pressure washing took every bit of three days. After day one, the neighbors we’re tactfully asking how long they would have to listen to the drone of the engine.
About a year before this visit, TPM had used his $100 Wagner portable spray painter to paint the exterior of the house. Now it was time to use it again and paint the roof. Michael and Sarah had agreed on an appealing milk-chocolate brown color, so Michael purchased a 5-gallon bucket of paint specifically for clay roof tiles. It would take 10 additional gallons to finish the job. The video below shows TPM in action. A legitimate paint sprayer would have a wand, which would have allow doing the same job without having to bend over. This was a back-breaker! Imagine Michael at 6′-6″ having to bend over in the same way. The good news was his arm span allowed him to cover much more area before having to move on, while the bad news was, it broke his back too.
After the roof was painted and had a chance to set and dry completely, we then chose to apply a sealer. Again, Michael had already done the research and found a locally-manufactured sealant that boasted of these results: provides a slightly clear-sheen finish, provides additional adherent properties to help prevent uplift, and prevents the growth of mold and algae. The cheap Wagner spray painter was used again, but as we neared completion, the sprayer turbine came apart in my hands and spewed sealant everywhere, including on me. Despite getting it to work long enough to finish the roof, we would soon find out that more damage had been done than originally thought. Time to replace it.
Next, two projects had to be completed before tackling the second major project, new backyard deck. We first needed to reinforce and stucco the CMU walls Michael had erected. This entailed driving appropriate lengths of 3/8″ rebar vertically through the CMU cells at the corners of the walls and at agreed spacing, then filling those cells with concrete.
While the concrete was curing, I installed 4″x 8″x 16″ CMU wall caps using construction adhesive. Michael then troweled on a single coat of fiberglass reinforced, stucco-like coating. I purposely didn’t help with this step because Michael developed his own technique, and we wanted the finished look to be consistent. I painted the walls white.
Sarah and Michael had developed a color pallet for the backyard. The existing driveway and pad in front of the butterfly garden were pinkish/terracotta pavers. The decking was a light brown. For the butterfly garden, they bought two-toned, wood-grained square tiles. These were patterned as shown, but used mixed combinations of light gray, darker gray, blue-gray, and a greenish aqua. As we began to install the tiles, we initially thought we’d create a pattern; however, we quickly opted to just put them up randomly as selected by Samantha. Michael spread the adhesive and set the tiles while I manned the wet saw for doing the edge cuts. Last, we added a stained 2″ X 6″ wood cap atop the back wall for added color and texture.
Sections of the backyard fence were in rough condition, so the kids had a new fence erected where needed, and I pressure-washed the existing fence sections which were still in OK condition. I used Michael’s new hand-held sprayer and painted the inside of the entire fence with a black color picked by Sarah. Amazing how many different shades of black there are.
Until then, the southeast corner of the backyard had been undeveloped and was an ugly, inefficient space where their dog Walter did his business and miscellaneous stuff got stored. Michael and Sarah wanted the space covered with a low deck. MFI and I took measurements and prepared preliminary drawings from which we estimated materials. Michael had researched decking, and we bought a product called Thermogard from 84 Lumber. The great feature of Thermagard was that the decking stayed cool in the hot Florida sun.
Michael was still working week days, but he helped on the weekend and whenever he had a moment. Otherwise, I constructed the deck by myself at a comfortable pace (slow). I was grateful for the shade of their tree, around which I framed a 2′ X 2′ box. I suggested we angle the deckboards at 45 degrees to the fence to make it more inviting for guests, and they agreed. I used 10 precast concrete piers for support and framed the deck to fit into the fence corner. I saved the honor of sawing the final framing cut for Michael. Once the framing was done, I taped the top of it with a moisture barrier, and we were ready for decking.
I had to relocate a fair amount of dirt and rocks to keep the floor joists off the ground and maintain a uniform surface. The area smelled of animal feces until it had a chance to dry out. But I was more offended by the near daily iguana visits and their crapping on my work. They are an invasive species in Florida, and my job site was definitely being invaded. Really disgusting and a pain in the ass to clean up after them. This guy was about 3 feet long from nose to tip of tail.
Again, the tree was our anchor point, so I started with a 2′ X 2′ deck frame around it and worked outward in both directions. Because the decking was tongue and groove, we used special clips to secure the boards without having to nail or screw from above. Much cleaner look! Michael created a fantastic lighting plan, which was accommodated as we progressed. It included upward lighting of the tree and fence. Then he also installed lights where guests would be stepping onto the deck.
We realized late in the project that for safety reasons there needed to be a step on the side paralleling the driveway. The dropoff was simply too high. I poured a concrete foundation then framed for the step boards. This really improved the finished look of the deck.
Here is an evening photo of the completed butterfly garden and deck. Michael’s lighting scheme really added a warm and cozy touch. The backyard quickly turned into a place where the family could enjoy the outdoors, play, entertain, and relax.
We spent a fantastic five weeks with the Gomez family and enjoyed every minute of it. We bonded with Happy and were amazed at Sammy’s speedy growth. Sarah and Michael kept us well fed with healthy meals and well hydrated with not so healthy wine. We only live once, right? Love these five (includes Walter) and look forward to our next visit and new list of projects.
