This is just an observation. Often the most overlooked aspect of many garden jobs is 'sod'. What to do with it. This is especially true if sod is being removed to make room for a new garden bed or removed for a patio, etc. Sod is heavy and bulky. As for extra 'new' sod on a project. One solution is to go into the garden centers and ask to put up a small notice offering the sod for free. The garden centers here in Calgary under order their needs because of the difficulty of keeping sod on the premises. Customers get frustrated trying to find sod at retail outlets in the city. They just assume its always available but it only takes a couple of contractors needing a couple of pallets to use up all the immediately available sod.

I actually loved the research, but then I'm weird that way : ) The work was fine (partial DIY) as I love getting physical... up to a point. Now I'm just totally exhausted and sore. The decisions of what to buy, which to choose? My goodness yes I'm tired of it. Granted, some of it's been fun (easier choices) - all the kitchen 'jewelry' (faucets, pulls) were easy, as were the appliances (I can be pretty decisive about needs) but when it came time to tally up the cost, that was not fun! But big things like colors for cabinets, counter tops, "what type and how much and where" on the lighting... some easy, some hard. But I have to admit, despite all the difficult choices, I agree with oldbat2be when she said: "there's a lot of satisfaction involved in making the right decision and even more in recognizing that you didn't proceed with your original plan which wouldn't have been as good as what you ended up with" It's such a wonderful feeling to look at our choices and say YES, that's wonderful! And had we moved faster with our remodel, we would never have had the chance to change our minds or improve upon certain things. What I'm really tired of? Having to use the same utility sink to wash dishes, to clean up filthy hands, to clean up after our dog (who's in diapers now due to incontinence) and all the scrubbing and disinfecting of that dang sink! I hate carrying things all the way to it, carrying things back... oh to have a kitchen again! With a sink... no, 2 sinks! I'll be in kitchen heaven : )

Prewash & dry the fabric a couple times, it can continue to shrink after just one time. When you iron the fabric try not to stretch it, i.e. don't iron across the bias. When I wash many yards of fabric I place the ironing board next to the bed so the excess can rest on the bed and not on the floor. Go with lighter weight fabric not heavy upholstery. If you have the time make a trial one first out of cheap muslin fabric before you proceed to more expensive fabric. For your first attempt at slipcovers maybe you shouldn't even attempt welting, that can make the layers so thick at the corners your machine may go out of alignment trying to sew it all together. I haven't made slipcovers but I've made quilted handbags with welting and it ruined my machine, even after service it's still not back to normal and I'll have to bring it back for more extensive and expensive repairs. You don't need to use a serger but you should at least overlock the seams with your sewing machine. I just had a pair of chair slipcovers made and the seamstress didn't use a serger or bother to overlock and the first time I washed it the seams unraveled something awful. I spent 2 hours angrily trimming them with scissors. Now I have to overlock it myself if I want to wash these again. The fabric (100% hemp) was heavy and prone to unravel. The other mistake she made was to make the slipcover too tight. I ripped seams trying to get it back on the chair. I hope you're comfortable sewing zippers too, a good slipcover will have a zipper. Nicole, your slipcovers look amazing! You must be an experience sewer. I'd like to try my hand at slipcovers one day but I think I'll start with an ottoman cover. ;-)

Since the structure isn't going to deflate and collapse when an exhaust system is running, the amount of air that goes out an exhaust system is limited to how much outside air comes in the structure at other places. A make up air system is a great approach. All houses need regular fresh air anyway, both purposes can be served. Older houses are usually not tight - think not only around windows and doors, but through the walls (electrical sockets and switches, pipe runs through walls and similar unsealed breaks in the wall, through the floor up from a crawl space or basement, unsealed areas around HVAC return or supply grill boots, etc.). Unless all of these have been sealed. It's not often done other than in extreme weather areas. In times of mild weather or otherwise, cracking a window to allow in fresh air helps an exhaust fan (whether for cooking or even in a bathroom) work better. Gas appliances if inside the structure should be in areas that are closed off from inside air so that backdrafting can't happen. In my house, I have two "closets" (one for a water heater, one for a furnace) that are within the exterior walls but both closets have outside air supplies and exhausts and the doorway edges are sealed tightly with raised threshholds and tight weatherstripping around the door frames. When gas appliances are in a basement, the best approach is to similarly close them in an airtight room or otherwise closed off with outside air supply for combustion.