Digging Utilities

Oct-Nov 2013 The day came for digging. The boys had fun operating the ditch witch. Eighteen inch deep trenches criss-crossed the yard, exposing rocks of all sizes. I tried to remove the largest ones before the trenches were covered. The electrical lines and water pipes were going into the trenches, so I had to make some decisions fast.

In the end, I used the design for the planting beds, which defined the path, but I changed almost everything else.

In May, I had invested in a landscape plan because I was clueless on where to start. I had tried doing my own, but wasn't satisfied with it. The plan helped a little, but it was more about the paths and plants, not electricity and water.

Studying the yard from the patio, I tried to imagine fountains and sprinklers in the midst of non-existent greenery and seating areas. String lights? Low voltage lights? Other hardscaping? What kind of watering would I use? I guessed the best I could, pointing to where I thought outlets and faucets would go.

Electricity and Plumbing

Julian came another day and installed two outlets for water features, three around the patio for lights, and installed electric boxes for patio fans and lights at the gate.

Irrigation wasn’t in the budget; in fact, I had no idea how I could afford to install any kind of irrigation system. I planned to use sprinklers or drip hoses. Since the trenches were already dug, C.J., another church friend, volunteered to install pvc pipes, and I hired a plumber to install several faucets around the yard.

This unexpected help with the electric and plumbing framework was huge. It was major work that I was unprepared for.

LESSONS LEARNED

When planning, think about:

• Location/ shape of planting beds

• Location of trees

• Location of water features

• Type/location of lighting

• Type of irrigation to be used

• When installing faucets, make sure they're tall enough to connect hoses easily. Mine are six inches tall, ten would be better.

• Try to draw out the plan, it doesn't have to be professional, just well thought-out.

I was able to connect low voltage lighting on one side of the yard but not the other because I didn’t install an outlet on the other side, which I plan to do someday. Since then I've switched to solar lighting, which isn't as reliable.

Unexpectedly, God provided people to help in ways such as this, confirming with every step that he was in it. As I proceeded with the prayer garden, as I now called it, my faith grew, and I gained experience and knowledge.