Post pics of your backyard. What did you do right/wrong?

[cycosis]

As the title states, lets have a discussion thread for members to post pics of their decks, garden boxes, pergolas, fences, fire pits, etc. Would be great for members who are planning new backyards to see what other beyonders have been up to as well as any tips.

[03ozwhip]

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As the title states, lets have a discussion thread for members to post pics of their decks, garden boxes, pergolas, fences, fire pits, etc. Would be great for members who are planning new backyards to see what other beyonders have been up to as well as any tips.

My back yard is new, I just got sod a couple of weeks ago, so it's just a start. Will post pics later and progress pics.

[Ntense_SpecV]

Started with this...





To this...





Built a paver patio (should have poured a slab - pavers settled more than anticipated and move a lot with our winters)

[Ntense_SpecV]

Added, mulch to the beds, and also plastic edging. Again should have used grout or cement edging rather than interlocked blocking. You can see the shed I built also.



The Front Yard...these are a few years old now - again added mulch to all beds as well. The plants are way more mature and also we've added, changed, moved plants around. Some have died, had insect infestations etc..

[Ntense_SpecV]

Here's the shed...matched the house down to the roofing, hardi-board trim, paint color and vinyl siding.





All in all I've saved $10's of thousands of dollars doing all of the work myself with the help of my father. The only thing I actually wish I had done was u/g sprinklers. Oh and the black round plastic sump in the photo's is a pond basin. That was a great idea... but it's coming out next year to be replaced with a fire pit area.

[mzdspd]

I do not have any pictures.. but

I had a townhouse.. Paid a company to put in fence posts.. This was a good idea and then I finished the fence.. Saved a bunch of cash with that..

In saying that... In the same townhouse.. I built a deck.. It was a deck not attached to the home and built on deck blocks.. Would not recommend. Have the builder put a exposed board on the outside on the home for deck attachment and put in proper footings for deck. I had multiple journeyman carpenters tell me to just use deck blocks and to not attach it to the house.. Nope.. Dont do it.

[Kloubek]

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Nope.. Dont do it.

Why is that?

I just built a large deck in the far corner of my back yard and I did it on blocks. Even if it shifts around a bit it should not be a big deal. I imagine if one use the piers for a deck against their house and it shifted away that could be a problem....

[mzdspd]

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Why is that?

I just built a large deck in the far corner of my back yard and I did it on blocks. Even if it shifts around a bit it should not be a big deal. I imagine if one use the piers for a deck against their house and it shifted away that could be a problem....

With our temp changes and frost heaving..It will shift, and then then deck will flex and flex when you walk on certain areas..

So I mean I guess it depends how much you care or how long you plan to live there. But after building this deck (my first deck I built) and it starting to flex on the second year..I would build it to last and put it on proper footings.

[riced]

Here's our backyard we finished 2 years ago with the help of some friends!
Fixed up the trees since then and added a few more taller ones to hopefully grow and provide some privacy near the back.

[gogreen]

It's our first full summer in our new house so we started building garden beds:



This was the first one and we have since completed a second and placed it as a mirror image, like so: [ ]

The overall length is 10' and they're 4' at the widest point, with the planting space 2' wide throughout. The main perimeter is cedar 2x6 with a 2x4 top rail. I'm really happy with how they turned out, especially since we knocked out the second one in less than a day. The plan is to lay down landscape fabric with Rundle rock fines over top. If we had more time I would have laid down the rock first and then placed the beds so as to get them a little bit more level (there's a bit of a low spot next to the fence), but we needed them done in time to plant for May long weekend and we got a really late start. Plus I didn't want to alter the grade of the lot too much.

Stuff I dislike about what the previous owners did:

- Raised corner bed up against the siding, filled with pea gravel with a layer of mulch on top. It's about 18" tall and I think it's mostly against the foundation, but there's not much to keep the 2x6 boards from bulging out which they're already doing at the bottom.
- Raised bed next to attached garage, again 18" or 24" tall, full to the top with dirt up against the siding (almost burying the gas line shutoff at the meter) and trees planted under the eaves.
- Deck painted with that Deckover stuff from HD. Either they didn't follow the prep instructions or it's just junk because it's peeling off in sheets. Discovered that on the first windy day, lol.
- "Lifetime" plastic shed. Terribly warped from the sun. It's a good size (8' x 10' I think) and gets the job done but it's sitting on a base of PT 2x4's and 3/8" plywood (with exposed edges and partially buried in the clay) which I'm pretty sure is rotten underneath. We'll eventually replace it with a purpose-built wooden shed.

