If your like me, I get to watching all those home shows and just get depressed about what I cant afford to do or not skilled enough to do. But last year I decided to start figuring out what I can do with my budget and my skill set, and concentrate on that. It has been one of the best moves I have ever made.

Our culture is all about what you cant do or dont have. I decided to put together a list of what I could do, along with a list of what my friends could do as well. Between all of us there was a plethora of experience, knowledge and talent. I knew my friend may not have time to help me but they would be glad to lend me their knowledge and experience and a few tools, if needed.

I was always taught you have to start with the end in mind so the wife and I sat down on an afternoon and went over everything we could possible want. We had things from trellises to raised beds to a shed and a greenhouse. We also included an expansion on the deck.

When you look at a project like this it is easy to get discouraged by the shear amount of work. I called in a friend who is in the construction business and he suggested we do the hard stuff first; deal with the fence and deck. So I expanded the fence to the borders of our property and made the deck larger as well.

Dealing with the fence and deck was a job but it was well worth it. I did some research and found out that once you have these items you have to take care of them by sealing them for your weather conditions, which we did. My wife found some great wooden post caps to finish off the look and protect the posts as well and it still looks fantastic!

What we realized as we went forward is most of the items we were looking to add to what we had just done could be bought in kit form. This has made it easy to plan and get things done one by one. Now I would be lying to you if I told you we were through but we have a lot of it done and are well on our way to having the yard we always wanted to have.

What I love about the kits is they come ready to assemble and install. Of course the shed took longer to put together than the raised beds but it was still quicker than I had thought it would be. Weve been able to do the renovations that we choose to do at the rate we can afford. We think we will be completely done by the end of summer this year. Im almost sad because I have had a blast and Ill have to find something else to do. My wife is thinking kids are next; Im thinking a new kitchen!