| Friday, August 08, 2008 |
| DIY landscaping |
Our other project this summer (besides weddings) has been landscaping the side yard. Living in the mountains often means that yards can be less than level, and our house is built into the side of a hill. So while the front yard is pretty flat the backyard is not, and the west side of our house, in particular, was fairly inaccessible to the backyard (frankly, the only thing it did was give good momentum to soccer balls that wandered off course from the driveway.) So, Mark came up with a great landscaping plan that was threefold: to make the backyard accessible from the driveway, to make the space more visually appealing, and to prevent erosion as every rainfall was carrying dirt right down the hill with it.
So this is the yard back in mid-April. Mark was using the hose to try and visualize some rock walls, and you'll notice at the very top of the photo that our rock order (2 1/2 tons of rock) had already arrived. We chose to work with stone from a local quarry because we really wanted to keep the design natural.
Here's the next shot of everything in progress. The rocks are drystacked on top of each other to form the walls and Mark used much larger slabs to create the steps. This photo was taken at the end of June, I think, shortly after we'd ordered a dumptruck load of dirt (15 cubic yards) and had begun to use it to fill in the walls. The kids did their part by packing down the dirt while playing on top of it. ; ) The really fun part about having rocks and dirt delivered is that we still had to transport everything down the hill. (Also known as our great summer weight-loss plan.)
And here, finally, at the end of July, is the project by solar light. A couple things to point out:
The rain barrel (a repurposed whiskey barrel) is there to collect rain water, obviously, since before it was just pouring out the bottom of the gutter and taking dirt down the hill with it. But it also has a hose on it so that we can water the plants in the beds created by the walls, which should be really handy next summer. We put down Cypress mulch and relocated about 5 plants that we had in the front of the house to try and help hold the dirt in place. We also added 5 azalea plants which you'll see next to the stone steps, plus a crape myrtle and two wild roses which are in the beds.
All in all, this project cost us about $800 for rock and dirt, including delivery charges. The rain barrel was Mark's gift for Father's Day...I think it was about $70 (not including shipping) and weighs about 70 pounds without water in it. We already had our main tools - a wheelbarrow, 2 shovels, and gloves. The rest was a heck of a lot of sweat equity, water, and icees in the afternoons. We probably could have finished it sooner but we knew we'd have 10 weddings on weekends in this time span, too, so we allowed ourselves the summer to get it done.
The next phase is rebuilding a dry river bed which you can sorta see in the last photo to the right of the azaleas & stone steps, as that is the point where most of the rain descends the hill. Oh yeah, and our brother-in-law is working on a deck that covers the concrete patio directly behind our house. I'll have to show you that, too, when it's done. And then there's the dining room where I want to put up crown molding and repaint, but I should really stop talking before Mark collapses.Labels: our house |
posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7:46 AM  |
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| 11 Comments: |
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You did an amazing job. It is just beautiful !!!!
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that really looks great! good job guys!!! and i LOVE the pictures from Laura's wedding! i am so excited to order them!- Ali Parris
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VERY cool -- Mark must love you very much. :)
We did our sprinkler system this year, and I thought THAT was crazy. :)
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Oh my gosh! This looks fantastic! Go you! Would you let me know where you got the whiskey barrel? We are looking into doing something like that too, especially since we get a lot of stroms during the summer. Reduce, reuse, recycle. :)
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It looks amazing! Very impressed!! :)
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Mark & Jo, this looks TERRIFIC! I vividly remember what it was like when we visited you last year. You've done some terrific DIY projects this past year. Miss you guys and wished we lived closer!
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this looks amazing - kudos to you both [and hk and cole]. and i want a rain barrel for our next house. yes i do.
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Since I am a former professional landscaper I can add my seal of approval! I'm impressed Mr. Bolick. The rain barrel is a great touch! Can't wait to see it in person. Miss you guys...
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Looks awesome!
Great place for photos!!! :)
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It looks just wonderful Joanna! We need to come see your house sometime and have you over to see ours! Our yard sure could use some of your hard work! ;) Great seeing you the other day!
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You did an amazing job. It is just beautiful !!!!