Saturday, October 26, 2013

Backyard TLC

I did it! I finally completed the post about our backyard make-over!

Months later and I still can't believe we have a real yard with grass where the boys can run free and not skin up their knees or fall and hit their heads! It's amazing to see the transformation in pictures! However, I wish they were panoramic! Oh well! We didn't make it to Michigan (or Hawaii) this year but, we now have a space that will be used for many years to come... money well spent! A dream come true!

August 2010
 
March 2013
 
April 15th, 2013
 
May 2013
Concrete gone, looks pretty good...
 
May 2013
What happened? Roots, rocks, and palm trees to dig up plus more areas of concrete to remove!
 
June 2013
 
June 10th, 2013
 
 
Order of Events:
 
1. Have concrete professionally removed
I was afraid the cement was going to go through the glass door so I made the boys watch from the windows!

Lots of dirt and BIG machinery!

2. Have a new patio laid
New patio! See the AC unit hanging? We ended up having it relocated around the corner! Long story short: It ended up costing more than we wanted and the guy almost burned our house down! Typical for a small project to turn into a huge one.
 
3. Install patio cover and move AC unit
(not pictured)


4. Clear out the bad dirt and bring in the good dirt
Piles and piles of dirt!
 
More dirt and big machines!

5. Deal with the piles of mess that were EVERYWHERE!!!
It was quite overwhelming! Lost of trips to the dump!

6. Dig out the stump
This massive tree (that was located at the far, back left corner of the yard) has been a head ache since the day we moved in. It's roots were surface so it was not only ruining our yard but, all the neighbors around us. Our yard was full of it's roots and we were pulling them up for days! They even made their way up to the house and were running along the side! It was a neighborhood celebration when Shaun's hours of digging it out finally came to an end!!!
 
7. Relocate shed
Another project: Moving this shed!
1. Extra concrete had to be taken out. 
2. Ground had to be leveled.
3. A new brick foundation had to be laid.
4. Shed had to be emptied out.
5. Shed had to be taken apart.
6. Shed had to be manually moved by my dad and Shaun.
(that was a sight to see)
7. Shed had to be put back together and reloaded!
Simple, huh?!

8. Sprinklers
This was the main talk for weeks! I never knew there were so many options! They mapped it out on line and went shopping for parts!
 
9. Level the ground for...

10. SOD!!!
 
This job couldn't have been done without the help of Iso, Papa, and Uncle Manny! Thank you for giving the boys a backyard!!!
 

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