The Backyard is Done!

It's been finished for a couple of weeks now, but I've been waiting to get some good pictures of the backyard. The concrete is 95% cured, though there are still some dark spots on the side of the house....they'll go away in time. There are more pictures at the end of the Backyard Album, but here are a couple of teasers.

This side is a bit more colorful, with yellow adirondack chairs, a purple umbrella, and a mixed pastel tablecloth.

The path connects the two patio areas, and we're really happy with how the lawn and planted areas have turned out.

The gazebo and patio furniture look great together....this patio has the darker decor. They work really well as a shaded seating area; we've already had several get-togethers out there.

The yard is peaceful and relaxing. We love it all!

We Have Concrete!

There wasn't a ton of progress made on Day 5, and I didn't get any pictures, so you'll have to take my word on that. They filled in the trench and got all the drainage in place, but still didn't finish all the concrete forms or the rebar.

Which meant that early on Day 6 (around 6:30am), there were fifteen workmen in our backyard, trying to get everything ready before the concrete showed up at 9am. They added a layer of compacted sub-base (the hard-packed stuff under the concrete) and finished the forms and rebar for the right patio and the right side walkway.

Then the concrete truck showed up and deposited its load into a big hopper in front of our house. This was connected to a high-pressure hose that they snaked all the way around the house. They started on the left side and worked their way across the back patios and down the right side of the house, so they weren't "painting themselves into a corner."

To begin, it just looked like a lake of mud in the backyard, but they quickly created the score lines and detailing to give each patio some definition. This picture shows how they would measure out the distance between the score lines, then snap a string across the patio to mark where each one should go. Then another guy came by and actually cut the grooves with a sharper tool on a long pole. Finally, they came out on their hands and knees, using special knee pads that held them from knee to toe and distributed their weight across a large surface. They touched up all the smooth surfaces and carefully carved the edges.

When it was done, they left it to dry. It will take a few days for us to be able to walk on it without worry, and it will dry quite a bit lighter than the color in these pictures. We think it looks great, though, and we can't wait to be able to use our beautiful new patios.

On Day 7, they just came and removed the forms around the concrete. On Monday they'll lay the irrigation for the lawn and planters, and then the sod will go in that afternoon or early on Tuesday. Planting and touch-ups will continue for a couple of days, so we should be done by Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

I took a lot of pictures during this portion of the job, mainly because I found the concrete process fascinating, and they were doing such a great job turning a river of mud into a great patio. I've posted some of the pictures on our photo site, along with descriptions of what was happening. If you're at all curious how all of this gets done, take a look.

Backyard Day 4

Day 4 (Monday) brought a few changes, though many of them are not obvious. They laid rebar for the concrete patio on the left side of the house, as well as the walkway to the other side of the yard. They also put in a French drain behind the wall and completed a few more concrete forms. I've added a few new pictures to the photo blog.

Unfortunately there was no work on Tuesday because we had to wait for the city inspector to come out and approve a buried electrical conduit. That went well and the landscapers will continue working on Wednesday for a planned concrete pour on Thursday. Today we had someone from the local nursery come by the house to visualize the size and location of our planters, in order to give us recommendations on plants that might work in the space. We've picked out the majority of our plants and will have the landscapers plant them next week before they finish. Though everything will be small to start, the plants should all grow into their respective spots in the next six months to a year.

We also have to pick our concrete color tomorrow. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pick the color that will take up 1100 square feet of our yard (that's as big as our entire condo!) from two-inch pieces of paper on a concrete color sample chart? The colors are numerous and though there are a wide variety, there are also some with only subtle differences. Telling the difference between the Omaha Tan and the Sequoia Sand, and then visually projecting it onto the entire patio area, ties my mind in knots. D is better at that sort of visualization...I can picture the shapes and sizes, she can picture the colors. For a glimpse into what the choice is like, take a look at the Davis Colors website. We have to choose from these options....just about anything in the "Subtle" or "Standard" sections.

We'll see how everything looks when it's done, which could be as early as the middle of next week. We've already purchased patio furniture and a standalone gazebo that are ready to spruce up the yard, and we'll have about ten people staying with us within a week of finishing the work....just in time!

Backyard Renovations

We've been having work done on our backyard for a few days now, and there's really been some great progress. I've taken pictures at the end of each day, and I'll be adding to an album of the best shots. The whole album is available here, but I've also thrown a few pictures in to give you a good idea of the work being done.

Day 0- Before the work started, we had a large slope at the back of the yard (pictured here), a good-sized area of dirt between the slope and the house, a cut-out side patio (also dirt), and two narrow walkways down either side of the house. The only greenery was the ground cover on the slope (provided by the builders), and the soil is rocky and full of clay.

Day 1- The first day was mainly focused on excavation of the lower portion of the slope, plus a little bit of digging for trenches.

Day 2- The second day saw the wall footings poured and two layers of brick placed, as well as significantly more excavation and insertion of drainage.

Day 3- The wall was completed on the third day, and forms were placed for planters and concrete patios. The general shapes of the patios and walkways are now visible, and the ground is being prepared for concrete.

Here's the album with pictures from all different angles:

From Backyard