[REDCART]

Barefoot, We were anxious to get rid of the mulch from around the foundation. Dean's who we use for pest control convinced us that the decaying mulch not only attracted bugs but might also attract termites because of the retained moisture. So we replaced the mulch with 3/4" Seminole stone which has a dark purple color. We have a Courtyard villa and we ordered 3 tons from Dirt Cheap, just outside TV. (352-245-7900. With delivery it came to $354. It covered the rectangle outside the front door, behind the bushes in front of the garage and the area between our patio and the next villa. We installed a weed barrier first which probably ran about $50. We still have a small patch of grass in the front and an area in back about 20'X40'. We didn't eliminate watering but significantly reduced it. We were able to borrow a wheelbarrow from a neighbor and it took about 4 hours. Labor is relatively cheap in TV, so I'm not sure why we did it ourselves but it's done until we're there full time and can get more creative.