Back in May when I first started posting about our projects for the new home, I mentioned three tasks that we either couldn’t or didn’t want to DIY. These were three top-of-the-list items that had to be taken care of before September when Penelope arrives, and I’m happy to report that they have been checked off of that list. These items were:

• remove the giant dying tree in our neighbors yard that was hanging over our house
• install the final side of privacy fence in our yard
• replace 18 windows in the house

The first task was the removal of the giant dying tree next door, which was leaning directly over Penelope’s room and our back deck. In Kentucky, damage from a tree falling on a homeowner’s property is the responsibility of the homeowner, even if the tree resides on neighboring property. Happily for us our neighbor was not attached to the tree, so we hired a local removal company to take it out. It took a couple of days to get used to the lack of green and shade, but it’s a relief not to have to worry when a big storm comes. Added bonus: our yard gets more sun, which will be great for the garden Javier is currently building!

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The second task was removing the one line of picket fence along our driveway and installing a privacy fence. The primary reason for installing this fence was to enclose the walkway and side entrance to the house. We have two exits to the backyard, one from the (white carpeted) sunroom and one from the side through the kitchen. Previously, the only exit to the fenced-in portion of the backyard was through the sunroom. Muddy paws on white carpet…it’s been a headache since day one. This new fence extends a little further and encloses the side door, so now we have an extremely convenient entrance and exit for the dogs right next to their crates!

The added bonus of putting up a privacy fence in lieu of the picket fence is that it keeps our dogs a little quieter. Less barking, less worry, fewer muddy paw prints…oh, and added security. Our new gate has a lock, and Javier left the original picket fence gate up, which adds an extra barrier between the dogs in the backyard and the gate to the street. Hooray!

The last task was getting new windows installed, and this was by far the biggest deal for both of us. When we moved in, the only window in the whole house that opened was in the upstairs bathroom. That meant no fresh air EVER in the rest of the house, no spring / fall breeze, no fire escape from the second floor, and what’s the point of a sunroom if you can’t use the screens? The house has 22 windows total and we replaced 18, which was an ordeal. We ordered them the first week we moved in, and they only just arrived. It took two days to install them, and the poor dogs about lost their minds from the noise and commotion. It was all worth it; who knew functioning windows could make one so happy?

Of course temperatures were in the 50s and 60s last week when we had the old windows and we weren’t able to enjoy the breeze inside, but now we are ready for any other freakish summer cool fronts and definitely ready for that fall breeze in the sun room!! Bonus: these new windows are better at blocking out street noise and they are energy efficient. Tax break and lower energy bills, we’re ready for you! We have a ton of other DIY projects in the works to share, including finishing the stairs now that we can air out the house. We’ll be posting it all soon!