There's a hole in the driveway...Dear Liza...

There's a hole in the driveway...Dear Liza, dear Liza...

That is the song that played over and over in my head as we patched the hole in the driveway.  It was actually more of a divot or a trench caused by the local borough paving the road higher than my garage.  This then caused my car to scrape every time I pulled into the garage - a TERRIBLE sound!!

We thought we'd need to pay an asphalt contractor to come and pave the area for us but then we heard of coldpatch!  (There are many varieties available.  The product we chose did a good job but since I do not have a comparison I will not endorse a specific product.)

This option turned out to be a fairly cheap alternative to using a contractor and it was a simple quick evening DIY project - about 1 hour start to finish!

Before you begin you want to make sure the pothole or area to be leveled is clear of debris as best you can.  Now you're ready to patch!

Step 1: Use an asphalt crack filler to create a bonding layer.  It's a thick liquid that needs to be spread out across the entire area you're patching.  Make sure to use an old broom or chip brush - you'll never use it again once the crack filler dries! 

Step 2: Empty a bag of coldpatch onto your area.  It's an interesting consistency, but low odor and no dust! 

Step 3: Rake the coldpatch out. 

Step 4: Once the coldpatch is spread out you will need to pound it down.  This helps fill in any gaps and also help solidify the patch.  (Depending on the size of your patch you may consider checking to see if it is level before moving onto Step 5.)

Step 5:  Drive over the patch several times. You can drive over the patch as soon as you're finished so we figured that would be a great way to ensure the coldpatch is pounded down well. 

The patch has held up well, we had rainy days, sunny days and freezing temperatures...it survived it all! 

I couldn't believe how easy and inexpensive this project was.  

Our "hole" was about 3' X 2', which seemed large when we started thinking about this option.  Now that we've done it, I'd consider doing an even larger area! 

Linked to:

Japanese Maple Tree Seedlings

We had to make a tough decision and cut down a gorgeous Japanese Maple Tree this past weekend.  (I will share the reason why in a soon in an upcoming post!)
I hate cutting any trees down but especially one as unique as that!  Before we cut it though I did some research to see if there'd be a way I could "root" the branches.  So based on my research I decided to give it a try...what did I have to lose?

Here are the simple steps I used based on what I read.

1. Fill a container with potting soil - I chose to use old plant pots, the kind you buy the plants in.  

2. Cut a small branch off the tree (sorry for the blurry pic, it was a little breezy!)

3. Remove the lower leaves leaving a little bud or at least exposed green growth

4. Place the branch in soil so that the bud is covered with dirt - do not let any leaves get under the soil.  

Thoroughly water and pack it in.

5. Place the container in a plastic bag, do not close the bag but keep it around the container to keep the moisture, humidity in.

6. Place the container in a warm area but not in direct sunlight and let nature do its work! 

Hopefully I will have a follow-up post soon with pictures of beautiful seedlings!

Linked to:

 Making Monday Marvelous