My DIY House: November 2013

I have been long overdue for updating my more recent efforts on the house. One of the biggest renovations was too big for me in terms of shear time. I have spent many long hours since purchasing this house removing old plant life such as trees, ivy, and bushes.

With little Apollo in the picture, it was time to bring in some help and get the job done faster. The team was able to remove the remaining plants and the fences and dig up the soil to prepare for the new sod all in one day.

While the guys were working on all of that, I decided to save some money buy removing the three stumps in the back by myself. I regret that decision because these stumps and their root systems where a colossal pain to remove. I will be paying for stump removal in the future.

The next day the new irrigation system for the grass and the new fence posts went in. Apollo wanted to help when I came home for his lunch time walk, but he was too young so we just watched. The next day the remaining fence went in, including a new fence line along the driveway.

Over the weekend we took on the task of staining the fence. This gives it a nice look and also protects the untreated cedar boards from the elements. This is a very easy task that simply takes some time, but if you put on some tunes and have some fun with it, totally worth the cost savings. The hard part is choosing the stain color.

I did not finish the staining before the week started, when the crew turned to putting in the new sod, but I at least finished the inside so the sod could go in easily. It looks amazing and almost fake when it is brand new. It of course won't always look this good, but it is a fun way to start. We added small stones as a walkway from the driveway gate to the main entry path.

In the back yard I noticed that the gas and water lines from the house to the garage for the washer and dryer we exposed and looked ugly. Together with the crew we extended all three lines under ground and buried them.