DIY Gravel Patio for Unlevel Ground

If you have big dreams for your backyard, but also have an unlevel backyard, this post is for you. When we were looking for land, we were focused on getting as much flat land as possible. The thing is, that doesn't mean that the land is also level. In our backyard area we want to be able to have a fire pit area with seating and also a place to put a dining table. This means we need a space that is pretty level, but we also don't have the budget for something like a concrete slab. This project is our solution!

All products and materials used in the project:

- Landscape Fabric

- Landscape Timbers

- 1/2" Gravel

- 1/2" Rebar

- 1/2" Drillbit

- Short Shovel

- Hard Rake

This is what the space looked like before. As you can see, the land goes down a lot on the left side so we can't just plop a table or chairs down.

We had someone come to level a spot in another place on our land and asked them to level a space for our gravel patio. Unfortunately, they did way more than we asked and sort of flattened out the whole backyard. This caused us to have to deal with way more of the yard than we really wanted to or planned on at the time.

We used landscape timbers to frame out the space. Our patio is 16' x 20' and landscape timbers come 8 ft. long. We ended up using 13 landscape timbers.

We started at the highest corner of the rectangle and worked our way around. We made sure the first landscape timber was super level first, of course, and then leveled each landscape timber along the way.

Our patio ended up being one landscape timber high on one side and three high on the other. The part that connects them is where the angle is so one side has only one landscape timber and the other is three leading down to the other side. We secured the timbers to each other with 4" screws and then we secured each one to the ground by drilling 1/2" holes all the way through and then hammering in a piece of rebar through the timbers and into the ground.

On the side where there are three timbers, we cut the rebar to 20" so that half of it made it into the ground. The rebar that went into just one timber was 10" long.

A note on rebar: Cutting rebar is not easy or fun and should be done with caution. I cut our rebar with a metal grinder as I have many times before with gloves on and glasses to protect my eyes. I had the rebar on my saw horses and when I made the first cut, the rebar popped up and burned my arm. I of course figured out a way to cut it more safely for the rest of the cuts... but if you can afford it, buy the rebar already cut. Or make sure you are comfortable with cutting metal and have your arms and legs covered. I wear overalls to protect my legs 99% of the time I'm doing outdoor projects, so I was good there. It's more expensive to buy rebar already cut, but it may be worth it to you. 

Check out all of our favorite working outside gear here!

Next we laid down the landscape fabric. We are using this because we don't want the gravel to sink into the ground. It will also keep the weeds away for a while, although over time the weeds will appear and we will have to deal with them then.

Then we started the tedious and laborious process of shoveling gravel onto the area. We were lucky in that we were able to back our trailer right up to the patio area. This meant we didn't have to shovel gravel into a wheel barrow and then transfer the gravel across a long space to then dump it. We found using a short shovel inside the trailer made the work so much easier and we used a hard rake to spread the gravel.

After two trips and having shoveled 3.5 cubic yards of gravel onto the patio, we knew we still needed more and we needed an amount that our trailer couldn't handle.

So we ended up renting a dump trailer. This made getting the gravel onto the patio so much easier and we were able to use the trailer to get more materials (like soil) for other projects. We ended up using 7.5 cubic yards of 1/2" gravel which was way more than we thought we needed.

We also built steps on the high side of the patio so we could safely walk down to the ground and/or other patio area. Should I do a DIY on an easy stair build? I've built a version of these steps in many places on our land because they are so easy.

And after all that, we finally completed the patio which honestly now seems like it has always been there. It's a blank slate that I'm not sure we will get to do anything with this season. We weren't actually planning on doing this project this season because we just didn't have the budget or time for it. But with all the mud that was created in the bad leveling job it was something we had to do for our sanity and so it moved to the top of the list.

If you've been following along on our journey for a while, you've probably noticed we haven't updated you on our blog in a long time. We moved off grid and onto land we bought almost 3 years ago now and finding the balance between establishing our land and home and our 3 blogs has been a rollercoaster. We are finally starting to have to to breathe and be able to use our time for blogging again, so check back for more home DIYS in the future. If you are interested in our off grid homesteading posts, check out out other blog- The Off Grid Homesteader, and of course we can't leave out our stock tank pool business- Stock Tank Pool Authority. See you in one of those places soon! 

