Landscaping Hell - I need help

My house sits on a 1/2 acre of gently sloping earth. I have no front yard; but my backyard is huge. When I bought the house back in August last year, the yard was a mess. It was like a tornado came through and honestly I believe one probably did. There was soooo much debris, it was unbelievable.

Here is what it looked like before:

Here is what it looks like now:

As you can see, everything is gone. I had an awesome crew come in last year and they did an amazing job. Yet, now I am left with an almost raw canvas and that is scary. I know that it will take years to create an adequate landscape; but I'd like to start somewhere. Plus, I have absolutely no budget for this, so professional Landscape Designers are out.

Here is one of the steeper slopes next to the garage, I'm thinking I'll need to terrace this to prevent further erosion.

Here is a shot from the very back of my yard, as you can see I have 3 levels.

This is as close to a bird's eye view as I can get. Actually the photo is taken from the 2nd floor bedroom window. That circular shape in the grass is actually the remnants of an above-ground pool the previous owners once had. In the 2nd photo at the top, you can see the timber wall that is built into the landscape along one side of what used to be the pool area. I like that wall and that hardscape is staying.

Any ideas???????

Baseboard Trim Photos

Okay, so these photos are a little outdated since as of today the baseboard is now painted white and is just waiting for me to touch-up all of the nailheads...nevertheless, this is what the baseboard looks like in it's raw stage.


I was inspired by "This Old Crack House" posting some time ago about the baseboard trim in a house they visited during a housetour. I knew that whenever it came time to do the baseboard trim in my house, that is the look I was after.


So, here is my interpretation, thanks to my Dad's fearlessness of the miter-saw.



This is what I did to compensate for the large expanse of wall inbetween the 2 corners, I think it turned out nice and a sidenote to others considerating this look (It also helps when you only buy 8ft long pieces of board and need to span a 12ft wall).

Oh and in case you are wondering the wood is nothing special. I didn't see the need to spend $20 on a single piece of "TrimBoard" just because it was in the Molding section of Lowe's. This regular 1x4 does the job all the same and will look great once it's painted. The few knots give it a worn-in look.

Alien Room Photos - I couldn't wait

Okay, Okay I know that I told you that the photos would be up this weekend; but I just couldn't wait any longer. As you may remember from my previous postings http://stlouisfolkvictorian.blogspot.com/2008/02/alien-room-revenge.html, this is what the room looked like before.

It was completely hideous and as one of my readers, Jacob, put it. "I can't help but wonder after seeing your alien room whether someone put those horrible colors on the walls...then immediately stood back and said "yesssss!" As a wave of satisfaction passed through them."

I certainly know that a wave of nausea passed through me every time I walked in there. So, I won't put this off any longer. I noticed that on some computers, the photos are dark, so adjust accordingly.

This is Before...

And this is After...

I absolutely love the window casing that we made, it's so simple but absolutely gorgeous and I find myself petting it whenever I walk past.

Here is a closeup of the workmanship...great, huh? It will be painted white to match the rest of the trim that is going in sometime soon.

Now, you may be wondering exactly what the color is on the two larger walls. It is a dark violet from Behr called Crowning (650C-7). A lovely regal name, don't you think. While the room does fill with daylight as you can see in the photos above, we didn't want to overwhelm the space by painting all of the walls this color. I think our decision makes for a lovely pop of color that this home certainly deserves.

As you may recall all of this was started because my sister is moving in with me this May, the Alien Room is now her pretty, newly-renovated bedroom.

I still sleep here...

Take special care to note the cow print wallpaper banner that is at the top of the wall. Lovely, don't you agree. The purple mess is where a big blue floor to ceiling cabinet used to reside. I will continue to taunt my sister with this until my room looks as wonderful as hers. HaHaHa!!!

Pictures Coming Soon

Pictures...Pictures...Pictures, I know you all are wanting pictures.
The sought-after Alien Room Redo pictures will be up sometime this coming weekend, so mark your calendars:

While the room isn't 100% finished, it's 90% done with the following left:

• Scrape, Tape and Paint Window
• Tape and Paint Brand New Window Casing
• Buy baseboard trim and install
• Buy floor vent and install

The flooring went in so easily, there were only a few crazy cuts that needed to be made, all the others were just regular length cuts.
As for the window casing, it is truly a thing of beauty. I kept struggling with how it should look, do I add some semi-ornate trim, router the edges, etc. Well after spending way, and I mean way too much time hee-hawing around, the answer was right in front of me: just keep it simple. I cannot tell you what an ephiphany moment that truly was. Once I paint it a nice white, it will be perfect. Needless to say, this will be the standard for all the windows in my house.
So for now dear readers, don't let the anticipation ruin your week.

Busy, Busy, Busy

The past week or so, I've been busy trying to get the "Alien Room" in shape. I cannot even tell you how much better it looks. Thanks to the magical power of KILZ, the once hideous cave is now turning into a lovely bedroom.

Everything is painted and flooring has been purchased. Next on the agenda is to make a new window casing and hang the closet bars. After that is done, then it is off to flooring and all the trimwork.

When the room is done, I'll definately show you some before and after photos. I guarantee you won't believe your eyes.