[JordanEG6]

Mine.

What I was happy with:
- Labor was done by my dad and I. Sometimes with a couple buddies. Saved a BUNCH of money doing it this way.
- I'm happy with the rock bed, shrub and tree arrangement
- Underground sprinklers are awesome as long as some fittings don't bust over the winter, usually one does. But I can actually water at 4am in proper time intervals without having to get up early.
- I like having an extra large deck all the way to the fence. It does meet code as the deck is only18" from grade.

What I am not really happy with:
- I should have gone dura-deck or a composite as staining sucks and usually doesn't last the winter.
- The location of the shed breaks code actually, should be 1m away from culverts and fences, but oh well.
- I wish I built a stone patio with a firepit somewhere there.
- Little things I would have done differently, but money is a factor as always.


Bonus deck shot


Lighting

Another thing I wish I did from the get-go is run electrical for non-solar lighting since the options for solar lighting are fairly limited.

[suntan]

You can get a relaxation for the shed. Basically it just means that the CoC can bust it down if you're too lazy to move it if they need to fix the swale.

You're actually not even allowed to have plants in that area either.

[88CRX]

Anyone have any regrets not doing u/g sprinklers?

And whats everyone experience with planting tree's in registered utility right of ways? I'm contemplating planting a couple trees in the the URW in our front yard and hope for the best (famous last words).

[nzwasp]

I have a greenhouse on top of my URW. Its not attached to the ground but it is very heavy. Its made of old windows and its about 10ft by 6ft.

[403ep3]

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Anyone have any regrets not doing u/g sprinklers?

And whats everyone experience with planting tree's in registered utility right of ways? I'm contemplating planting a couple trees in the the URW in our front yard and hope for the best (famous last words).

We have regrets.. it's a pain in the ass to get up in the morning to water the grass. To make it worse, the shape of my yard is awkward and the placement of the sprinklers is weird. I use 2 sprinklers at a time.






Would have liked to have a full retaining wall, but the we couldn't justify the costs. We have rocks on side instead of grass for drainage.

[nickyh]

No pics.

But the landscapers we hired, looking at the job 5 years later, planted our trees too close together. At $500 a tree we have lost one (due to disease) but i suspect two more will need to be pruned right back or removed entirely. We also went with a stamped concrete patio that cracked in a + pattern. it was a bungle from the get go, they had to pour it twice, and we never got a railing - 3 steps plus the step up to the kitchen so we'll be dealing with the city later on that. Again - all this is knowledge after the fact.
I've also ripped out most of the shrubs they planted - winter kill etc made them very unattractive so I spent the last two weeks replanting and ripping out.

Grass in the backyard, we got underground spinklers and drip irrigation for the garden beds. So worth it. I hate having to spend time watering.
We also have a shed in the back.

Front, is all 10mm rundle with a garden bed with a tree and re-planted plants. We just need to add a border around the mulch on the bed as our neighbors drainage from their downspout washes away our mulch each storm.

In hingsight, I would have put in a low deck (ground level with a step or two between the kitchen and the dirt) and not put so many trees in - but that's my only regret for now.

[dj_rice]

Beautiful backyards yall. Yall really put in some work. I need to totally re-do my front yard and rear. Looks terrible

[88CRX]

What did your u/g sprinkler systems cost approximately?

[cycosis]

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We have regrets.. it's a pain in the ass to get up in the morning to water the grass. To make it worse, the shape of my yard is awkward and the placement of the sprinklers is weird. I use 2 sprinklers at a time.



Would have liked to have a full retaining wall, but the we couldn't justify the costs. We have rocks on side instead of grass for drainage.

How much was the back firepit, patio, retaining wall? Or did you do ti yourself?

[rx7boi]

You guys have dope backyards.