Backyard: Maintenance & New Projects

There always seem to be a project or two going on in our backyard. If  it is not repair then it is either an improvement, change or addition. I think this year it is all of the above. The first chore comes in late spring which is lawn maintenance and this is what our yard looks like for about a month.  

Mr. Wonderful does not like crabgrass growing in his lawn so each year it requires some extra work and a lot of patience while the new grass begins to grow and fill in. 

Thankfully our late spring and early summer days are not too hot and we can count on rain showers now and then which is good for the grass. The birds, on the other hand, make it a bit more difficult for a speedy recovery as they like to eat some of the seed. 

Meanwhile, we tip toe around the patches of new tender blades of grass to around and replace seed where needed.

Finally the grass filled in and just in time for the 4th of July. It is now ready for warm days and bare feet. What you can't see here though are the other backyard projects that are currently in progress. 

In this corner Mr. Wonderful was replacing and moving a downspout. This required the removal of the bricks and a very deep hole. 

I am happy to report that the downspout has been moved and the bricks are back in place except for a couple of corner pieces that still need to be cut. But that is not all, oh no, that is not all. 

There is another project on the other side of the patio as well. 

A cement pad had to be poured last weekend to get things started. 

And now this area has become construction zone. 

It should not be long before it takes shape and then I will be back to share more about our latest Backyard Project. 

Happy Thursday!

Fire Pit upgrades ~ Part 2 : DIY table top

It is official, Summer is here!

Don't let the rain fool you though because today really is the first day of summer, believe it or not, and we are ready to relax in our backyard....rain or shine! In fact, Mr. Wonderful has been working on our backyard Fire Pit the past several weeks to make sure it is shipshape. He started by restoring our benches which did not hold up well in the weather and also built a Fire Pit Table Top which he finally agreed to. He was not keen on the idea at first however he finally came around and not only did he make a table but a really nice one at that. 

Since he had been wanting to try inlaid wood he figured a table top for the fire pit would be a good practice project and he had plenty of leftover stain and Marine Varnish to finish it. 

The table went together pretty quickly, at least from my point of view.

He chose cypress as the main wood for the table and used some mahogany that he picked up in a scrap bin at the woodworking store for contrast which was perfect. 

He applied may coats of varnish to protect the table from the elements just as he did on the benches. 

It turned out beautiful and much nicer than what I originally had in mind. 

Our fire pit is now more versatile and much more attractive when we are not using it for a bonfire. 

It has already been tested in the rain and is completely waterproof which it needs to be here in the Pacific NW. So the FP table top has become a reality but it does not stop there. Oh no, there is also a bonus project! It is so cute and will be very useful so I hope you will be back for Part 3 to find out what he has made now. 

Happy 1st Day of Summer!

DIY Backyard Fire Pit: seating area

Rain, rain go away

Bring my love a sunny day!

The weather has actually been really nice this spring however, according to the forecast, the next several days are going to be rainy just like today. No worries though, a little stormy weather won't stop the hubs. He will work in the yard rain or shine. Currently he is working on the DIY fire pit which he completely redesigned this week after asking one of our neighbors for his suggestions on the design and materials for the bench and wall. 

Last fall the fire pit itself was finished and had actually been used a few times so the last stage to be completed was the bench and wall. The rock for the seating was in place and he had also poured the cement retaining wall behind it which you can see above or go here to read the full post. His plan was to resume and finish the project in late spring early summer by covering the retaining wall with special natural looking rock in in similar color tones and made for that purpose and top the seating with wood planks. 

Well, that plan entirely changed this week and he has taken out all the big rock and is going to use all wood for the back wall and bench. 

He plans to have the entire area framed in this weekend and once we have chosen the wood he will finish it up.

His plans include a S'mores stick holder on one end as well as a wood rack on the other end. I have also asked the hubs to make a matching tabletop to cover the fire pit when not in use and am hoping I can find a few pillows to add to the bench as well.

Our flowers are beginning to bloom and our fruit and vegetables are looking good. We even had ripe strawberries this week! The DIY Total Yard Makeover is coming together and will be in full bloom soon.

So, rain or shine, I am sure there will be progress on the fire pit this week which I will be sure to share. 

Happy Saturday!

Fire Pit ~ retaining wall construction resumed

Remember this?

Well, it didn't look like this for long.

Back in August, after we had a few fun bonfires, the fire pit retaining wall had to be removed so that it could be replaced to match the new rock wall.  However, life got busy and the work was put on hold.

But that has all changed this past week. The schedule cleared, was well as the weather, and I am happy to report that construction has finally resumed.

The hubs has been working on the forms so that he can get the cement poured while the weather is good. The forecast shows more sunny days ahead so we will keep our fingers crossed!

I will post updates as the wall construction progresses which, of course, is all dependent on mother nature.

Have a beautiful Saturday!

TYM 2017 ~ fence and retaining wall removal

Another day another project.

Just when things were cleaned up and beginning to look somewhat finished around the yard it was time to start in on the next phase of the Total Backyard Makeover.

Over the weekend the hubs removed the last section of retaining wall around the fire pit and the last section of fence. He saved the strawberry plants and will replant those once he's finished with the retaining wall and seating area. 

Old fence gone, new fence coming soon!

LAWN UPDATE: 

After several weeks of heavy watering and no mowing the lawn began to look like a hay field. In fact, it was so long it showed all of our foot prints

&

you could practically hide in it!

{ Can you guess who is hiding? }

When it was finally time to cut the grass it had to be mowed 3 times and even then it was still uneven.

It took several straight days of mowing to eventually get a clean cut but it is looking great now. I will be posting more TYM updates soon. 

Happy Monday!

DIY: Total Yard Makeover ~ 2017

Our entire yard is currently in the middle of a total DIY makeover which began in the spring. It started with a drainage issue that worsened each year due to aged french drains. Each time it rained, which is often in the NW, the downhill water created waterfalls over the retaining wall which then formed creeks that ran through the yard and under the house. On big stormy days the water could not drain fast enough and puddled in the yard creating a shallow lake. During the summer months however, when it finally had a chance to dry out,  the damage wasn't very noticeable, as seen in the picture below or here and here.

BEFORE "TYM" ~ August 10, 2016

But, the time had finally come to fix the issue and after months of planning the big yard project began on 

March 19

April 1

April 5

April 11

Our beautiful pond had to be dismantled and fixed due to the damage done by the willow trees behind the fence which were removed by the hubs last August just before the new fence was built.  

May 9

Above: one of several large mounds of dirt and grass that were removed.

31 tons of rock was delivered to form the new retaining wall. Each rock was chosen, lifted and placed along the wall by the hubs.  

The old path seen below was removed and the bricks saved to use for the new fire pit area.

Below: future fire pit area

June 11

July 15

We found out that they do not make the style of brick we originally used for the paths so we had to choose a new brick style. The hubs prepped the paths and laid all the bricks. 

New: fire pit area with recycled bricks and beginning of rock bench along wall. 

last Saturday

Getting ready to lay grass on Wednesday!! The hubs picked up, spread and rolled top soil.

WEDNESDAY!

The grass arrived at 10:00am and the hubs, Miss E and a few of hubbies friends had all of it laid by 12:30. Nothing better than instant lawn!

We are so thrilled to have the lawn in however there is still more to do. I will post updates as our TYM progresses. 

Happy Friday!