Black Friday Online Deals – Top Picks for a Smart Home

If you've followed this blog during the holidays in years past, you are probably well aware that my family makes a tradition out of Black Friday. Often, I use Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday to get the things I've been otherwise saving for the rest of the year, like a new TV or washer and dryer. This year, I don't have a lot of big ticket items on my need-to-have list, so I thought it might be better this time around to give you guys a head's up on the stuff worth scooping up (either for yourself or as a gift… to yourself).

Oh, and affiliate links are included here - all that means is that I make a few pennies/dollars when purchases are made from my recommendations (but like every post I did before I started using affiliates, I'd recommend these things regardless if that were true). My disclosure page goes into more boring detail about this, but let's get to shopping!

Powerbeats In-Ear Headphones – $89 (55% off! $110 savings!)

I've been planning on doing several gift idea roundups this year, one of which includes gifts for runners. I'm not a strong runner, but I do run with lots of people who do marathons and I've learned quite a lot from them in addition to my own preferences. These Powerbeats Wireless In-Ear Headphones were/are going to be on that list, but they are a steal right now, so I'm jumping ahead of that later-planned list and telling you to scoop them up while the gettin's good. I use these when I'm working on outdoor projects in the heat as well (they handle sweat like a champ). They have a long charge, a Bluetooth connection that automatically syncs with my phone when I turn them on (I love that I don't have to go into Settings to connect), and they stay put, even if I'm getting jostled around on a backhoe. They come in several colors, but I have the bright yellow-green ones, which are really easy to find when I'm looking for them.

Amazon Echo and Echo Dot – $139.99 and $39.99 (22% and 20% off)

So, I don't actually own either of these products, but I've been reading reviews like mad, and I think I'm going to buy one or both of these this weekend. A bunch of stores are selling these items for the same price, so you can either try to rush out and get one from the store or order online (though I recommend the one that comes to you).

Nest Learning Thermostat – $199 (20% off)

I don't have this one in my house, but I have helped install a Nest thermostat before, and they are really easy! I love that they sync to your phone and other devices (including Alexa, which is what the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot connect to above as well, so that makes for a pretty smart home system). The Nest indoor security camera is on sale as well, which I've also seen before but I'm not really recommending for the sole reason that they have an outdoor one and that seems like a better option to me (the Nest Cam Outdoor IS on sale, but it's a new release, so it probably won't have a similar Black Friday discount until there's a second generation or next year).

TILE Bluetooth-Enabled Trackers – up to 35%

I got this as a regift for my birthday (a used regift, actually), and even though that person is forever deserving of a good punch to the crotch for their misdeed, this thing is awesome and a top-recommended product for how many times it's saved my butt. What it does is work as a key/phone/anything finder that you download as an app on your phone and then attach Bluetooth-enabled trackers to your most-used stuff, like your remote, your keys, and your purse. They now have a slim one that you can stick in your wallet and mini versions as well, which make great stocking stuffers because it's a universal truth that everyone misplaces their stuff. The best deals are if you get them in combo packs (which, bonus for you, means you can keep one or two for yourself).

I'm going to add these items to one collective group of Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals, along with whatever else I find throughout the weekend/week (like tools, clothes, etc.), but I've got to get out and go grab a few things myself, so I'll leave it at that for now!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Top Picks

Also, just for savings in general…

More Savings Tips

I have several things I use on my computer and phone that help me to save on discounts and rebates during the year. Just for the sake of making sure you're aware of those too, I've included some referral links to the stuff I like most (usually by signing up via the referral code, it gives us both an incentive, like a free $5 or whatever).

Honey – this installs in most major browsers and can save you a LOT of time in searching for discount codes. On Amazon, it also has a little button that confirms if this is definitely the cheapest price it can find or will suggest a different seller. Basically, it searches the internet for all of those promo codes and coupons and lets you search and apply them with one click. If it can get you a better deal at checkout, it most definitely will. It also occasionally gives cash back. I've saved additionally (5-10%) on big-ticket items and even food orders just by using this thing.

