Spring is here!!
Wahoo! I know it has technically been a few weeks, but on Easter Sunday we got a true taste of sunshine and warmth on our cheeks. It felt amazing! Also, a great reassurance that all the things we have been planning behind bloggin’ doors are going to be SO worth while!
Sorry, no “DIY” here right at this moment.
Truth is, I think every “DIY-er” should take it easy every once in a while and let the pro’s do the job. We are willing to do a ton of work, but work we are capable of. There are a handful of things we are not willing to dive into, so we have two big ones coming up this month that we are thrilled to hand the duties over to the pro’s!
NEW windows are going in this week! Every single dirty, unable to be opened, painted over 10x window is being replaced in our house. We are tickled pink that not only will they look sleek and be easy to open (finally!) but our energy bills will be able to loosen its belt loop and take a break. Hit the road $300 + energy bills! Dan will not miss you!
Second project to be tackled this month is our yard, back and front. We have spent weeks getting landscapers to come out and quote us on our backyard first. You guys, you would faint if you saw some of these quotes. We cut down over 23 trees last fall as a lot of you remember, a few weeks ago we had those very same stumps ground. Now we are left with a backyard, covered in debris and looking like a giant wack-a-mole game. Holes everywhere! We need the entire backyard leveled out, cleaned out, soiled, seeded + hay placed. We’ve had quotes from $3,500 – $7,650!
Our landscapers of choice got the big fat yes when he gave us a price right under $3,000. We know it is a big job. We need grass SO badly in our large backyard. The thought of attempting to clean the backyard out alone would take Dan and I weeks upon weeks to get done. THIS is when you turn to professionals who have the equipment and crew to get things done correctly and quickly.
So money is flying out of our windows, literally, and our backyard is raking up the bucks. But, these are both super wise investments. Ones that will last and live with our house for decades to come. I am kind of proud of us. We usually jump to do projects that are easy to please … new furniture, decor, home renovations. We are true adults now, we chose windows and landscaping over a finished basement.
Here is a peek at what our yard is looking like right now.
A few before and after, because those are the best! The jungle like pictures are the before(s) – and the after pictures are the ones that the yard looks like even more of a hot mess!
Remember that beauty? Last summer, just months after moving in we tackled our collapsing porch front!
Now we have a new pretty porch, these awesome solar lights that rest on top of the posts that light up at night and cozy rocking chairs to sit in sip on tea in the summer time. As you can see, we are fresh out of winter. The mulch in front of the porch is going to be removed – and we will lay fresh black mulch and figure out the plants.
We have these awful ivy beds that we spent months upon months spraying and raking out. This is what we are left with. YUCK!
Same on the right side. The majority of our lawn (back and front) is moss. Hopefully with fresh seed being planted and Dan trimming a TON of the trees back, we will successfully grow grass this year!
THE BACKYARD…
The backyard lacked many of things. the biggest turn off was the fact that sunlight was not to be found. Ever. While it kept our house cool it was a pure bummer to our entire family and our bodies that begged for vitamin D!
This is exactly where we stand. Covered wood stacks from the 23 trees we cut down. An entire yard filled with stump grindings and holes everywhere you turn. Ugly, unfinished, and unsafe.
Oh look! Our Christmas tree!
You get the idea? It’s like our entire backyard got a brazilian wax. It’s feeling stripped, but needing some loving. HA.
The fact that we had to turn to professionals should be no surprise at this point! The job is simply far too big for us to tackle. At the end of April the project will be started and by June we should have GRASS!! Ah!
We are dreaming of a plush grassy backyard for the kids to play in. Hydrangea wrapped around the deck and later than sooner a privacy fence. Clean, crisp and family friendly!