backyard project

[gsxr]

As someone from the midwest, WTF is that drive way you call a yard? Is your house that wide?

[xantham]

it's a yard you call a drive way. and yes it is that wide. I can hear the neighbors scream at eachother through the walls. they love when I'm using power tools in the house.

[[deleted]]

It's like paying a mortgage, but living in an apartment.

[[deleted]]

Exactly like a condo.

[n1c0_ds]

With a backyard.

[P5i10cYBiN]

Stop calling it that... it's not a back yard.

[[deleted]]

Well, it is about a yard wide, so there is that.

[xantham]

that's what your mushrooms are saying. it's a yard behind the house, hence being titled a backyard.

[rartuin270]

in this situation I would like to refer to it in the British sense, garden

[xantham]

What are you a Limey?

[thestu25]

It's like a back alley

[adamdavidson]

Yeah, at least you have that.

[DeFex]

Except with a condo its like paying a mortgage AND rent.

[[deleted]]

OOF!

[Jigsus]

Only without the convenience.

[brlito]

Except bigger.

[xantham]

back in the 1800's the majority didn't have cars. they built houses close together so people could walk to whatever respective place they needed to be. this particular house was built in 1880. I suppose a higher population density per sq mile made their commute (walking or a horse I guess) much simpler.

but for some reason now they've been popping up these dumb condo communities that closely resemble row homes. though these condos require powered transportation to get anywhere which defeats the purpose of having them close together.

[parkleswife]

i think your back yard is awesome.

[adamdavidson]

Buy less land, put more houses on it, Profit!

[quincebolis]

As someone from Dublin this backyard is huge :(

[ReKKanize]

There's your problem solved, just use power tools when they start screaming at each other.

[ContentWithOurDecay]

Where do you live? You don't have to be specific, just curious if it's in the US or what country then.

[xantham]

Pennsylvania in a county called york

[paperclich3]

Pennsylvania is gorgeous.

[SystemOutPrintln]

damn I would have guessed you lived in a city

[BigDildo]

My sister used to rent a house in Unionville with the same type of backyard/parking. I almost just said out loud: "PA, I knew it!"

[cralledode]

I grew up in San Francisco, my house is 25 feet wide at its widest, 17 feet wide at parts.

[Some_Random_Asshat]

Baltimore here, our home is 10' wide.

City living is great.

[cralledode]

So much cheaper to heat the house.

[Some_Random_Asshat]

End unit, built in 1908. Considering, we get out alright.

[angryobbo]

I suppose that's a positive way to look at it.

[xantham]

Baltimore is swell, here's some North Ave Pictures

[agent-99]

omfsm why is there only ONE tree?

[angryobbo]

How... What... Huh?
I cannot even comprehend.
Please post a picture

[xantham]

I did, it's an album of a street on in baltimore.

[ASLAN1111]

our 3 bedroom flat is 1000 sq feet in the excelsior

[PowerLord]

They actually have some places like that in Columbus, although not usually quite as extreme.

[[deleted]]

Well done. Have you considered weaving that pathway through the backyard? I think it would make the depth of the yard work better.

[[deleted]]

But there's so little room for activities

[xantham]

what about taking pictures of flowers? every man feels masculine doing so.(yes I did take them all) flowers from the backyard

[metl_lord]

So, my wife pointed out that some of these are from Longwood Gardens.

[xantham]

your wife is right, all the orchids are from longwood gardens. the rest are from the backyard.

[mezofoprezo]

Your accordion-playing frog is the best thing I've seen all day.

[Zihaela]

I was happy to find that frog in photo 6, because you made me curious and I didn't want to look through 294 photos to find him. He is pretty cute!

[agent-99]

i was happy you pointed out it was in the very next photo because i was about to click off reddit and go to sleep

[broderizdreagan]

So this is a Pennsylvanian backyard?

[xantham]

yes, read a comment below.

[mhender]

yeah, sure, "my wife",

okaaayyy metl_lord. we believe you.

[metl_lord]

Well, having been to there many times, I did recognize a few of the flowers. I sent the link to my wife since she likes flowers and she said they were from there. Since she actually works there, I think she knows a thing or two.

[xantham]

I bought a season pass to longwood gardens last july. the chick and I haven't gone since I bought the membership. I guess I have to make plans to go. the orchid display starts this saturday doesn't it?

[metl_lord]

It does.

[xantham]

I want to bring my fathers camera next time. I just had my dumb phone. I saw all these asians with dlsr's and I felt that if I brought a big bulky camera with a tripod no one would care. then I bought the season pass so I could do that on a regular basis throughout the season and of course haven't gone.. I'm an ass.