Wikibuy – this is another browser install that scans other websites to see if they are offering a better deal. I haven't used this quite as much as I have Honey, but it flat-out tells you the difference in savings, and sometimes it's significant enough to click and see what's up. The way it often works is they act as a middleman and don't necessarily tell you the actual website offering the cheapest price (they basically try to work their own exclusive discounts), but they also guarantee the item you're purchasing so you can buy without worrying if the website offering said “deal” is sketch. Right now after looking at just a handful of items, I am seeing offers that are even slightly less than Black Friday purchases (so perhaps they have a special discount on top).

Paribus – in this case, this browser tool tracks your purchases and gives you refunds if the prices drop during a certain time period (minus a small % for giving you the refund). Don't you hate it when you buy something and it goes on sale for cheaper the next day? With this app, the concept is that you can eliminate that game for good. This is the app I have just recently started trying out, but I was amazed at how well-integrated it was with my recent purchases and look forward to trying it out more.

Happy shopping!

The post Black Friday Online Deals – Top Picks for a Smart Home appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Happy Thanksgiving from Charlie!

Happy Thanksgiving, folks! My family and I celebrated early so more family members could join over the weekend, but as usual, we're still planning on our Black Friday tradition. I'm enjoying some family time, eating leftover pie for breakfast, and left my laptop at home, so I'm making my first-ever attempt at writing this entire post from my phone (albeit on a bit of a cinnamon sugar high).

And as for Charlie, she too has her own tradition whenever she visits my parents' house. For one, she guts one of the stuffed toys she found in the toy basket (because they belong to Buddy, so she spitefully destroys)…

She also begs for food but refuses to go into the kitchen (she has a thing about not going in that room, which is weird and quirky and that's why I love her).

And finally, this:

All. Day. Long.

So, I hope you have a happy turkey day. Thank you for following along, thank you for your comments, and I'm very grateful for all of you! <3

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Tips for Selling Furniture on Craigslist

I've been making a lot of exterior changes this year, but there's one change going on with the living room I wanted to let you guys know about:

This post contains affiliate links.

It's finally time for new living room furniture. I've started by selling off the coffee and side tables last week on Craigslist, and soon the couch will be gone too (I haven't decided on a camel leather one or a gray MCM style one yet, but once I do, it's buh-bye couch).

Almost all of the furniture pieces I've used in the living room are relics from my apartment-dwelling days, making them some of the oldest things I have in the house (other than my bed in the master bedroom). They aren't really bad, and it's not that I hate their look, but you see how the tables have a lip around all four sides? Since adopting a dog that sheds as much as Charlie, it gets really annoying to not be able to cleanly dust these tables off if stray dog hair gets in the corners (and you're welcome - another glimpse into my glamorous life). ;)

I'd rather build or buy new tables that don't have this feature. My current favorite is this carved one from West Elm, but since I haven't built a lot of furniture around the house, I think the challenge could be fun.

Anyway, I sold my tables off within just an hour or two, and since I've done this a number of times to have a sort of checklist to how I go about it, I thought I'd share some of the tips I tend to use whenever I want to sell furniture or larger items online. Answering questions after the fact is often the most time-consuming part, so that's my priority: to eliminate wasted time and frustration.

My Checklist for Selling Furniture On Craigslist

• Include a shot of just the items for sale as the lead-off pic.


• Let buyers know right away if you're willing to negotiate - “$50 OBO” (“or best offer”) - or if you aren't looking to haggle - “$50, price is firm”


• As for the price itself, I do a quick lookup for what else is already online (check the competition), then set a firm number I'm pretty sure I could sell it for within a few hours. If I am not in a rush to sell, I'll sometimes increase the price and change it to OBO to see what the demand is.


• List measurements (so people know if they can fit it into their cars).


• If I have one available, I'll include a photo of the item in the room so buyers can visualize both scale and color.


