I agree, Duane, a 90 should be an A+! Good for you, Pat. Of course, we all KNEW you'd do fine, after all, you hang out around here with us, don't you? (grin) Annie

We moved in in late December & have been staring at a big gunnited hole in the ground ever since. Decided to finish paying subs who had completed their work before we incurred any new bills... I'm fascinated by the pool pictures & finishes of others - how the color turns out, etc, so thought I'd post my before & afters... Image link:

Well…it’s done, but it was a huge ordeal. In my yard, there is about 8 inches to a foot of topsoil, and solid dense clay under that, that is also full of rocks. It’s why I have difficulty planting anything large. I had told him that in advance, but it was not something he had dealt with before (this was friend doing the work, like a trade; I will help him install a non-standard door later). The auger was useless after a foot. I have a post hole digger too, that was no better. The clay had to be chipped out bit by bit, and larger rocks pried out til the depth got to the 2 feet he wanted. So instead of 2 deep narrow holes, we had 2 cone-shaped holes, maybe 16" in diameter. We moved the big hibiscus, and some lilies, and I had put stakes marking other plants to protect them. But that plan went by the wayside quickly, as digging those holes seemed to require more and more room. I was supposed to be just an observer, due to my knee surgery. But I and another friend ended up helping too, which flattened the area even more. I should have removed all the plants within a 3 foot radius of each hole! We got the posts level, mixed and poured in the concrete. Then the position of the posts had to be endlessly tweaked, which took 3 of us. I wanted to “hide” the square posts behind 2 of the outermost uprights. The plan was to let the posts set while we had lunch (it was then 3:30, and we had started at 12:30). But we decided to place the gate immediately, while we could still move the posts slightly. Which turned out to be a good thing. Again, more tweaking of angles and leveling. Had to shim one end with bricks, as (you might be able to see in the above photo) the pointed ends at the bottom are different lengths. Got it clamped on with 2 thick U bolts at the bottom and muffler clamps at the top. I will paint those soon. Tomorrow I will have to clear out stray gravel and clay pieces from around it, which will be challenging considering I can’t kneel on my right knee. I will come up with a new place for the hibiscus, which I put into a large pot temporarily. I have a non-performing Endless Summer hydrangea at the sunnier end of the bed, which never grows more than a 16” tall (and doesn’t bloom). I think I’ll put the hibiscus there, where it won’t block the view of the gate. The thing I am worried about now is how compacted the soil became. I don’t know what to do about that, if anything is possible. The plants that had not yet emerged might not be able to get through. The ones that were emerging in that 3 foot radius are largely smashed. Some tall salvias, liatris. Lots of crushed irises. I think I will fork those out and move them. I don’t know if it would be advisable to try to stick pitchfork in and loosen the soil in general. And/or just add some bagged topsoil on top of everything, and call it a day. Buy some new plants. ;) I know I will like the results in the end, once things start growing around it.

That's the color of some of my kitchen cabinets. The others are a light moss green. Mixture of colors and traditional cabinet styles..shaker and raised panel. Walls white .Years ago I painted my living room red and got gasps from my mother in law. Put before and after shots. It's fun to change.