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DIY Easy Kitchen Nook Curtain

You've probably never seen this corner of our kitchen, but it's the one part in here that's evolved the most since we've lived here. It first was a door to the room behind the wall, but then we closed it in. Casey's stepdad then built a hall tree there with a bench. We never used the bench area and desperately needed more storage space so last year we turned it into built a bulit in shelving nook and ever took pics and video to show you how we did it, but to this day we never actually completed the shelves. Classic!

We actually wanted to paint them white and have cute baskets and have everything there organized in open shelving. Thank goodness we didn't actually spend time painting everything because after using this space for a year, we realized that in reality, we cannot keep this space looking neat and nice enough to be on display.

We sure tried, but the things on the shelf move in and out and around so quickly. We decided we needed to be able to use this shelf however we needed for our own sanity. We considered building some doors over the shelves. We never could really figure out how to easily do it without messing up the moulding up top. Also, we needed a solution that was quick and easy, so we decided a curtain would be the way to go!

We decided to go with a plain white curtain, as we didn't really want the curtain to be a feature. We just wanted it to fade into the background and hide the clutter. We wanted it to be like a breath of fresh air. And let me tell you, that's exactly what it has been!

This DIY is simple. To get started, you will need:

1. A Curtain rod. I used a lock seam curtain rod. You could use a spring tension curtain rod if you want to skip the drilling process. However, screwing in the lock seam one will be more secure, which is what we are more concerned with. I don't want to swipe the curtain open and accidentally put the whole rod down.

2. Fabric. I ordered 7 yards and didn't end up using all of it, although I did use most of it. I went with a cotton gauze fabric because it has a natural crinkle to it and will disguise any wrinkling of the fabric. This is one of the fabrics we used to use for kimonos and we LOVE it! I will say, if you wash this fabric, it will crinkle up even more, which is okay! It may seem scary because it will look like your curtain has shrunk. However, if you iron it out it will go right back to normal. If you don't want to iron at all, wash your fabric first AND order way more than you think you need. That way when you wash it, there will be no surprises.

3. Curtain Clips

4. Drill, Metal Drillbit, & Screws. Make sure you get screws for the type of wall you have. If you will be drilling into a stud, the screws that come with the curtain rod will work, but if you are going into drywall, get drywall screws. Also, make sure you are using a drill bit big enough for your screws to go through, but not so big that the head of the screw goes through.

Okay let's get started. The first thing you need to do is use your metal drillbit to drill two holes on each side of the curtain rod. If you are using a tension rod you will skip this step.

Before you screw the rod into place, you will need to slide your curtain clips on. I'm using 20 of them. Since we are screwing this into place, you won't be able to slide any of them on once the rod is installed.

Installing the rod is as simple as putting it where you want it to go and putting screws through the holes that you drilled and attaching it to the wall. It was a bit tricky in the nook to get the drill in the right place, but it all worked out.

I'm using wood screws and they went right into the stud in the corner. You can also see here that I installed the rod a little further out than the wall because I don't want the curtain to rest on the shelves or any item that may be sticking out. I want them to slide back and forth freely.

Now, since we are using curtain clips, you don't necessarily HAVE to hem the edges of the fabric. You could simply cut it to size and then clip it up. That would be the easiest route possible. However, I want to be able to wash these and move them around without the fabric unraveling over time. So I measured how long I wanted the curtain and hemmed the top and bottom seam. I left the long sides as they are. I also made two curtains. I wanted there to be enough fabric to really cover up the space.

And they I clipped them up and bam! Everything looks so much neater. We love it. It moves out of the way very easily and closes without fuss. It's exactly what we needed to made this space feel less cluttered.

Check out our Instagram stories to see video of this project!

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DIY Simple Bathroom Towel Caddy & Shelf

We have a problem. Well, a few problems. 1- Our bathroom is TEE tiny. 2- Everything we use on a daily basis sits on our tiny sink and it all falls into the sink. And it looks messy. And 3- Washcloths don't have a place and they end up on the floor. So I finally decided to do something about all these problems. Custom shelves!

If you missed our tiny bathroom renovation, check it out here first! It starts with our ceiling falling out- so it's a dramatic before and after!

For this project I am using 1x6 fence panels. You can use wood with a smaller width if you need to.

Wood Cuts To Make:
- 4 pieces of 10"x1"x6"
- 4 pieces of 26"x1"x6"
- 3 pieces of 14.5"x1"x3"
- 1 piece of 26"x1"x6"
- 1 piece of 26"x1"x3"

You will also need:
- 1 1/2 inch screws
- drill
- Hammer
- Finishing Nails
- Sander and/or Sand Paper
- Paint

To start, start the screws in each of the four corners on the long pieces. This makes it easier to put the shelf together by yourself.