• If there is damage, I photograph and list it out. This set was already cheap to begin with, and after ten years, several moves, and normal wear and tear, there were some chips and damage I wanted people to know about right away. It can be a deal-breaker, so giving that info upfront helps me eliminate people who would try to show up and then haggle because of condition (no thanks). And because of my DIY background, I sometimes still give advice on what can be done to cover it up (such as using a stain pen).

Other Tips for Selling Items Quickly & Conveniently

• For whatever reason, taking photos outside and photographing them on my lawn seems to work really well.


• Give everything a good cleaning before you photograph. I like to do this quickly with a Swiffer duster for dry dust and hair, a Magic Eraser for any gunk, and finish with whatever furniture polish I find under my sink.


• I like using Venmo for the transaction itself. These days, many people prefer the convenience of digital payment and it motivates sellers (like myself) to hold onto an item if it's already paid for instead of moving on to the person who is willing to pick it up soonest (but to each their own). I have had these pieces for so long that pretty much anything I made off them would be something I was happy with, so I was really glad when a girl who was moving into her very first apartment contacted me and immediately wanted to buy. She asked me to hold onto them until she could get a vehicle that would allow her to get all three pieces at once, but paid immediately. Win-win.


• In this situation, the buyer needed to take apart the furniture in order to load it into her car. I helped but decided not to take it apart until she had arrived and was loading it so that I could make sure all of the screws and parts stayed together (taking no chances there!). I also let her load it into her car by herself so that if she bumped it into anything, I would not be responsible for any damage to her car or to her new (used) furniture.

There you have it. Do you have any rules you like to follow for selling? Has anyone tried selling on Facebook Marketplace yet? What was your experience like (and do you have a preference if you've tried both?)?

The post Tips for Selling Furniture on Craigslist appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Chicago in the Fall

Ready for a picture-heavy post? Last week, I took a short trip to Chicago to see a concert and do some sightseeing, as well as visit a couple of people who now live there. I have this little inside joke with friends that I promise to bring Atlanta's sunny and warm weather with me whenever I travel, and despite the obvious magical thinking in that statement, I actually delivered this time. It didn't hurt that I saw the city at one of the most spectacular times of the year, but I'm going to go ahead and claim a little credit on this one (because why not?). It was stunning.

Umm… yeah. I've visited Chicago many times before, but it's been about five years since my last trip, so when I got wind of a concert I desperately wanted to see, I called up a friend and asked if I could visit for a few days. But quite frankly, I don't remember it ever looking this beautiful. And just because traveling (even via a blog post) can be fun, I thought I'd share the highlights with you before we get back to some DIY updates.

Walking Around

I can't remember which airport I flew into last time, but O'Hare had a pretty cool view to keep me company until I found my friend in baggage claim. It kind of reminds me of some recent light fixtures I've seen, but I'm a sucker for just about any decor that's globe- or twinkly-light-related.

Atlanta isn't exactly the poster child for public transportation, which is probably why Chicago's “L” train looked so charming to me as I spotted it around the city. I didn't get to see it spark at night (which my friend insisted I'd probably witness), though I still liked the contrast of older construction against the more modern backdrop.

I didn't see many landmarks on my last visit, so my friend suggested we take a walk around Millennium Park, which included some touristing by Cloud Gate, aka “The Bean.” With all of the other visitors putting their hands on it all day, the shiny surface got pretty murky once you walked up close, but it was still pretty cool to see the city skyline and fall trees in the reflection.

There's nothing particularly significant about this building. I just thought it was cute.

By the way, just a few weeks before I took this trip, I bought a hat at a local market and I'm totally smitten with it. I have rarely worn hats in the past, but I can't seem to take this one off! Be prepared to see it in my tutorial videos and posts in the future! (Oh, and family – it comes in other colors, just in case you get stumped over the holidays…)

With all of the fall leaves blowing about everywhere, each neighborhood I passed on my walks around town became photo ops. And speaking of fall leaves…

I know I already shared this one, but it's worth repeating. BAM.

Swoon. I just… call it basic all you want - this gave me heart eyes emoji face.

