Abstract
The backyard layout from the previous owner was suitable for a less active function. Clusters of floral plants and rock formations are aesthetically pleasing to view from a patio chair in the back porch area. Our daughter began walking and we soon realized we will need to re-landscape the back yard to better suit our future needs.
Introduction
The year is 2014. The family have been living in the house for three years and the last 21 months, our daughter have been our fully dedication. Three months ago, she started walking and we soon realized that she won’t be able to run in our backyard. The current layout has a half circle piece of grass edged with brick and a smaller concentric circle of flagstone. A pathway of flagstone follows the house and wraps around to the two gates that encloses the backyard. Tangential to the circle of grass are two circles of brick that encircles a rock feature surrounded by roses, carnations, primroses, and other plants. Along the wall in the center is another rock formation with the same flowers and flanked by two false yuccas on each side. At the corners of the lot, there is an apple and plum tree.
The goal is to open up the backyard completely and thus the project was aptly titled Open Space. All the rock formations, the entangling lines of brick, all the plants, will be removed within a certain boundary and we will try to retain as much as we can that won’t affect the main space. The first phase is demolition, edge the new grass area with the bricks and add sprinklers. The last phase is stabilize the grass and plant bushes on the back wall. Hopefully, with this goal in mind, project Open Space will become the grounds for days of hours of fun and memories.
First Phase
The new layout is designed to use existing brickwork and plants. The apple, peach, and plum trees will be staying. Straight brick lines will edge a rectangular grass area using a quarter of the two circles as the corners. Since there will be a lot of removal, Dad has asked Mom’s father to bring the dump trailer so they can take it to the dump in one trip. So for a week, while the trailer was on premise, dad and his father-in-law started breaking up all the old bricks and mortar except for the the bricks that are marked to stay. We filled the 6’x 10′ 2′ tall and took it to the Eagle Rock convenience center. Unfortunately, the convenience center does not accept construction materials and so we had to go to the Southwest landfill. They charged by weight and all that concrete ended up costing us over $50 to get rid of it.
Soon all the debris was removed and all that was left was to finish the brick. Note: A lesson learned, you can’t think of everything so always measure, measure, measure. Dad did not think that it might actually be possible that the round circles may not be in line with the half circle in the grass and thus connecting the “dots” he learned his line will not making it the south circle. Lazy and too eager to finish the job, he just cut the brickline to get the two ends to match and he has hated it ever since.
A 4’x8′ raised garden did exist where the north brick edge was gonna intersect through, so dad moved it to the south wall where it will fit between the south brick edge and the wall. It was cut down to 4’x4′ and it will soon be apparent that it was not a good move. Note:Check the available sun needed for the plants you want to grow before planting it.
After the brick is done, dad trenched new lines to add 4 sprinklers in the corner of the grass area. Using a cutter mattock, he trenched the piping and tee’d up the sprinkler risers.
Annex Phases
The extra 4 sprinklers, making a grand total of 10 sprinklers, was too much for a single zone. The water hammer effects rung the whole house and Dad decided to split the zone into a north and south zone.
