Thanks, @sherpa! Yes, ipe is bomb-proof! I dislike plastic decking, although BamDeck looks good (have been weathering 2 sample pieces on our patio for 3 years now!).
Recently I was in Home Depot buying material for a retaining wall I was building and ran into another shopper who was buying supplies for a fence she and her husband were planning to build. She started asking me a lot of questions such as which concrete mix to use, how deep to set the posts, etc.
I was a little confused about why she was asking āmeā all these questions, but since I had recently built a fence and was in the process of building a retaining wall, this was all right up my alley, and I was enthusiastically helpful.
Ten minutes or so into our conversation she confessed that this project was probably more than she and her husband could handle, and asked if Iād like to come bid the job for her.
Everything became clear when she pointed to my t-shirt.
My daughter had been the captain of her college fencing team, and I was wearing a DUKE FENCING shirt sheād given me
@sherpa Great story.
Did you get the job? LOL
Got a question for low voltage wiring? Do you need it? No whole house audio, no home theater, no security system are planned.
I donāt think you need it nowadays. Everything is wireless such as speakers, etc. I donāt even know what it is for except floor heating, but that wire runs under the floor and comes up to a regular power source. but it is very handy for everything outdoors such as landscape lighting, but that only needs regular wire to mount a transformer. If you are redoing a house add more outlets to exterior patio areas than you think you need right now.
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When we redid our kitchen many years ago we put in low voltage halogen lights that hung on wires from a track mounted along the ceiling. The transformer was in the basement.
But if you donāt have a specific need for it, itās probably not worth the expense to provide it for some future need.
Bumping this upā¦ just because. 
Anyone doing anything exciting as far as home improvement stuff goes?
We might be doing something sooner than later. Tesla finally has been allowed to install their stupid roofs in our area. Our roof is on its last legs. I really do not want to pay to clean it because it will be a money sink. Hmmmā¦
Weāve done a lot of small improvements over the past year because spending so much time in the house magnifies all the little things that need improving!
So far: new shower doors in 2 of the bathrooms, new shower heads, smoke detectors, whole house generator, a bit of new landscaping, garden lighting, new patio furniture , painted two rooms and awaiting delivery of new family room furniture.
Iām ready to get out of here- really!
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Our last big expense was a new roof. Not fun but necessary. Last year at this time we were having our entire house painted. We signed the contract before any knowledge of COVID.
Oh dearā¦ roofs! Our cedar shake roof has seen better days, so we just signed a contract to replace it. Alas, Elon lost the bidā¦ My Mr. was so hot about Tesla roof but axed the idea because of so many issues that kept creeping up. Plus, the Tesla authorized roofing guy told us that we would need to lose our skylights in order to have a meaningful amount of active shingles as they have to be a certain distance away from any ridgelines etc. by the local code. Soā¦ metal roof it is.
We have to get a layer of plywood installedā¦ and we are paying dearly for it, 
!
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We recently bought a cabin in the woods in Maine. Inspector noted that shingle roof was on its last year. Sellers were amenable to reducing the purchase price by the cost of a new standing seam metal roof but installers wonāt be able to install until late summer. No firm ETA.
Weāve also purchased all new appliances, but fridge wonāt be delivered for another month or two. Beds wonāt arrive until July, bathroom vanity late July, and sofa October-ish. We may be in Maine until early November just waiting for everything to get there, so no guests this year.
Damn you Covid.
We are looking at the Tesla power wall for our AZ house that already has sufficient solar. Low on the priority list right now, though.
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My oh my. What a difference from 4 years ago when we bought our kitchen appliances and sinks piecemeal, and all was delivered within one month. Hope you get your stuff sooner rather than later!
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We (more accurately our contractor) just completed a full overhaul of our front walkway and planting beds yesterday. The brick walkway was all reset with a new pattern, the area around our mechanicals was redone, and the 3 flower beds were reshaped and edged, and all new/relocated plants were put in. The biggest change is no more wood mulch. We have had issues with artillery fungus shooting spores at our light colored siding and I was tired of scraping them all off. After a couple of years of debate, DH and I decided to go with rock instead. I was so worried that it would look cheap and awful but much to my surprise, itās awesome! And the best part is no more spreading 10 cubic yards of mulch every spring!!
