In this backyard update, I’m finally taking you to the part of the yard that’s been the least livable and the most ignored: the 2nd and 3rd levels. I’ve been turning this place from a literal dust bowl into my renter-friendly homestead, but this corner was basically just a dumping ground—broken pots, leftover stuff from previous tenants, a too-small playhouse we’re not allowed to remove, and a whole lot of “why is this even here?” energy. So I’m tackling two big goals: getting serious about organization and making the space more functional for gardening. The biggest move was adding a 7x7 Keter shed (on the smallest budget possible) and figuring out where it could actually live on a sloped yard. I hired a TaskRabbit to help level the ground and build it—because there’s truly no shame in paying for a few hours of help when it saves your body and your sanity. While he worked, I raked endless leaves from the loquat tree, pulled weeds, trimmed back invasive ivy, pressure-washed the path tiles, and started sorting the playhouse into piles (keep/organize, donate, trash). My biggest takeaway: progress is still progress, and sometimes the “makeover” is just elbow grease, tidying, and clearing space so you can see the next plan clearly.