Skyline

Because my friend lives in a high rise in the West Loop area, I had a lot of fun snapping a few skyline photos. Both during the day and at night - the view was pretty incredible!

The shape of the building below is specially designed so that when you walk near it at ground level, the bottom curved area is at the exact angle to reflect the river as you walk by.

And as you might have heard, Chicago had this strange little phenomenon going on around the entire city… W's everywhere. I wonder what that could be about?*

*KIDDING, folks. Congrats, Cubbies!

Wrigleyville

Of course, I wasn't going to miss seeing Wrigley Field… especially after a certain 108-year wait to see Chicago at a time like this! Most of these pics won't reflect it (because I deliberately tried to leave strangers out of my photos), but I was in awe of the sheer number of people. It. Was. Insanely. Crowded. I added some video on Snapchat during my trip, so hopefully some of you got a chance to see!

Nearly everything - especially the bricks along the outer bleacher walls - was covered in chalk messages. Many were written in memory of departed Cubs fans who didn't get to see their World Series win, and it was a really touching sight to see in person (especially with so many kids and entire families all dressed up in Cubs gear, too). Since leaving town, they announced that they have discontinued this for the season, but witnessing (what Chicago fans hope to be) the birth of a new post-season tradition felt pretty cool.

Food

Let's be clear about one thing on this trip: I stuffed my face with a LOT of food.

That whole pizza was ALL mine.

The Chicago weather was perfect for eating outside in most cases, so that's exactly what we did. Oh, and I think I'm starting to really like Old-Fashioneds - as long as they have a good amount of citrus (and are accompanied by watching lots of football).

Last but not least - dessert! My friend made a comment about me looking a little skinny lately (something I'm planning to elaborate on more in a later post… there's a thing going on with that & this summer, so I'll get around to it), so we headed over to a restaurant (Bar Siena) one night for bombolonis (a puffy Italian donut) and a giant ice cream sandwich. I shared… I promise… a little. The best part was the candied pretzel bites used on top! #nomnomnom

…& More

Does the face below face look familiar? It's Ann Marie from White House Black Shutters! Normally we only see each other at blog functions like Haven, but it was wonderful to meet some of her kiddos and spend the afternoon catching up with her at the zoo. I'm always kind of in awe at how some of my most meaningful, genuine friendships these days are all because of this blog. I wouldn't have met her or some of the other amazing people in my life without it. And I'm so grateful for that. <3

The actual point of the whole trip was to not only visit friends, but to see one of my favorite artists (Joshua Radin) as a sort of make-up trip for having missed him performing in Atlanta this summer (I was going out of town at the time). I usually don't make a big deal out of meet and greets, but I (surprisingly) spotted him just as he made a beeline back to his bus, and he graciously agreed to a quick photo (the excitement of which you can see in my face… but maybe not so much his).

All in all, the whole trip was one of the best I've had. Traveling is so restorative for me… it just helps me find some inner peace and reminds me of just how big the world is around me, which is nice to reflect on. There's a lot of truth in the whole, “pay for experiences, not things” mentality, and Chicago even proved to give me a home-away-from-home feel… something I consider pretty rare.

How about you? What was your last trip? Where are you planning to go next? What cities give you that home-away-from-home feeling?

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Reader Remarks: What Is Your Biggest Home Pet Peeve?

Hey guys! I've been spending a few days in Chicago, but I just wanted to pop online and say hello. I also wanted to just post something kind of silly for today because let's face it: here in the U.S., people are feeling rather worn out. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really looking forward to Wednesday when things (hopefully) go back to people posting too many photos of their kids on Facebook and arguing over the color of a dress.

Question: When it comes to houses, organizing, and design flaws, is there one that bothers you the most? I'm talking those little, usually completely absurd things that irk you for some inexplicable reason. I had this thought come to me the other day as I was making coffee at my parents' house. Do you see it?

