Why did you make the garden anti-human?

 I came from a neighborhood where, despite gentrification, I kept the bars on the windows. Some of my newer neighbors were more trusting and took off the unsightly bars. I'd been there too long and saw too much to even think about it. Also I was a single woman, sometimes living alone (roommates come and go), so hard pass. Also the bars were cheaper to maintain than an alarm system.

So I get why you planted thorny plants and bushes and the tall decorative grasses. You probably wanted privacy and protection. But as I worked in it, it just seemed anti-human or anti-mammal. I would accidentally hit or touch the sharp thorns from time to time and it got old real fast. It was also worrying because we have a young child and he cries a lot and loudly when he gets hurt. I had to get rid of the thorny thistles and plants for his sake.

I got rid of the high grasses. You won't see them pictured.

Why?

'Cause they gone.

I got rid of the low pointy plant.

I got rid of the pointy plant holding up the unidentified vines.

I cut back the pointy plant near the widow.

In the long run, I'm going to get rid of the big bushes. I want to expand the kitchen and those bushes are in the way.

Drainage

 We knew the yard had a drainage problem. One of the first things we did when we bought your house was have a temporary pipe to send some roof water away from the house.

It's getting close to being a year and we need to do something. So I got three bids, well honestly I got one bid. Three guys came out. The first came from a neighbor. He never emailed me a number.  He's was the lowest. But not emailing me a number, after I asked, was a flag (not a red flag, but I've been ignored by contractors before). Second, young fellow, got a bid to me quickly. The price is a bit high, but the company presented the exact thing I wanted. The third guy, sent a proposal and was the most expensive of them all. He convinced me that I will need an interior french drain. His bid didn't have a number but when he was at the house the number he gave was way up there.

However, we did an interior French drain at our old DC house. I do not have the mental energy for doing that all over again, now. Maybe in the future.

Despite the plastic and all the stuff our contractor did, dust got on to the upper floors.

I decided we'll do this when Destructo-Kid is 7 years old. Then we can relocate, temporarily and someone will be more mature and will understand what we are doing. When we moved into your house Destructo had been to two different schools in one year with a third on the way. We don't want to unnecessarily add more instability to his life.

Right now, we are concentrating on the outside. The drainage we are going to deal with is outside. We will work our way inward and deal with the fact that you have no french drains and the sump pumps are not connected to anything. But I'm happy you had two pumps. Thanks.