DIY Home Improvement Blog
DIY home improvement projects
In this post, we share the steps for creating retaining walls, a 7-foot wide concrete path, and steps to our dock. This is a major project and beyond our skill level and capacity (we also don’t own a bobcat) so we hired an experienced contractor. However, Neal did all the electrical. He and I also built the steps, ramp, and railing, and all the finishing work.
Continue reading “Building Retaining Walls, a Concrete Path, and Steps”
I am always amazed how paint, ribbon, and a wreath can totally update an old window. We purchased two of these windows at a thrift store many years ago.
Continue reading “Updating Old Windows with Paint and Wreaths”
These old windows came from the first house we renovated; the house was in Cullman, Alabama, and built in 1937 so these windows are old. Continue reading “Chalk Painting and Hanging Three Old Windows”
Valances give color to a room without blocking the natural light. I like being able to make my own valances because I can select the fabric and create my own design.
As you know from reading my other blog posts, I LOVE burlap because of its texture and it goes with everything. I also added the orange polka-dot ribbon to add color.
I made this valance for the window in our loft (my office) and I just love the way it turned out. Continue reading “How to Sew a Burlap Valance with a Ribbon Accent”
I love using something old and rustic (especially if it is wood) and I have an obsession with hooks. So, this project of using an old door to make wall hooks was right up my alley!
We sold our smaller camper and purchased a slightly bigger camper. We purchased a used 2018 Grand Design Imagine 2600RB and really like the size (for two of us and our dog Daisy) and layout.
Continue reading “Removing our RV Dinette and Replacing with a Table and Chairs”
We recently sold our tiny camper and bought a new (actually used) bigger camper. Now we will not trip over our sweet dog Daisy at night. Continue reading “How to Install a Sticky Tile Backsplash”
How to install old barn wood on your ceiling. We installed old barn wood on our front porch ceiling. This blog post shares step-by-step directions so you can install old barn wood on your porch ceiling or any ceiling.
We added old barn wood to our front porch ceiling. Click HERE to see how we previously installed barn wood on our lakeside porch ceiling.
Below is a BEFORE picture of our front porch (before we installed barn wood on our ceiling). 
Below is our front porch decorated for fall AFTER we installed the barn wood on the ceiling. 
Continue reading “How to Install Barn Wood on a Porch Ceiling”
Our deck and deck railing needed to be replaced. Because we live on a lake, we wanted to use wire so as not to obstruct our view of the lake. We researched several options and decided to install hog wire deck railing. Actually, we learned through this process that we wanted to use sheep/goat wire. It consists of 4×4 squares. (Hog wire consists of rectangles and cattle wire consists of larger rectangles.) We purchased the sheep/goat wire panels from Tractor Supply Company. We purchased all the treated lumber from Ace Hardware and were pleased with the quality.
This DIY deck railing project has totally transformed our deck and YES, we have a great view of the lake. Continue reading “DIY Hog Wire Deck Railing”
In 2011, we purchased our lake house. In 2013, we renovated and added an addition. Our deck is original to the house and we have been contemplating what to do with our deck for several years. We considered replacing the wood with composite, but that is so expensive and not in our budget yet. Continue reading “Redoing Our Deck by Flipping the Boards”