It's totally nitpicky, but kitchen layouts seem to be one of those things that I have strong opinions on and an irrational desire to “fix”. In Mom's case, it was that she didn't have the coffee mugs in the cabinet directly over her coffee maker - silly of course, but I couldn't help but notice it. There were filters, coffee grounds, and all sorts of coffee-related supplies, but the mugs? Two cabinets over on the other side of the stove.

Of course, Mom can (and should!) make any decision she wants in how she organizes her kitchen, but this is one of those things I had to confess and call myself out on. I have similar feelings about things like silverware drawers not being near the stove or drinking glasses not being near the fridge. At this point, she may even keep it like this on purpose because of my disproportional irritation at being minorly inconvenienced (and I'm laughing at myself here, too - fully aware of how this bothers me and me alone). So, just curious: is there anything like this that drives you bananas? I can't be the only one!

The post Reader Remarks: What Is Your Biggest Home Pet Peeve? appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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A Hammer Drill Quick Tip (and That Time I Felt Like an Idiot)

Hey guys! I have been meaning all week to share with you my (two!) costumes from Halloween, but I have been so slammed with trying to keep up with other bloggy things that I've been unable to finish the really cool side-by-side photo I wanted to share in the post. Sigh. It may be bad timing once it's up since every blogger is clearly already in Christmas mode, but perhaps I'll have it done by this weekend. And then we'll move on to me still doing outdoor projects, because I live in Georgia and it's still going to be laughably warm for who knows how many more weeks.

Anyway, I thought tonight instead I'd provide you with something I learned while working on the stump fire this past week. I'm fairly certain some of you are going to get a kick out of my rookie mistake, but that's okay… we'll laugh at me together.

This is a hammer drill (here's an affiliate link if you want to purchase a similar one online, or you can stop by your nearest Harbor Freight).

For those that missed it, I've been trying to burn down the remaining (and formerly underground) parts of a large tree stump in the back yard. I don't have any firewood, but I did have a large pile of roots I dug out, tree limbs, tiny bits of unusable scrap wood, and other dried foliage from my yard that I assumed would last me through a couple of fires.

I have been using a spade bit and a hammer drill (that I borrowed from Dad) to create some holes in the stump to help the burn go deeper and break up the roots faster (a suggestion from some Youtube videos I'd watched), and it does seem to be helping, though I can't say by how much. After drilling, I'm pouring vegetable oil inside (also recommended via the videos) as a cheap way to help provide some fuel inside the stump to burn. I honestly didn't realize how flammable vegetable oil is until this!

My calculations turned out to be a complete fabrication and I got through the pile in less than three hours. The next day, I came back to dig out the ash and drill deeper down into the stump. I thought I'd try to switch from the spade bit to a longer one and see if I could dig down deeper into the roots and went to change things out like normal - except the bit that I'd tried to use only fifteen minutes prior got hopelessly stuck inside the chuck.

Oops.

It just kept turning and turning with the chuck about to twist completely off of the drill rather than the chuck loosening around the bit. I felt silly; in all the years I've used a drill (or an impact driver), I had never had this problem. I had also never used a more heavy duty hammer drill before, so I was used to hand tightening, and now I got the damn thing stuck because assumption. Whoops. The problem was clearly my fault.

Frustrated, I texted a friend and they asked if I knew where the “chuck key” was. Ahh. A key! Of course. A bigger drill probably has to be tightened a little more than the basic ones I've always used. That sounded perfectly logical in a smack-myself-in-the-forhead-for-not-thinking-of-that-on-my-own sort of way. But um… I did not have said key, because I didn't know what the frig I was looking for. I looked around the rest of the tool expecting to see something familiar (things like jigsaws and other power tools use Allen wrenches for tightening blades, so my mind immediately went looking for the scenario that was already familiar to me - and since this was Dad's tool, I expected to find it stuck to the tool with electrical tape, specifically). Instead, I spotted this:

Huh. Guess that's what that is - a chuck key. Nifty. And then, I tripped over my idiocy a couple more times (imagine a baby doing the square peg, round hole thing) before realizing that I needed to match up the threads on the key to the threads along the chuck and rotate it like this:

One direction to tighten, the other to loosen, obviously.

