DIY Feng Shui With Wood

Dear and I weren't interested when the realtor first mentioned this "doll house" but here we are. A little over 1,000 square feet with an added all-seasons sunroom, something had to happen to feng shui the place.

After we decided to lose the lawn and turn the front yard into California Central Coast chaparral, like that of nearby Elfin Forest, we knew the concrete path from the driveway to the front door had to go. Of course we'd need a boardwalk!

I started imagining how it the boardwalk project would end up. It was perfect to create the cozy home look we were going for. While I don't know anything about types of woods, I can envision the perfectly aligned planks of the boardwalk, with each plank bearing unique wooden marks. It was perfect in my head.

Weeks and weeks went by and I've collected a stack of home magazine with clipped pages on boardwalks and DIYs. We've been living in our new home for quite sometime, but I feel like we haven't fully settled in. I knew we have to finish that boardwalk, so I can breathe calmly again without that one item on my head's to do list left unchecked.

However, nothing happened but talking and planning. I did my own research. While Sawinery informed me of the tools and skills Dear and I would need, money was an issue. The budget didn't allow us any wiggle room. Then my father-in-law gave us, that's right, boxes of bamboo flooring. He'd changed his mind and decided to go with hardwood. Score! We had the carpet out the next weekend. That was the easy part.

I invited his dad and brother to come help with the floor over a weekend. I did the cooking and stayed out of their way. For $250 we rented a saw and we had new flooring. Golden brown, it matched the kitchen tile perfectly.

It was the snap together kind and after much discussion they decided not to glue it down. Unfortunately, a few months later, our toilet overflowed, flooding the new floor in the hallway. Dear carefully marked and numbered each board, took them up, stacked them in the garage, and set about drying and then sealing the concrete underneath, which we should have done in the first place. Since then, he's decided we should have glued the bamboo, and we'll be getting on that any day now.

DIY guarantees a learning curve.

Inspired by the positive change in the house, it was time to get on that boardwalk. Since we happened to know the man who led the CCC crew that put in the boardwalk at the Elfin Forest, we used the same technique. Again, I use the word "we" loosely. Dear and his dad did all the work. I did my best to cheer them on and give my support. I can tell they were pleased.

One weekend and just under $400 later, we finally had our boardwalk!

It wasn't the exact same boardwalk in my dreams. It's much, much better. The efforts and the journey of how we ended up with the finished boardwalk is already priceless enough.

What kept costs down? Dear old Dad had just put in a redwood deck and gave us all of the leftover wood. It was really lucky.

Now the walk from the driveway to the front door includes the scent of white sage mingling with the smell of the sea. It's the perfect pair to a calming view I'm fortunate to call my home. Open the door and the warm wood welcomes like carpet never could.