Yard Progress July 2013

Some of you have been asking to see the yard.  Okay a whole two of you.  The two you that might be my only readers.  But whatever.  It is a great documentation of our summer.  The yard progress. 

Here are some before pictures if you remember.

Of the front.  It is covered in snow.  But underneath is just dirt and rocks.  Mostly rocks.

After


Here is another before.  Jake moving dirt.  This is about 1/10th of the dirt that we got to fill and lay down in the back.  And I just sprayed the cement all down to clean off the rest of the mud.... only to have more delivered this afternoon for the back.  3 more dump trucks more.  The kids know how it works, and are getting use to the truck guy coming.

Dirt drama.  The dirt guy dumped the dirt on our water meter.  Which made the utility company think we had used $13,000 in water.  Just the weight on the meter.  A few calls later and somebody to come out... oh and us quickly moving the dirt off hoping that we hadn't broken anything, we were back to our normal $50-$60 water fee.  Can you say mini heart attack?  Thankfully the utility company was kind and easy to work with.

Here is a before of the backyard.  More rocks, and dirt, and rocks.  Our trampoline not sunken in the ground kept blowing away in the wind.

 Another backyard before, or should I say progress.  Jake is working to level and fill with dirt.  We picked rocks night after night as well.

The afters/ progress.

 Cheery wreath, hello sticker.  Front door.

 Porch.  Chairs for sitting, and some planters I planed two things in and failed to get anything to live.  I will try again next year.

 Flower beds.  We took this strange rectangle section in front of the porch and put up some railroad ties in tiers.  Stained them to match the dark timbers.  And filled them with dirt and flowers.  I'm obsessed with plants.  Jake sent me to the hardware store a handful of times and I always returned with more flowers to plant.

see beautiful things are growing.

Is that sod?  Can you hear the angels singing.

The sod was a lot of drama.  We had some free sod given to us from a neighbor.  It was almost enough for the entire front yard, so we didn't want to pass it up.  But we were not really ready for it, and then Bethany had to go to the hospital for two days and it sat and died, and then Jake tried to lay it in the rain and mud and it was a mess.  Somehow most of it actually lived, but it looked horrible.  So we pulled it up, tried to get rid of that much dead sod, and then got new top soil, and new sod.  Although Jake and I laid the sod ourselves, the week before about eight neighbors came out with shovels, rakes and even tractors to help  up get our top soil down.  We have great neighbors.... or they are just sick of looking at dirt.

 This little blue spruce I bought yesterday.... at the gas station.  Yup.  Okay so it is really connected to a feed store but the gas station is where I paid for it.  Funny stuff.  I'll have that blue spruce and a 36oz coke thank you.  HA!.  I have been looking for a blue spruce through out the landscaping so I was thrilled when the gas station was selling this one of $30.
  The sod is still new so excuse the lines.

 Planters of bushes and bark.

 Aspen and tall grasses.  There is actually a boulder that we have that goes right in the middle of these trees, but we haven't placed it yet.

I already can't wait to put lights on this for Christmas.   I am not sure why I planted two pines in the end since I am allergic.  Whatever.  They are beautiful.

 gravel.  This is our third parking pad/ place for a shed.

 The other pine.  He is a beauty too.

 Stepping stones to the faucet. And that is the front yard.  It is almost complete.  It just needs some curbing- which I think we will attempt ourselves next year, the three trees for the park strip- that skinny stip of grass between the sidewalk and the road, and that boulder moved... oh and a flag pole to fly the BYU flag and American flag on the porch.

Backyard after photos.

It is starting to take shape.  You can see where a lawn might go anyway.  The sprinklers are almost in. And the last of the top soil is being delivered today.  

 A sucken trampoline!  There was a lot of drama involved in the sinking of the tramp.  A friend lent us a tractor to dig the hole, and later came over to help us level the lot.  Jake put the tramp in, but his re-enforcement walls were not strong enough and the walls crumbled, and part of the tramp broke.  We ordered new parts, re dug out the whole and made a new wall.  And it worked.  Tramp in a hole! I think our neighbors are very appreciative that there is not a giant hole in our yard anymore for which children might fall in and get lost.... and hopefully not die of thirst like the gopher that got stuck in the hole and we found dead.  See good drama.

My dry creek river bed.  We have a million rocks.  No Really.  A million.  But they are at least attractive rocks.  We hauled a bunch off already.  But we still had a ton. So to border the garden and fire pit I made this dry creek.  I intend to some day make some cute bridges to cross too.
When I say "I made this"  I mean it.  I did it all by myself Well okay, Jake moved about ten rocks for me.  But I moved all the rest.  It is about 100 feet long- that is how long the roll of week barrier fabric was and it is just about perfect.  I don't think I am more proud of anything I have created save it be my children.     It winds across 2/3 the backyard and is seriously awesome.  Lets pat me on the back some more.  I think it did a fair job toning my arms post baby as well.  I mean these rocks weight like 80 lbs.  I am a Rock Star.... pun Intended! To the left will be the lawn, to the right or inside will be the garden and some other features.  Come by and say hello and I will give you a proud tour of my rock bed.... ask anyone who has come by in the last two weeks.

I even managed to throw down two squash and two pumpkin plants down so we might have some garden this year.  Most of the garden area is still covered in rocks, but I figure that pumpkin and squash kind of grow no matter what.  We will see..

Rock planters.  See so many rocks.  We surrounded the window wells in the back yard with them.  This may be only temporary, but it works for now.

More gravel in the back.

Oh and a new BBQ.  I mean what is the point of having a backyard if we can't BBQ.  It has been used numerous times despite there being no lawn in the back.

So far the yard has cost about $3000.  That includes the front sod, all the plants and trees and planters, sprinklers, the guy that trenched for the back sprinklers for us (which is the only thing we didn't do ourselves), the bark,  the sprinklers and pipes, misc supplies, the gravel, and mostly dirt.  In fact almost $2000 of that is in dirt and gravel.  So we are feeling pretty great.   Especially compared to the bids we got for landscaping.  Of course it has taken us 2 or 3 evenings a week plus half of Saturday for the last three months, but is has been fun seeing it take shape and doing it together.  I am busting with joy over plants planted in my yard and hopefully growing fast and soon.

..... did I mention I built a 100 foot long river bed all by myself :)