I've been loving the backyard landscaping lately so I thought I would share a few pictures of the way it turned out. Most recently we've almost finished spreading mulch around some of the beds and the new patio. And I poured the concrete patio. And it's awesome.
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| Finished adding the deck skirting below level 1 |
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| Springtime in NC! Daffodils are blooming |
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| We mounted the swingset between 2 trees. This might be a bad idea. |
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| Border outline for the patio |
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| Concrete up to the pad for the fountain |
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| larger view |
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| The patio starts with these stepping stones |
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| Then I got to concrete and gravel through the rest of them |
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| It's snowing! The view from the deck |
Eventually we also spread out some grass seed. It hasn't really taken as well as I hoped so we might still tear up the entire thing and lay some sod. But for now, the end results is really cool
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| Looks good! |
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| One happy landscaper |
About pouring that patio. I ended up using 21 (80lb) bags of high strength concrete from Lowe's, about $4 each. I poured a 2" slab, thicker in some parts to compensate for the uneven ground beneath. The soil is very compact right there, I added a gravel base and made sure I had a clean solid surface to pour over. So far, it looked like it worked! The concrete has cured, is strong, and we've moved a table & chairs out there, and hung some outdoor lighting over it to make it even more fun. 1700 lbs of 'crete doesn't play games.
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| Finished off the stepping stones part |
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| pouring a slab |
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| Also had to cut up the rest of that swingset and get rid of it |
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| Only 2 more bags to go! |
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| So ready to be done by this point |
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| DONE!! |
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| We all carved our initials and handprints into the wet concrete |
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| yes it's done! |
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| Took the plywood forms down |
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| And the swingset is gone |
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| Decorated |
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| The family approves |
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| Now with mulch, but the lights aren't up in this one |
Ok so I should have made this patio a separate post. It turned out great!! The family absolutely loves it. Spring is hitting NC, and we're all really enjoying the entire backyard. Now if only that grass seed would germinate.
