This week Matt and I are taking a little holiday. While we’re relaxing, I have some great guest posts lined up for the blog.

Landscaping a large property is a challenging prospect that takes a special kind of person. It usually starts with “what a beautiful vista. I can’t believe this is all mine.” But then it often becomes a question of “where do I stop cutting the grass?” Other times it’s “how do I keep my arms and legs going to move all of these bushes/dirt/plants/logs/rocks?”

Danica from Country Chic Renovator and her husband Branko have their own slice of paradise: 49 stunning country acres. Of course, like our acres, theirs are a wee bit wild in spots. Fortunately, Danica also has a hard work ethic–just what she needs to domesticate at least part of her property. I’m pleased to welcome her to the blog today to share some of her progress with you.

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Hi Guys! Danica here from Country Chic Renovator. Julia and I have so much in common especially when it comes to landscaping and renovating our homes.

We have several projects on the go at our “Forever Home” and the one thing we have been working really hard on is the landscaping at the front of the house. The previous owners planted small bushes and never maintained them so over the years the bushes just kept on growing to a point where they were dead underneath and everything that was overgrown on top was alive.

Initially we had hoped we could save a few of them and just trim them down but once we stared cutting the overgrown areas we realized we would have to remove everything.

Here is a preview of how it had looked when we first purchased the place

After many hours days, we finally saw some real progress. The next step would be to create a new landscape layout and a new deck. We need a sitting area where we can set a large outdoor table and umbrella so when we have guests over we can sit outside in the summer. We are thinking of creating a lower deck level by adding stairs to the right of balcony and removing the wrap around. For the landscaping we would like use the large boulder stones in some way. Once we level off the hills we will start on a landscape plan…

So much has changed on this home already including installing new windows, doors, and now the landscaping and removal of the bushes!

Hope you enjoyed my guest blogging for Julia while she is relaxing on her vacation! Feel free to visit my blog for further updates our “Forever Home”.

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Thanks so much, Danica! Head over to Country Chic Renovator to see more examples of Danica’s and Branko’s work. They are what I call hardcore DIYers. Be sure to check out the complete renovation of their first home (including massive addition and complete interior reconfiguration) that they did by themselves last winter.

Now that they’re onto their forever home, I’m excited to see their progress (and perhaps a little jealous that Danica is going to have my dream master bathroom a few years before I do).