Our Aging Neighborhood

We have been talking about refinancing this old country home and taking out extra money to finance a complete remodel. Before we can do that we need to figure out a few things. Is it worth it? Do we like the neighborhood now? The neighborhood was getting older, but now everyone is selling out and a new younger neighborhood is sprouting up around us. We can hear the neighbor kids when they are out playing and it sounds like there are a lot of kids living near us. Do we want to move into an older neighborhood where there are fewer kids?

I know we will have the grandkids over often so maybe the age of the neighborhood doesn't really matter. I think it does. We need to consider it as we decide what to do.

We have done a lot of work in the past couple weeks. The outside of the house looks so much better. We've been working in the landscaping, and on the house and deck. We had a tractor out here for a couple days and that made a huge difference in the amount of labor required to clear around the trees.

This is a lot of work, but we can see progress.

Landscaping On Our Own

My family is all in on the landscaping project today. It's exciting to see what we can accomplish within a couple hours when we are all working together. We have been moving rocks, cutting back shrubs, hauling in top soil to fill in some of the low spots in the yard. The curb appeal is far more appealing now than it was a couple weeks ago. It's hard work and we are hungry. This is probably a good night for pizza and a movie at home. Although, I could use a good soak in the hot tub.

Painting Project on Hold

We are putting off painting for now. I'm not sure when it will get done, but we ran into some problems with the project, so it's on hold.

However, not all projects are on hold. It is really beautiful outside so this is perfect for some landscaping. I've been watching some of the sell your house shows on HGTV, DIY, and Discovery Home to get some ideas. Not many of them deal with what needs done outside the house.

Anyway, it's nice so I'v been working outside today doing what I know needs done. I wish I could hire a professional landscaping company, but that isn't in the budget. We don't want to go into debt to build equity in the place. I know, if we sell, the debt would be paid off. But if we stay here, then we have to figure out how to pay it off. That doesn't make much sense to me.

Outdoor BBQ Grill

We worked outside for awhile today. I'm exhausted to the point I don't really want to continue with the renovations on our own, but I know doing it ourselves will save us a lot of money. Sweat equity can pay off in the thousands on some projects.

After reviewing our backyard living areas I think we are missing out if we don't install a backyard BBQ. We have a grill, but I want a big backyard kitchen. I wonder if it will increase the value of the property enough to justify adding it. Right now it's on the list with a big question mark behind it.

That means if we are going to continue living here in our old country home, we will probably build an outdoor kitchen. If we decide it is best for us to sell out, we won't build it.

The indecision of it all.

Curb Appeal

Every day we work on this old house. It feels like nothing is accomplished at the end of the day. I need a plan, maybe even a check off list. There is so much to do inside, but it's sunny outside, so I think we should be working on the yard or deck.

If we are going to sell I know we need to improve the view from the street. The real estate agent calls it curb appeal. If we are going to keep the house I want to improve the curb appeal for me. I want to have something to look forward to going home to at the end of the day.

Things we need to do to improve the curb appeal:

• Trim the landscape hedges and keep the yard manicured.
• Power wash the deck.
• Stain the deck.
• Clear out the kids clutter in the yard. It should be contained and neat.
• Add a few flowers in pots near the front entry.
• Paint the trim around the windows.
• Replace the porch lights with something other than standard lights.

There is my basic list for curb appeal for our home. Once we get working on it I'm sure we'll come up with more things to do.