Timberrrrrr!

Hi guys,

Sorry for the delay in posting -- it was an INSANE weekend working on the house and then I was down for the count for a few days. Anyway, we got a TON done Saturday and Sunday, including nine dump runs of clean green from all the trimming we're doing. This is definitely where the sweat equity part of homeownership comes in! In total, it cost about $250 and 10 hours of work for five people, but we gained at least another couple hundred square feet on our lot and it looks so much cleaner and well taken care of. If our house was located near a curb, I would say we added "curb appeal," but given we're on a flagged lot (i.e. located in the middle of the block), I guess you could just say it looks a heck of a lot better when you drive up to it :) Here's some pics from one corner of the lot:

Lot corner BEFORE

Lot corner AFTER

However, I wasn't thrilled about having to cut down one of our mock apple trees ..... But, it had to be done; it was diseased and not thriving, likely because when it was first planted, the other trees around it weren't nearly as big and it probably got a lot more sun.

Here's where we started:

And here's how it went down: (advance apologies for the kink in your neck...I need to learn how to flip videos!)

Now it's off to paint the master bedroom and bathroom ("Skyline Steel" and "Chocolate Froth," respectively) so we can MOVE IN THIS WEEKEND!!! (FYI -- I am cursing whoever thought it was a good idea to use guacamole-colored paint on the walls AND ceiling...). I also need to find a light fixture for the bedroom as the previous owner had an old fan/light combo...I'll post pictures ASAP.

Cheers and paint spatters,

Shanti