Backyard Facelift

Or maybe I should say butt-lift? I gave my house a butt-lift? Hm. Whatever you wanna call it, we did a major backyard over-haul. MAJOR. When Josh and I bought this house in 2008 we were not pleased with the backyard. We would brainstorm on ways to fix it. There were so many problems with the backyard, not just cosmetic. For starters, anytime it rained water would pool in our yard. The backyard stayed wet with 2 inches deep of mud and only moss would grow in the "grass." Josh had tried his best to fix the drainage issues, but the only time you could "play" in the backyard was when the weather stayed dry for weeks. The backyard issue just seemed to get more of an eyesore to me as our boys grew. They pretty much could only play in the driveway. And I longed for a back porch that we could sit out upon and enjoy a nice evening. Maybe even entertain. Our backyard was something I seemed to complain about, and an overhaul was something I wished for, on a weekly basis. I even took pictures and entered a local "Backyard Makeover" contest put on by one of the local news stations. I hoped so badly to win. We just didn't even know where to turn. The whole idea of a project seemed so overwhelming.

Then one day I was hanging out at a neighborhood friend's house after a walk and she started telling me what they were about to do to their patio/backyard area. I told her what I longed for regarding ours. After this conversation, I took my ideas to Josh, fully expecting that he would shoot me down. But he surprised me. He was on-board with a total backyard make-over. So we asked our friends for the references, got some quotes and ideas, and took a hard look at our finances. We discussed the return on our investment should we sell this place, as well as the enjoyment factor of being able to use our backyard to its full potential. It was going to be a big job. It turned out our drainage issues were much bigger than we thought and our existing retaining wall would have to be completely ripped out and redone correctly (something we didn't anticipate!). We decided to proceed, and prayed we had the money! Prayed we made the right decision! We were both so nervous. But in the month that the backyard has been completed we have enjoyed it more times than we had over the past 5 years! Already getting our money's worth. We are absolutely in love with our new space.

Before

The old retaining wall is removed, block-by-block!

A footer dug and concrete poured for the base of the new retaining wall

The new retaining wall is in! And it is STRAIGHT! And Gorgeous! Josh and I decided this alone changed the look of the backyard. We couldn't have imagined what was to come...

 

All the work in our yard was free entertainment for the boys. Keagan especially was in heaven!

It took a couple weeks for the weather to cooperate, but then the concrete was poured!!! Love at first sight.

Finishing touches: sod, knockout roses in a planter, and stepping stones. All that is left to do is to landscape the hillside behind the retaining wall. This will take place next spring as we've run out of time (and money!).

And these "before" pics are the ones I entered into the Backyard Makeover contest which I didn't win. I happened to take "after" pics from the same angle (not purposefully) and I am amazed about what a huge difference these pictures show. Like I said, our house got a butt lift.

If you want to come enjoy our backyard with us, c'mon! We'll get the firepit going and the s'mores ready! And if you need your back (or front) yard overhauled, call the Hansen Brothers...they are GOOD. And not just in their work, but their good communication throughout this whole project.