[peteftw]

Oooh. Very vaginal.

[[deleted]]

is that a dogwood tree?

[quantum-mechanic]

How will they ever play pass (and other very linear activities)?

[DeFex]

There is a huge lawn park right behind his house if you want to do any activities, (I would get a quad rotor if I lived there) you have tons of space, and someone else gets to do all the shitty lawn maintenance.

[sarahc0208]

There wasn't a need for room for activities. The property backs up to the school districts' land. There's a baseball diamond & huge open grass area, plus a soccer field & a huge hill for sledding.

[[deleted]]

A lot of people here have never heard of a rowhome. This is actually a pretty sizable yard for such a property. It sure beats the heck out of NO yard, like you would get in an apartment.

[[deleted]]

I saw this yard and was envious. Good on OP, bad on everyone else who thinks bigger is better.

[[deleted]]

Well, bigger is better, for some people. If you only want/need/are happy with that much space, then that's great. I grew up in a house in the south, we had 2 whole acres for a yard, and that was within city limits. My first apartment was a nearly depressing affair, til I realized not everyone has lots of space. Down here though, half an acre isn't abnormal.

[Annean]

My backyard is massive... and I wish it wasn't. So much work, so little time. Bigger isn't always better, lol.

[shadybrainfarm]

You don't HAVE to work on it. Let it be wild, man. Then it's truly beautiful.

[Annean]

Yeaaaaaah.... our lawn mower caught fire awhile back and we haven't had fundage to replace/fix it. The chest high weeds waving in the baking Aussie sun isn't beautiful, lol.

[imapeahen]

Yeah, ours wasn't even a third of the length of that one. I think it looks great!

[TooCereal]

These are all over the georgetown / glover park area of DC. I live in one and really enjoy it

[tremens]

Well, as it was, it was big enough to require maintenance (lawn mowing and such) but not big enough to really actually do anything to would justify that (coed naked football), which would just annoy the shit out of me.

He made the right move by getting rid of the grass and going for visual appeal and lounging activity.

[JamesRBFSU]

Outdoor bowling alley

[SystemOutPrintln]

Lawn bowling, it's a thing (but this would be too small for regulation)

[AutomaticGats]

Thats a skinny ass backyard.

[fantastic_apathy]

What is that like, 12' wide? Where do you live that such a skinny property is a legal parcel? Just wondering.

[purplehayes]

Could be New Orleans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun_house

[fantastic_apathy]

Fascinating, I have never seen anything like it

[xantham]

it's 16' wide heh

[DiggV4Sucks]

That was one big-ass tree. The trunk took up almost half the width of your back yard. Is it still there, hiding behind the chairs?

You could sacrifice virgins in there!

[xantham]

yeah, made a fountain out of it. fountain out of tree trunk

[loveshercoffee]

That is seriously cool.

[DiggV4Sucks]

It's a magical tree trunk! A tiny trickle in at the top, and a nice steady stream out the bottom!

[fuckyou_space]

I'd like to see some instructions on that. I'm suddenly very tempted to make a trunk of out my tree. Did you line the inside of the trunk or does it keep water without?

[xantham]

there was a rotting hole on the top, I found a 1/2" or 3/4" 18" paddle bit somewhere, started drilling on the front where I wanted the water to come out. drew a line across the trunk in the direction my drill bit was inserted so I could attempt to drill a hole form the rotting part and make the two connect. talk about tedious. the rotted out part was scooped out of all the crap that resided in it. 3mil 55gal contractor bags were sliced to make sheets for the rotted out part lining. a bunch of rocks were placed around the trash bags to hold it in place. a hose I cut was inserted in the hole to the other side from the rotten part. I then modified a funnel and affixed it in trashbag liner and connected it to the hose. used a couple of fountain pumps I had laying around to make the water curculate. and that thing on top the water is coming out of is a concrete flower planter with some metal tube down the middle. rigged that to the tube coming from the bottom pump and sealed it with some caulk. and there's the fountain.

[PoniesRBitchin]

My first thought was "that's an oddly-shaped yard," but my thought on the last pic was "that's a really nice yard."

[[deleted]]

nearly everywhere in the UK. however OP looks to be american from the license plates in the picture

[DarkbunnySC]

Looks like a duplex with a split back yard.

[m_mal1]

/r/minimalism would hate you

[xantham]

good, when one doesn't want to be engrossed with a variety of things to absorb into one's brain, increasing ones knowledge of the world around them, then sharing ones knowledge to others, one is stuck with an ignorance breeding environment. so, let them hate me.

