Mini-Project: Shoe Drying Tray

I've stone-filled shoe trays on Pinterest before and thanks to the endless rain we've gotten over the past 2 weeks, I thought it might be time to give it a try!  My shoes have been wet, muddy and grassy but I was getting tired of leaving them in the entryway on the rug.  So, when I was at the store buying cheap runner rugs for the office, I spotted this shoe tray:

That reminded me of the few pins I've seen with this type of setup.  This was $4.97 and should have room for 3 pairs of shoes.  I went over to check out the rocks in the crafts section, but MAN were they expensive.    As in $5 for 2lbs of smooth river rocks.  Over to Dollar Tree, I went.  Sure enough, after some riffling through their decorative rock area, I found the large river rocks that I was looking for.  I wanted the multi-color version.  Now, I will tell you that I also got a small pouch of rocks from Lowes because they had more unique and eye-catching colors.  However, I only used 1 of those (also $5) and mixed it in with the rest of the Dollar Tree version.  $.50 per 1 pound of rocks is cheaper than $1 per pound of rocks.  

Not-SO-DIY Fence and Misadventures

As a followup on my 'Know when to hire, when to DIY' post, I thought I'd at least show off the wonderful fence that now adorns my yard.  Even though someone else was doing the project, it wasn't without at least 1 hiccup.

But before I get to the 'After' picture, I want to share some tidbits that I learned.  I did my homework with selecting a contractor.  There are quite a few fence companies in the area and I wanted to make sure I didn't jump at the first person that came out for a quote.  So, I used the linear footage information from the a single quote I got 2 years ago to get quotes from everyone else.  I had everyone quote the exact same linear footage, layout and fence material so I could compare apples to apples.  What I found was really interesting!  The prices had about a $500-$600 range for an entry type of vinyl fencing.  I don't always recommend going with the lowest price.  Sometimes it's for lower quality materials, sometimes it doesn't include important items and sometimes the company may not be very reputable.  Do your research.  What I learned about the lowest bid was that they sourced their materials from another fence company (their quote was higher by about $200) and they were reputable.

Also, trust your instincts.  One company lost any chance at my business because I didn't like their salesman.  Scoffing at my concerns isn't a great way to get my business.  If their salesman was like that, I can only image what the installers were like.

After I selected the company, got a full, on-site quote, I ended up selecting another fence style that was the next step up in price.  I don't like thin pickets.  Don't install something you hate that's permanent.  Because, guess what?  It's permanent.  Or really expensive to change.

Side Note:  If you live in the Delaware area and are looking for a fence, check out ABC Fencing.  They're the contractor I picked and couldn't be happier!  I didn't get anything to plug them, they just did a great job!

Misadventure #1 HOA, Land Owner, Survey, Building Permits, oh my.

Mini-Project: Serving Tray

I was cleaning up my ottoman a week ago and as I was cleaning the tray on it, I had a moment of genius.  This cheap tray, which I've had for 3+ years, could get a new lease on life!  First of all, it just doesn't match anything.

I got this lovely tray at Ikea for about $8 because I got tired of not having a place to set my drink.  Now, it's time to bring it into the style of the rest of my home.  I have dark wood all over.  Luckily, my brilliant idea was that I already had the gel stain (leftover from my oak vanity makeover) to transform it!  

Back to Basics Series

I have found that sometimes DIY projects aren't as difficult as they seem.  Knowing some basic skills make things go much more smoothly.  The only problem is...some people skip over the steps in doing the basic tasks for a project.  I know I'm guilty of that too, so I wanted to go allll the way back to some basic skills that come in handy.  If I can do it, I'm sure anyone can do it.  Some of these I've picked up from my parents along the years, some of them I figured out on my own and some of them I created my own method.

So what basic skills would you like to see explained?  How to hammer in a nail?  How to use a screw gun?  How to drill a basic hole?  Let me know!  If I know how to do it, I'll show you.  Send your ideas to me or leave a comment!

Know When To DIY and When to Hire

It's been a crazy few weeks.  I went on a work/vacation trip for 9 days to escape the cold weather and had such a relaxing and productive trip!  But before that, there was.... an incident.

A dog got loose in the neighborhood and promptly ran over to my yard and started fighting with my dog.  My dog is always on a leash and this was almost a disadvantage.  Luckily, my dog was perfectly fine, but it brought back a major homeowner decision back to the surface: a fence.  I've wanted a fence in my yard since I moved in.  Living in a subdivision with an HOA, I knew a chain fence wasn't going to cut it.

Now, the decision about the fencing was not only a convenience decision, it was a safety concern.  Do I want to be able to just let my dog out the door without having to bundle up?  I would love that!  Do I want a place for her to run around?  Yes!  Do I want to take the chance of the next dog fight ending without injuries?  Heck No.  Do I want to take the chance of the next dog fight ending with a dog attacking me?  HECK NO.  I've been bitten before and the amount of damage that can be done in seconds is alarming.

The style I decided to go with!

This whole decision took me back into the realm of DIY.  Was this something I could do myself, with some help?  After only a moment of thinking, the answer was a resounding no.  See, there are some factors you should take into account when deciding whether to DIY or hire someone: