Discovery Ridge update...

Again with the rain... I was away last week, but I understand that it rained and rained! It is getting to the point where we should do 1 of 2 things. Estimate for 1/2 the work in the allotted time or charge double the price. heh. Our customers may not be too thrilled about either, but I am sure they would take the first one over the second.

Anyhoodiddlydoo...

We are making nice progress in Discovery despite the unseasonable weather. The hardscape portions are almost complete as we are finalizing the stairs tomorrow and probably getting a good start on the front yard walkway. The team has been exceptional during this the "dog days" of the project. They did an amazing job on the big wall too!

Look, Hedi is the only one working here!

Notice a design trend?

In the mean time though, we were able to finish a couple of lingering service issues that have been outstanding for a while now, so there is that...

Winter working...

LeeDavid Landscapes is having a very good 2008 building season despite the incredible amount of rain and bad weather we have had. This success is due in part to our very experienced and competent staff that have come back to us each of the last 2 springs. Time can only tell if we will be able to keep them long term, however we are doing our part and keeping them on full time over the winter months, giving them a career option with instead of a job option. This is both exciting and nerve wracking as we must now create enough work to carry all of us through to next spring again when we start our outdoor projects.

This has created a unique opportunity for us.

We have openings this winter for a variety of projects you may need completed. Examples include:

- Basement framing, finishing, and general contractor services
- Garage construction, framing, finishing, and general contractor services
- Skid-steer and excavator services
- Snow and Ice removal services
- Hot-shot delivery and emergency hauling services (short and long distance)
- Furniture re-finishing, construction and special woodworking projects.

Our combined skills in a variety of disciplines allows us to be the contractor of choice, carrying our great reputation from the summer into our new exciting projects during the long Calgary winter.

Please call me right away to get started on your project or to discuss your needs, as I am sure we will find ourselves very busy as soon as the snow flies!

Truck...

...was in Kamloops.

Where in the world is the truck?

Large Leggo wall...

I spelled "Lego" different to avoid litigation...

Allanblock has been good to us this year, so we have been good to them in return. This is a Europa wall that we are constructing in Discovery Ridge. There are 4 different block shapes, with 3 separate sets of stairs, rising a visible total of 35 inches. It is quite a curvy wall.

It is the main hard scape on this project, that splits the yard completely in 2 distinct sections there fore we have utilized all the structural additions available to us. We have built a 10" thick base supported by geotextile between the clay layer and the new crush base. There is a full 8" high base of "dover" blocks that is fully buried to eliminate any erosion under the wall. We have installed 3' wide Geogrid above the base layer and above the 16" mid layer. Each 8" high layer of brick we place has been backfilled and packed with "wall rock" which allows water to drain through the ground behind the wall into the socked weeping tile and out the positive drain in the front of the wall. The wall rock also creates an interlock where we have utilized the Geogrid, so the wall now becomes 3' thick instead of 1' thick, giving an incredible amount of strength and durability.

whoops...

yikes, i bet this went bang...

bad news...

... the guy never made it.

A little perspective goes a long way...

Warning, the following photos are graphic in nature.

So you think you have a bad day, nothing goes right, or something little happens that sours your mood and you think why me. It just isn't fair, or the stress of Calgary life is too much, maybe your job is seemingly driving you to the brink... well my day wasn't bad at all, in fact I had a pretty good day, with a few minor hiccups and yet these minor hiccups had me brooding.

Until I saw this... (warning, graphic)

Calgary Police shut down both directions of Deerfoot Trail during the afternoon rush hour Monday, after a serious crash in the southbound lanes near 130th Avenue southeast.
The crash happened at approximately 4:45 p.m. (side note, I was there at 4:49) and two people were injured, one of them critically.
A man believed to be in his fifties who had been ejected from his vehicle and sustained a significant head injury. He was transported to the Foothills Hospital in critical life-threatening condition.The second patient was a woman also believed to be in her fifties, who suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Rockyview Hospital in stable non-life-threatening condition.Both patients were the only occupants of their vehicles. The driver of the semi truck was uninjured.

Slow down people, it's hard enough to drive on Calgary roads without all the dangerous driving tendencies.

Here's what else is making news in Calgary today... if the above wasn't enough perspective...

Serious Crash Closes Deerfoot
Hot, Hot, Hot: Calgary Sets Temperature Record
Bridges Development Soliciting Affordable Housing Builders
Police Warn of Break-and-Enters During Warm Weather
Fatal Shooting In Beltline
Four Homes Destroyed In Two Separate Fires
Boy Dragged After Being Struck By SUV
Home Filled With Natural Gas
Senior On Scooter Dies Of Injuries Sustained In Crash
Gang Violence Claims Life Of Woman On First Nation Near Edmonton
Greyhound Bus Catches Fire In Calgary
A Fall From A Window Leaves A Calgary Child In Critical Condition
Health Officals Say Flesh Eating Disease Not The Cause In The Death Of A Child
Empty Home Hit By Fire
Home Hit By Bullets
RCMP Probe Bus Attack in Northern Alberta
CMHC Predicts Drop In Housing STarts
Rash of Early Morning Fires In Southwest Calgary
A Firefighter's Worst Nightmare Comes True
Insurance Company's Office Goes Up In Flames

Spider-elton...

Spider-elt, spider-elt, does whatever a spider-elt does...

Actually just a little trick photography, we are laying erosion control mats on a freshly grass seeded slope... in the Slopes! Springbank Slopes that is. The straw mats are made from coconut branches and will decompost in about a year, leaving a nicely rooted lawn. The mats are on top of the seeded loam and will keep mother nature from blowing, raining, washing, birds eating the seed away. All it needs is a little water and a little time.

A couple more pictures...

of the Cranston Project...

Done done done, another one bites the dust...

Wow, when the weather is good, we can power through projects.

This project in Cranston went very well from start to finish. Off to the Slopes of Springbank and then Discovery Ridge. These are a little outside our service area, but are very nice projects.

Nice note..

We received an email on another subject from a past client and they included this note..

Thanks also to you and your crew - all were most professional and enthusiastic
and the results are par none... We love the yard and are so glad we found you
and your team to "build" it for us....

nice....