And sure enough, out popped the (not-so) hopelessly stuck bit.

See? If you've ever felt like a beginner at this DIY stuff, you can laugh that with more than half a decade under my DIY tool belt, I still have tiny “aha!” moments like this that make me feel like a moron. Considering the frequency in which I use a new tool or learn a new technique and rarely read instruction manuals before I'm mid-project (and something's quickly drying), I never cease to find these absurdities entertaining. I guess that's why I like to pass the info along, too: because I may have at least spared someone else the frustration of spending twenty minutes doing something that was really, really obvious in hindsight.

With that hiccup behind me, I have been bonfiring almost every night since, which has been awesome - just me, a seasonal beer, and a campfire scent in the air. It makes me really look forward to the day when I'll have a sizable space for more entertaining out here (and plans for that in an upcoming post!). As for the firewood supply, I solved that problem too thanks to the guy who mows my lawn.

Mom, before you say it, I'm very careful. Promise.

He's been cutting down small trees and limbs for some of my neighbors, so I offered to take it from him so that he doesn't have to haul it off (that looks like a LOT of brush, but the bigger chunks are underneath… and for reference, I get about that size of a pile burned in a single evening). Win-win!

What have you been up to lately? Have you been enjoying any outdoor fires?

The post A Hammer Drill Quick Tip (and That Time I Felt Like an Idiot) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Fall Bonfires (and Getting Rid of a Stump)

My house currently smells like a campfire, and I am very, very okay with that. <3

If you caught the post on Friday (which if you haven't entered the giveaway yet, go on and do that and then come back… I'll wait.), the back yard has pretty much been filled in, leveled (as much as an unskilled DIYer can), and is ready for next steps. And believe me, there are a number of plans in the works! I've been sketching ideas to my heart's content, and I'll share some of those plans with you later this week.

But before I can really get started on some of this, I needed to do some more clearing. Namely, I needed to address the overhanging branches that were coming over from the rear fence and work on the remaining stumps that couldn't be ripped out using the backhoe.

For clearing out yard debris, I mainly rely on (and recommend, so these are affiliate links) the following tools:

• A battery-powered reciprocating saw (for the big branches) with a serrated blade (usually it says on the packaging that it's good for pruning)


• Large loppers for overhanging branches


• Small pruning shears (for clipping the larger stuff down to manageable sizes for the fire)

Now that it's October, we've finally entered an allowable burning season in my county. So, I've been getting rid of all of my yard debris in a fun way with a temporary burn area. Since most of the yard is still bare dirt, it seemed like good, safe timing to take care of all of the things I ripped out from the backhoe project without a lot of risk to neighboring yards (though just to be safe-ish though, I did create a perimeter with lots of that leftover scalloped edging you know I hate). I'll admit, I'm not the poster child for fire safety (though I am more careful than seasons past when my ex lived here! - and wow, would you look at the difference in pine straw now that those trees are gone?), but I'm also working outside while all of this goes on, so nothing is left unattended.

This burn spot is helping get rid of the stump I mentioned in the last post - try as I might on that backhoe, the root system on this particular set of trees was just too thick and extensive. Even though the tree removal guys did a decent job of grinding down stumps, I still had plenty more under the dirt once I started leveling things out. I could rent a stump grinder (and will if this ultimately doesn't work), but I have heard about burning a stump and thought it might be fun to experiment.

My neighbor was the one who recommended that I try to burn it out, which is basically win-win for me since I have plenty of things to burn (and I offered to him to just throw extra debris from his yard onto the pile as well, since he's always such a help for my projects). I've been watching a few Youtube videos for tips, and here's what I've been applying thus far:

• Use a hammer drill to bore holes a couple of inches apart along the stump and roots. You'll want to use a spade bit or similar and go as deep as you can, but since I didn't have an extender for my bit, I am just boring deeper after each fire (which is a lot easier to drill into once burned)

• I'm using cheap, regular vegetable oil to pour into each hole and let it soak (I love it when regular items can be used in DIY!). This oil has been in the back of my cupboard for way too long anyway, so I'm getting rid of something I needed to chuck to begin with. This helps the burn, though for faster results, it's recommended to let it soak for a lot longer (a month or so) than I've been doing.