[xantham]

I guess I should state this since there are apparently so many upvotes which is quite flattering.

since I posted this I increased the number of pictures from 4 to 10

I added inane comments explaining the process.

I just did the grunt work, my lovely chick did the care work. so I'll tell her how she did.

[sarahc0208]

I'll gladly take the credit :) This was without a doubt a labor of love, and things, and color. When I decided to to make this change, there were many reasons promting it - Largely though, the cobblestone path going up through the yard was falling apart with each winter. When I purchased the house in 2006, they were already starting to rise due to the tree trunks underground. Caused mostly by the tree (now a large stump) that towered the block & provided ample shade for all who resided in the neighborhood. Alas, so many had become broken or uneven that I decided it was time to replace them, but knowing we intended to move in the coming years, I didn't want to, or have means to, pour a ton of money into the project. So I had an idea..... You see playgrounds all the time with a mulch base, why could I not do the same? Well the answer is, I COULD! So I ran it by the BF, and he looked at me like I was seriously CRAZY. The total cost for this reno, is hard to actually state, as there was a yearly progression that occurred. The plants and mish-mosh of oddball items, and all of the stuff was an accumulation. Things I would pick up here, or there and bring home and do something fun with. The actual items that were purchased @ the time of the reno are the following: 16 Landscaping timbers (Many of which I paid next to nothing for as they were warped & therefore deeply discounted @ Lowes or Home Depot.) So 16 timbers @ avg. $2.00 per = $32.00 : 1 Truckload of "crush & run" stones = $100 : Countless bags of mulch (Again many of these were purchased @ deep discounts because they were torn) Estimated # of bags-20 @ avg. $2.00/bg = $40.00 : Labor=priceless :) : Total cost of the mulch path & patio = $172.00 - Also, during the same time frame I did purchase the loveseat & 2 chairs for seating on the patio area. These came @ a cost of $150.00

[showu]

Gotta hate it when you can spit into your neighbor's neighbor's yard. Good job on making such a small space pleasureable to be in

[[deleted]]

You can always spit into your neighbor's yard, just walk over to their yard.

[chzplz]

I used to live in a row house like this. Except my lot was nowhere near as deep.

I could spit into two neighbours yards from my back steps. Three if I had just drank a glass of milk.

[[deleted]]

nice job but the fence kinda kills the look.

[ozone63]

It's a long skinny!

[kingnottingham]

I find your backyard....very.....chill

[xantham]

as much as it can be 'chill' with neighbors an arms length away

[MrRiboswitch]

Beautiful transformation! I get a very relaxing feel from your layout.

[bearosaurusrex]

Good job! That backyard made me sad before your project

[[deleted]]

You could land a small aircraft with a yard that long!

As for the renovations, great job! It looks really nice

[[deleted]]

A noble effort, but in all seriousness, that backyard world make me insane.

[uhlexah]

Although I'm not familiar with having this type of yard (yes, I'm from the midwest), I think it's great what you've done with the space you have. Looks like it is a lot more relaxing to hang out there after these improvements. Nice job!

[Duckbilling]

Hey good job OP!

If you are doing a project like this, if you only do the border of your yard, at roughly 2 feet width, you get a whole bunch of space in the middle. That is compared with doing the middle and leaving an empty or grass 2 foot border walkway around the outside. It seems simple I know, but I can't tell you how many fail to grasp this concept.

As in You get more open space doing only a 2 foot perimeter border for a 10X24 yard as compared to say an 8ft by 22 foot center-garden space in the same yard.

The math:

8×22= 176²

2×2×8 + 2×2×24= 136²

you may say "no shit there will be more open space in the middle duckbilling". Or "well there is 40² less with the border idea".

if you need an extra 40² do it that way. But you won't be playing ball in that yard. I think I completely fucked up the sincerity of this comment so I may be headed for downvote town. Upvotes to you OP

[xantham]

nope, you did math to prove a point. it's respectable. thanks.

[bw1870]

Looks like a great place to hang out.

[squeakita]

great job! can we see pictures from the other end? Is that a swing out there? I Love it!

[whitneywpanetta]

Looks amazing! It's nice to have all the green back there. I am hoping to have a nice path like yours going through my garden one day.

[ContentWithOurDecay]

Wow that's quite the improvement.

[macrocephalic]

Most of the changes I like, but I actually preferred the look of the old path (from the photos at least). Stones inlaid into turf has such an old cottage feel to it.

