Hoosierhillsinc - Landscape Designer

Things have been going well around here, still working half the night on the house each day, but calling it quits around 11 pm instead of 2 am.  Anyway, things are going well but projects are always just that…a project.

Here is a slice of the last two days around here.

1.  Picket fence quote came in at a million dollars for a puny weakling of a picket.  Not to mention the amount to rebuild the existing fence.  So that is a no-go.  Will add the building of hefty picket fence to the list of do-it-ourselves.

2.  Ordered new living room chair, did school clothes shopping/dance clothes shopping for Cupcake, and registered her for dance and martial arts all in one day.

3.  Put out a medium-sized fire in the oven while Hubs was sawing an opening in our front door for a new million dollar mail slot.  It has been a while since I have used an electric range and those buns under the broil went fast!

4.  Riped out some plants, cut out some sod and added some bark outside.  Looking better out there!

5.  Asked Hubs to replace the old ceiling fan with the new one…easy.  He said he would do it, but didn’t want it to explode into a bigger project.  So of course it did.  And it ended with a call to the electrician to get the old wiring switched out.  (How much of the ceiling will it destroy? Our fingers our crossed)

6.  Since the electrician is coming out tomorrow, I suggested Hubs have the electrician look at a couple of other areas including the TV outlet that needed to be upgraded to a three-prong outlet.  So Hubs figured he would save a little money and do it himself and replace the old knob and tube with romax.  So much for an exploding project.  This included the biggest lot of profanities I have heard on a project so far,  a bit of remodeling of the basement ceiling, and coat hanger shoved in an outlet and a lot more profanity.  But then I heard whistling and knew something must be working.  So after a test run, the new outlet was up and running with romax running to a new box, running to a new panel.  Ahhh.  So we plugged in our TV, realized that we get 26 free channels in HD and couldn’t be happier.  But then…I ran down to the basement to get my camera and flipped off the light on my way up.  That is when the TV went off.  Basement lights off–TV off.  Um.  Hmm.  So hubs is back downstairs.  Hehehehe.  I couldn’t help but laugh at that one.

7.  OH! And the highlight of my night.  While ripping out a jerry-rigged ceiling panel in the basement (conveniently wedged under a jerry-rigged load bearing beam), Hubs found the best hidden stash ever.  Two bottles of whiskey, Issue 1 of Threesome Sluts magazine and a condom box.  That is what I am talking about.

8.  Oh, another discovery…as surprising, but not as entertaining.  While trying to track down a knob and tube path today in the attic, it appears that the whole second story of the house was burned to a crisp at sometime in its 80 year history.  Nice.

Ok, here are some pics from the last couple of weeks.  I have been really bad about taking pictures, but I will get better.  The house house is actually looking really nice despite all of my scary stories and scary pictures, and the landscaping is beginning to revive after years of neglect.

The Stash

Unhappy husband tracking down an electircal wire

That hanger looks professional...

Pruned...used to be down to the ground in leaves. Now has bark mulch, and all the other plants are ripped out.

Hanging a door for my pantry. And cutting a phone line?

Making room for the fridge! Ripped out 3 cabinets.

Newly painted kitchen window. Old ugly window shelf ripped out.

Front yard after a couple weeks of revival work.

Hubs’ favorite project…pressure washing concrete. Ok, it makes a pretty spectacular update.

Out back-before

Out back--before

The back area has been cleared of all the brush, and we have actually found, pavers, and cobblestones back there.  Will give update photos in a few days.  When I have a project that is totally completed (ha) I will post more after pics!

Summary:
Assisted in renovations around my parents’ home, while pursuing consultant work.

Description:
Oversaw the renovation of the back yard into an entertainment and relaxation space. Designs included 2 new patios, a whirlpool, a repainting of the rear porch, new gates, new irrigation system and new pathways. Assisted in the relocation of an elderly grandparent in Minnesota.

Skills:
Construction Supervision, Elder Care, and Painter

We have expanded our web site resources pages to include the following topics.

General Construction…Looking for sites covering topics like foundations, concrete, framing, and other general construction topics.

