I need to figure out if I can do one or both of these by myself or not.
We will be moving back to my first house this summer, probably August. The wife wants to make some improvements, and I agree with her. I have two major, and one minor project on the list and I'm trying to figure out if I can find the tools and the knowledge necessary to complete each. Its isn't so much 'can I do it' as 'is it worth the investment of my time' when I might risk screwing it up.
Project1 (minor): Fencing in the back yard.
I will need about 80 feet of wooden fencing that must match the neighbor's. To either side of the house is about 15 ft and 16 ft where I will need two gates. One must allow about 10 feet of clearance, the other just an access, so call it 3-4ft. I've wanted to put a fence up since I bought the house, but never got around to it and then I rented it out for the last 2-3 years. This is both for the dog as well as for storing the boat out of sight (hence the 10 ft gate). I expect (haven't verified yet) that this should cost me $500-$800 in materials. I'm fairly confident I can do this myself, maybe with some neighbor's help. My current tenant (a former neighbor, long story) said that he would do it himself if I bought the materials and reduced his rent some given figure that would be less than what I would pay someone to put it up.
Project 2 (major): Wood/Pergo flooring.
This is one thing we want to do after the tenant leaves, but before we move in, when the house would be empty. So I am a little concerned about the time it would take me, someone who has never done this before, vs paying a professional. This seems like a fairly common DIY project, so I figured I would ask if anyone here has had experience and what that was like.
Project 3 (major): screened in porch.
This we can do after the move is complete. I helped my father in law build a deck before the wedding (it was for the band), so I'm somewhat confident I can frame it up and all that, but I don't know about the roof. So time isn't such an issue, and I would potentially have the help from my father/brother in law. Does anyone have experience with a project like this? What do I need to be aware of, what do I need to watch out for, etc?
Basically these are all in the planning stages. We just checked out flooring prices last weekend, so I figured it would be time to start contemplating how all of this is going to come together. And I was hoping for advice, so you got any?