From weeds and trash to a place that feels like an escape, our backyard looks nothing like it used to. I borrowed a friend’s tiller and tore it all up. 15,000 pounds of dirt, gravel, rocks, wood chips and countless wheelbarrow trips from the street later, and we had ourselves a semblance of a yard. Designing the landscaping, planting way too many plants, and eventually building a deck and shed, I had my work cut out for me.
What the backyard looked like when we bought it.
Another view of our yard before we got our hands dirty.
Tilling it up.
It's all going. Fresh start here we come!
Flagging out our design.
Rolling everything flat to get a blank canvas.
Getting in some good soil for the grass and laying out the first of many pavers.
Pavers, gravel, sand, repeat.
Building a patio for our grill.
Growing the new grass!
Final pavers set with sand.
We have a yard!
Mulch and plants in. And of course a hammock.
Getting there! The layout is complete, but there's more to be done. Check out the shed and deck pages to see how that's coming along.
A look at the side of our yard before the demo.
Ripped out a tree, dug up a ton of dirt to level it all out, and started prepping for the patio.
The final side patio, in all it's glory.
Added a step to ease the transition from the walkway to patio.