• After the first burn, I bought an inexpensive bag of charcoal and just let that burn on top of the stump.

So far, things are going really well, though I don't have high expectations that this will be quick. I'll have an update for you guys after the first few burns and report back. But, it's also not expensive and gets rid of lots of my yard debris, small pieces of scrap wood, etc. in the process without a lot of extra work, so I'm enjoying it quite a bit. If only every project would go this pleasantly, right?

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Leveling the Backyard – Part 3 (And a Giveaway!)

Disclaimer: So many, many thanks to Compact Power Equipment Rental for sponsoring this project. You guys seriously rock. And now I'm going to have a new back yard because of you! 100% of these words are my own.

Ok, so the backyard leveling project - can I take a moment just to be glad this is off my to-do list? Not the physical part of the project itself - but the act of writing everything down and finally publishing these before and after photos. And THERE'S VIDEO. After more than six years of blogging about the house and its transformations, it's amazing how integral these recaps are to my sense of completion.

And since this one also includes a giveaway for one lucky reader, I think that's pretty awesome!

If you weren't following along in August (or just not paying that much attention - which is fine, we all have those moments and I forgive you), I did something that I never really thought I'd ever get the chance to do: I spent an entire week in the driver's seat of a backhoe from Compact Power Equipment Rental and leveled out my yard. It was one of those projects that has been on my wish list ever since moving into the UDH, but because of time, expense, and a complete lack of experience in literally moving the earth to my will, I put it off. Doing the math on how many cubic yards of fill dirt I'd need, the logistics of how dirt is even going to get distributed, who I'd need to call, whether I'd need approval from the county or whatever, how long this might take, etc. - the list just went on for reasons not to think about this yet. Each little detail seemed so intimidating, and I've never really had a picture in my mind what things would look like once finished… making it all that much easier to procrastinate.

But I promise you: you can definitely, totally do this. I did. And it was awesome.

So, let's get to it:

I covered back in this post how the whole thing suddenly came about, especially some of the things I needed to cover before the equipment even arrived: why the sinkhole existed in the first place, how I decided on the right equipment, what to do before you dig in regard to buried utilities, finding fill dirt, and the delivery. After day one, I did a Facebook Live post about my thoughts so far, and you can catch that here.

In the second post, I covered a little more about what the yard has looked like in previous years, the other projects that had to be done before I could tackle this one, how I tricked my friends into giving me free labor (I kid… sort of), and learning how to use the equipment. I did another Facebook Live video then, too.

All caught up? Good. Because when I last left off, things were starting to look really different, and I was finally standing in a part of my yard that I'd never stood before (that sinkhole was dangerous, so I generally avoided it).

It took many trips from my driveway to the back yard to distribute the dirt (low power lines prevented the trucks from driving back further), but after days 2 and 3, I was making significant, visible change, especially to the back left corner:

Starting on Thursday morning, it took about two full days of work to get the entire first huge truckload of fill dirt moved into the yard. For my neighbors, watching me ride around on this thing, scoop up dirt, and carefully navigate to my back yard proved to be a sight to see. One guy walking his dog grinned from ear to ear and gave me the thumbs up; kids getting off the school bus were thoroughly confused.

After trying to compact the sandy fill dirt (lowering the bucket in the front along the ground seemed to do the trick), I realized I'd probably need some topsoil so that I could help establish grass. According to my neighbor, I didn't want all of this work to get eroded away from rainfall, and grass would help it stay. I called up the soil guys to get a second load, and that's where I ran into a snag: they were closed as of Saturday afternoon and wouldn't be able to deliver until Monday morning. Wop, wop. I was pretty disappointed, especially since I was expecting a whole crew of my friends to come over that evening to help move more dirt around, and that essential piece was now missing. We made it work by having them start on all of the roots left over from the pine tree removal from last year, and they all seemed to really enjoy it!