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We replaced mulch in a few areas of our current home, and have told the builder that weāre only using light river rock in the beds near the new house. Artillery fungus is a huge pain to remove and I refuse to deal with it again. The builder was surprised, but once I explained about both the fungus and wanting nothing that provides a haven for termites or roaches, he was on board.
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That sounds lovely. I have not heard fo artillery fungus (itās very dry in CO). It sounds like you made a good change. If you are one who does photos on CC, Iād love to see your patterned brick walkway.
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Artillery fungus?! Holy JP Morgan. Not something we had to worry (yet). We use fine cedar bark for mulching. So far, no invaders came with it.
Our neighbor had her landscaping co mulch the yard with some compost mix. A month later, a bunch of mushrooms popped up all over. Lol. Her kids were tasked with picking those dang thingsā¦
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Any interior decorating hobbyists here feel like offering suggestions?
Context: Our living room and dining room flow together without doors - basically one big room, but with some structural features that allow the walls to break up so they donāt just appear as the a big expanse of the same wall, if that makes sense. Currently, the living room walls are painted with Benjamin Moore, Maple Syrup and the dining area are a pale, tannish yellow - donāt remember the name/number but I do remember that we chose one of the suggested coordinating colors for it when we painted 15 years ago. The sofas and an armchair in the living room are a dusty sage, and the throw pillows have hints of yellow, rust and a deep greenish blue. There is an area rug that I need to replace (more on that later). There is a wood stove in the room that is that same shade of blue as in the throw pillows (coindidentally).
If youāre still with meā¦some questions:
I need to buy a slipcover for the armchair, as years of the dog sitting on the arm to look out the window have taken a toll (material has ripped). Do you think this would work with the color scheme Iāve described? https://www.wayfair.com/House-of-HamptonĀ®--Printed-Floral-Box-Cushion-Armchair-Slipcover-LBNJ2124-L797-K~W000979710.html?refid=FR49-W000979710_2144866437&PiID[]=2144866437
Second, I am considering changing the paint in the dining area to a blue to play off of both the woodstove thatās across the room in the living room as well as thinking about the aforementioned slipcover. Something maybe like this: Georgian Bay SW 6509 | Blue Paint Colors | Sherwin-Williams
Too bold? There is a ton of light in the dining area (floor to ceiling windows), so even though Iāve always shied away from bold or dark colorsā¦could it work?
Finally (if youāre even still with me, and thank if you if you are, LOL) - what color area rug might work with everything Iāve mentioned? The floors are a blonde maple.
Although I know what I like when I see it, I am pretty useless at developing an overall vision with regard to design/decorating. Appreciative of any suggestions.
Sounds like a fun project! I am currently redecorating my living room and dining room as well. I found that the most time consuming item to locate was the area rug, so I would suggest starting there. Pottery Barn, William Sonoma Home, and Macyās all have large selections, but I ended up with one from Perigold (online). They have free returns (I did have to return the first rug I ordered from them. Thank you, Perigold)
I like your slipcover, but suggest locating the rug first to make sure they match. And āyes!ā To the vivid blue! I hope all of this will work together!
As an amateur, I find that I need to do things one at a time!
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Our roofing project is over! It was quite a saga becauseā¦ Covid. Supply chains are not getting any better despite lumber and other construction materials futures trending down. My goodness the roof looks so cool compared to what we had (ugly cedar shakes - yuck).
First major rain pounded our new standing seam metal roof last night. I was afraid that it would feel like sleeping inside a rock band drum set. Peace and quiet instead! 
Highly recommend. Now off to get bids for solar panels.
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Weāre still waiting for a firm installation date on the standing seam metal roof for our cabin. Been waiting three months now and current estimate is middle of October. We will be held hostage at the cabin until the roof is installed and the last two items of furniture are delivered. We really want to be back in AZ before Thanksgiving.