Mechanical Trades…Looking for sites covering topics like electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security systems, home theater, and alternate energy.

Plans and Plan Design…Looking for sites that specialize in residential plans or plan design.

Finish Products…Looking for sites that cover topics like interior wall finish, painting, wall papering, floor coverings, cabinetry, exterior finishes

Miscellaneous…Looking for any other site relevent to home building or home remodeling. Including topics like fencing, yard landscaping, or deck building

Follow this link to view the homebuilding questions site and submit a link request. Homebuilding Questions Resource Page

Not all landscaping software is created equal

There are some fantastic landscaping software programs that will help you to design the backyard of your dreams but there are also some landscaping software programs that are a complete waste of money. The trick is to find out which landscaping software programs are good before you purchase them.

Many of the landscaping software programs that are on the market for the regular consumer are not really very good. Some of them are just plain awful and to buy them is to throw your money down the drain. They will have terrible cartoonish drawings that are not clear and that will not do you any good at all. On the other hand there are some of the more expensive commercial grade landscaping software programs that will blow you away with their capabilities.

What you need to remember when you are using a landscaping software program is that it is not going to do anything for you, it is only a tool for you to use to make your ideas a reality. So if you are wanting to buy some landscaping software so that you can have your yard designed for you then do not even bother. If on the other hand you have some great ideas and you want to get them laid out so that you can see if they are really as good as they seem then a good landscaping software program might be for you after all.

Before you commit to buying any landscaping software try to get a demo. This will let you try out the program to see if it can even help you in what you want to achieve. You should try to choose a landscaping software program that has good graphics. The better the graphics are on your landscaping software the easier it will be fore you to visualize the end result of all your hard work. Remember that this is the goal of any landscaping software program. If the landscaping software is crap then you might be better off using the drawing programs that are already on your computer.

By getting a demo you will also be able to directly compare the different programs in terms of price. Lets face it, if there are two landscaping software programs and they look the same and they both have the tools that you need but one is cheaper, which one are you going to chose? The cheaper one of course. So check out the prices.

What does IDSFA stand for? It Doesn’t Stand For Anything!
Tons of ebooks at http://idsfa.moogo.com
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Before pruning, this lace-leaf maple looked like a Dr. Seuss character.

The tree was thinned and skirted up.

In the summer, the tree reveals the branching structure through the leafy canopy.

During the winter the thinned tree’s structure is clearly visible.

You can use landscaping rock to add some depth and texture to your landscaping design. This landscaping rock can come in a couple of different forms, actually there are quite a few. Not only is there a find collection of colours of landscaping rock there is also several different kinds of stone to choose from. Different landscaping designs will require different landscaping rock. You can get small landscaping rock or larger landscaping rock.

The trick to using landscaping rock successfully is to fully integrate them into your yard and the design. You need to place them in places that will add to the yard, not in places that will make it look like you are trying to cover something up or take attention away from another part of the yard. If you were to just put your landscaping rock here and there you will be doing nothing for the yard and your yard will end up looking strange and unbalanced. You should plan exactly where each landscaping rock should be placed for the ultimate good effect.

If you take the time to bury your rock it will look much better. This will make them look planted and they will blend in and look as if this is where they really should be, not just where they got clunked down.

How far should you bury your roc in the ground? The depth will all depend upon the landscaping rock that you finally choose fro your yard. If you choose a very large landscaping rock then it should be deeper than a smaller landscaping rock. Four to six inches is a good depth for your landscaping rock to be buried.

It is easy to build a landscaping rock. All you need to do is dig a spot about the size of your landscaping rock and them place the rock into it. You can then just tuck some dirt into the spot around the rock and then you are done. Voila!

Think about it, this is what rocks and boulders look like when you see them out in nature. The next time that you are out taking a walk or you are hiking keep an eye out for any large rocks, look at how they sit in the dirt and then try to get the landscaping rock in your yard to look just as natural.

What does IDSFA stand for? It Doesn’t Stand For Anything!
Tons of ebooks at http://idsfa.moogo.com
Looking for a cycle light that provides 360 degrees of visibility? 1carless http://www.bikeglow.co.uk