Sunday was rather boring since I was merely trying to get things compacted and level and scoop up remaining dirt off the driveway (the ONE area where it seemed super easy to get everything compacted well, which I didn't want). I also filled in another sunken spot in the front yard that would make mowing easier in the future, and dug up the rest of the plants that I wanted to clear out. The pile was laughably huge… all of that was in my yard?

I also piled everything up since I didn't want to have a repeating sinkhole problem; the whole issue was created back when the house was built because of buried debris just like this, so I was cautious to remove and separate every large branch, root, and bush I could find, and only leave compacted dirt behind.

Finally, the topsoil arrived, and I finished things off with distributing the remaining load. Insert “that's what she said” joke. I did a final Day 5 Facebook Live video too.

Charlie was… a little uncertain with what had all happened. I pretty much gutted her bathroom, which I can understand is quite a change! She seems to love how much more of the yard she can explore now, though.

Once my rental was over, it was time to arrange for pickup. All I had to do was hose the equipment down and fill the fuel back up, and it was ready to go. (Sniff. I'll miss you!)

I'd like to take a minute and just acknowledge that for some of you guys, this might not even look like the most amazing transformation to ever happen to this house. But I assure you, after the last couple of months of being able to walk around my entire yard instead of having to avoid the giant pit behind that tree, believe me: this is big! And the most amazing part was that once I had this part solved, I suddenly found the inspiration for what the rest of the yard will look like. I started drawing plans!

I basically Kevin Costner-d my way to an actual plan for the back yard's design; until I finished it, the ideas would not come. It's been a couple of months already, so the pine straw is coming down and I'm full of ideas. I can't wait to get started on all of the other things. My favorite part? The overgrown back corner is now going to be the perfect spot for a shed:

At CPER's request, I combined most of my experience into a short video for Youtube, along with some video footage of me in action. If you can't see the embedded video below, just click over here (and subscribe if you'd like to see me do more vids). I also uploaded the Facebook videos to a single playlist so that you can watch them all in one place if you wish.

Here's the before - a craggy, scraggy mess:

And here's the after: aerial view! As things were leveled out, it became clear that there was still one “ground” stump that wasn't going to budge (it was WAY too large). So, I'm going to use it as a burn pile for a little while to see if I can get rid of more of it, and then begin the next few plans. :)

The yard still has a slight slope, but that was the plan all along since I didn't want to interrupt or change the flow of water as it drains from my yard to my neighbor's; I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping that intact.

I also started growing some grass seed, but it's going to be a longer process to get it all green again. Still so much left to do. And finally… the giveaway…

Giveaway Alert!

And now, one of YOU guys gets to win your very own rental! With how big of a difference this project is going to make on my future backyard changes, I'm thrilled that CPER was willing to let someone else try this out for themselves. They have lots of options for rental equipment, so it's a choose your own adventure situation, up to a value of $500. Here are all the details:

• PRIZE: One equipment rental of your choice from Compact Power Equipment Rental, up to $500


• NUMBER OF WINNERS: 1 (one)


• LOCATION: US residents only. They rent their equipment out of select Home Depot locations (cities listed below), so that should cover most of you guys just fine. But should it be the case that you don't live inside their delivery range, they are happy to provide an alternative prize, such as a Home Depot gift card of equivalent value. So even if you don't see your city on this list, you should enter!


• HOW TO ENTER: As usual, let's keep it simple, and make me laugh! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to mark that you've left a comment (yes, I'll check), and answer this question for entertainment's sake: What's the funniest or most embarrassing thing your neighbors have ever witnessed you do?


• GIVEAWAY ENDS: Friday, October 29th at 11:59PM

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Again: many, many thanks to Compact Power Equipment Rental for sponsoring this project!

The post Leveling the Backyard – Part 3 (And a Giveaway!) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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