Where do i start?

The house was a mess. I had been living life for the last 10 years and mum was unable to maintain the house so it was a shambles. How was i going to get this place into decent condition without spending money i simply didn't have? Baby steps, that's how.

The first thing was the guttering, it was non existent out the back. It had to go, so i called in a few tradies for quotes. HA what a joke. We had the guttering, all i needed was someone to put it up. They quoted me thousands of dollars to do nothing. It was then i decided i had some learning to do.


I searched all over the net to see if it was possible to fix this nightmare on my own. After a few weeks i decided it was, so i set to work. The guttering we had been given by a neighbour was metal and too heavy for me to lift on my own so i decided to use PVC. Sure it's only plastic but it never needs paining, won't rust, looks tidy, was easy for one person to install and its cheap. I all brought the tools i needed, including a ladder plus all the guttering, downpipes, brackets, joints and various other bits and pieces for around $600



Pulling it all down wasn't so hard except it weighed a tonne. Putting up the new stuff was were the learning came in. You can only learn so much by reading, there are things that the helpful DIY guides don't tell you. For instance, the fascia board is is really, really hard wood and don't even bother trying to nail the brackets in without first drilling a hole because it just won't work, no matter how many times you try. Trust me... Also, do not use a cheap rechargeable drill, they don't hold enough power to do the job. Get yourself a decent corded drill and save yourself the headache. Cordless may be cute and at times handy but, just don't.

After several weeks, yes it took weeks as i was battling heat, rain, work and family, it was finished, it went from this...



To this...



Girls can do anything!