Backyard landscaping DIY style

Doing yard work is never fun, but it can be rewarding. With a few tools and some hard work you can get your yard space usable and livable. Sometimes you can watch too much of those home network shows and try and go crazy with design plans to over complicate something that should be straight forward and simple.

If you are like me, young dumb first time home owner, then you know that saving money is essential. When I bought this house it had a decent retaining wall...but it was not straight and it was not flat. Eventually I got sick of looking at the bad backyard landscaping and took on the project. 

Here are some Pictures

Backyard Retaining Wall DIY

We straightened the wall and added some plants. Now it looks much better.

                   

Home Energy Saving Tip For the Day

attic Insulation

If you have bought an older home or a new home for that matter you need to check out the attic insulation. Just recently I bought an older house that had literally 4 inches of old compressed insulation, and our heating and cooling bill was enormous. I took the time and about 600$ to insulate the attic myself....we got a pretty good rebate from the government for doing this insulation.Check and see if that energy credit is still available. It is a bit of hard work but you will really notice the difference right away. Check your local listings for contractors and rebates.

Bathroom Renovation - Progress is a slow process

Here is some more progress on our first house renovation....currently we will be removing all the existing mess that is the current bathroom and replacing it with something magnificent. I highly recommend that you hire a plumbing contractor and electrical contractor to do the work, but if you are like me and need to same some money be sure to ask around before you settle for anyone to do the work.
If you think you are handy and have the time to do the research try and find a contractor that will check your work when you are done so you will pass the home inspector from the city....also be aware of all current city codes because you will regret the whole project if you do not know what you are up against.

Whole House Renovation - DIY projects

When it comes to buying an old house there is just no way around renovations. Especially when you start one small project and realize your house is not exactly as advertised. Now you have to call over the city inspector to check out the damage.....we had a bad experience with a home inspector. My advise is have them look at only the one section you are changing and then do not argue with what they say....just do it because if you hurt their feelings your project will be put on hold forever.
If you are a Do It Yourself -er I highly recommend doing your homework. Just because you saw it once of television doesn't mean you know what you are doing.
Do not make the problem worse by cutting corners.
We are taking the whole house down to the studs to re-wire and re-plumb everything correctly....also we are making the main floor layout more open.

Here is an update on our project.