 Then, line up the long piece with the end of a short piece and screw the nails in to secure.

 Repeat on all four corners and both long pieces until you have a rectangular shape.

Place one of the 1"x3" pieces inside the shelf and move it to the very top. Secure with screws from the outside pieces and the top piece. This will be the piece you use to hang the shelves.

Take one of the long pieces and place it on the front bottom of one of the shelves. This will create a deep caddy to hold things like dirty hand towels and wash cloth.

On the other shelf, place one of the 1"x3" pieces below the other, but flip it so it is "standing" up. This will create a little shelf for smaller things like contact cases, glasses, retainers, etc... Again, secure with screws from the outside.

Sand all edges and sides before painting.

The paint will make everything look amazing!

I even went as far as caulking the creases to make it look even nicer.

To hang, drill two holes through through the inside piece where there are studs on your wall. If you can't find the studs, or they aren't in a place where the shelf overlaps, you can use dry wall screws. I attached one side of the shelf to the wall, placed a level on top and made sure the entire thing was level, and then screwed in the other screw.

To see more of the process on video, head over to our Instagram and check out our highlight labeled "CADDY".

We are so pleased with the results! Our makeup eraser towels and wash cloths have a home. Our Clarisonic and electric toothbrushes are ready to be used everyday, but there is also a space for them to charge. Our glasses and Smilelove retainers are right by the sink where they need to be, but not ON the sink. Hallelujah!! If you make a shelf like this, share it with us over on on Instagram!

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Transforming Our Home Studio to a Boho Modern Farmhouse

You guys, our studio has looked like a scene a from a disaster movie for months. This room has gone through a lot of transition since we've moved in over 3 years ago. First, it was set up as place to make clothing because at the time we were making hand dye kimonos. So there was a very large work table in the middle of the space.

Then we had a professional organizer come in and sort out all of our mess. This room also houses our washer and dryer which is one of the big reasons this room turns into a disaster. If we don't stay on top of our laundry (like serioulsy keep it tight a.k.a. nothing ever left in the dryer) the rest of the room just falls apart.

If you'd like to see our studio's transformation story from when we first moved in, click this link here. It's definitely worth a gander!

When the organizer came, we were also doing Airbnb upstairs so we had even more of a major laundry crisis. We were changing sheets every single day, which means we had at least one load every day. Our organizer helped us get a system that worked for our clothing business and all its supplies and deal with our major laundry issues. That system worked well until we stopped making clothing and stopped doing Airbnb.

We wanted to turn the studio into a workspace that would work better for our current needs. So Savannah turned our giant work table into a desk. You can see that DIY post here.

This was the way the room stayed for a while, however we found ourselves not using our desks for work very often. We would end up sitting in our living room on the couch or we would sit at the dining room table. The studio just wasn't completely flowing. We knew we wanted more for this studio space.

Ashley Home Store has a group on Facebook that we are part of and they were doing a contest late last year. They asked people what room they wanted to redo and what ideas they had for that room. I instantly knew that room was the studio for us.

I went on their website and saw so many things that would make our space more of what we needed. So I responded with my ideas and we ended up being one of the people who were selected to participate in their project. We were pumped because this would be the push that could get this room to finally shine! So without further ado here is the finished product. We are very happy with the end result.

We can even host large groups in this space!

If you live in an older house like we do, you probably have experience with weirdly shaped rooms. This room is one of those. The sectional we chose is great because you can move it around into many different lengths. This room is not symmetrical at all, but this sectional somehow balances it all out. If you don't have enough space for this large sectional, they also have a couch version!

We were able to fit so much seating in the room while maintaining the flow of the walkways, AND we still have our desk area!

This cabinet is actually a DIY I did (and am not completely done with yet) and one day I will do a blog post about the process.

You can see our rug from Ashley in this pic, but really Daisy was posing right there every time I went to take a photo, so here is her close up!

Okay, so I bet you are wanting the link for something in our studio, and I'm going to do my best to link all of them for you below!

Links to pieces in our studio! (affiliate links)
1. Savesto 5-piece Sectional
2. Poufs
3. Similar Coffee Table
4. Wooden Tray
5. Rug
6. Fireplace Wall Art
7. Accent Chair
8. Pendant Light
9. Colorful Throw Pillow
10. Cream Throw Pillow
11. Black Throw Blanket

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