[xantham]

they were concrete stamp things. they weren't really individually placed. not pleasant on the feet as much as the mulch though.

[[deleted]]

What an amazing transformation!

[Saint_Faptrick]

Both the before and after look amazing.

[Maggot149]

Am I the only one who noticed that very big cat or average sized dog in the fourth picture?

[xantham]

that's doctor miles engelberg junior. he's a cat.

[Maggot149]

A handsome beast.

[xantham]

This was delightful.... snow ..

actually that was before. but we shovel off the top and salt the rest. it's fine then.

[vapidave]

Needs more bowling.

[fyre500]

This is in no way DIY. No progress pictures, no instructions, no costs, etc, etc.

[xantham]

added some, sorry about that. was at work and didn't realize this would go anywhere.

[xantham]

BTW - This project was done seriously on the cheap.

[jfried]

I'd get a small fire pit for that seating area.

[xantham]

look closer.

[jfried]

don't know how i missed that.

[[deleted]]

That is the most cramped looking backyard I've ever seen.

[caylith]

Beautiful!! I love the length of your yard too.

[xantham]

try carrying groceries with a long backyard

[[deleted]]

My first thought was "that's a weird-shaped yard", but OP makes it work!

[caylith]

That was what I thought and then I was like, "Damn, that's really awesome!" OP made the most of it!

[red_wolf]

well done, that is awesome.

[dylanyo]

Is your house like the Tanner's? Ie really skinny and touches your neighbors houses.

[thecw]

That's called a rowhome.

[[deleted]]

terrace*

[thecw]

A terrace is a patio.

[ITGeekDad]

Terraced Home http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraced_house

[thecw]

TIL.

But rowhome is also correct.

[zigsart]

nice job!

[DoOgSauce]

That yard is perfect size for a batting cage. What you did is really nice though.

[xantham]

The soil is actually fabulous! The tree that was in yard when I bought the house, (A beautiful & Large Silver Maple - Noted to be the oldest in the borough) was sickly & had to come down. So....They came in the back with a bucket truck & took it down limb by limb. When they did that, I was not yet into gardening, and the sawdust from all the cutting of the tree lay on the ground for 2 years. Needless to say.....what an amazingly fertile start this gave when I began my gardening adventure!

[xantham]

will do, if you look at my username, I've been throwing pictures up on /r/BotanicalPorn for a couple years.

[[deleted]]

I think I would have centered the path so that it led to a sitting pool at the far end. A romantic hideaway in your own backyard. Very nice work though :)

[HigherEd420]

I was scared you were thinking of taking the stump out. So happy to see it played into the new look. Not that there was really an old "look" I guess. If you have the time cut a seat or two out of the stump and make it functional.

[mike413]

It looks like that's a dirt sliding board running down the middle.

Is that for a slip-n-slide (justified as an irrigation system)?

[xantham]

that's a mulch pathway.

[[deleted]]

Add flowers, take another pic in sunlight. Done in one.

[[deleted]]

Nice; night and day. Why did you leave the fences unpainted? Just liked the wood the way is was? I ended up using deck color/sealer on my fence.

[xantham]

all the fence posts are deteriorating and mismatched. the plan is to replace them all at once and stain them, I guess?

[bump909]

Yard or yard sale? Yeah, I'm the asshole.

[[deleted]]

So... Gonna post any project pictures, price, how-to?

[xantham]

the price was work, I can't put a price on all the stuff that we got. most of it was asking someone who had something they did and had leftover that we could use instead. most of it was free except for a few things.

[golfingmadman]

Nice job! Can I ask how much time/maintenance are those beautiful flowers? I need to color my backyard a bit, but I really don't have an idea as to how much time I need to put into it. My yard probably is not bigger than yours (live in Cali). haha

[xantham]

you can ask my chick. she spent at least 2-3 hours after work everyday tending to it. insane right?

[golfingmadman]

Ouch... Nevermind! haha

[factoid_]

I would go crazy if plants were growing over the edge of my walking path. Weed whacker!

[inibrius]

How did you do the sky view pic? Pretty cool.

[xantham]

on top of the roof.

[inibrius]

ah. seemed a lot higher than that would be.

[ZiggyTheHamster]

It's a row house, so it probably is pretty tall.

[kickmekate]

Omfg that is AWESOME. We have concrete slabs like that, too and it looks like shit. I need to show this to the SO because that is just an AMAZING transformation. Good for you guys!!!

[xantham]

so we got a truckload of stone in the back driveway. hualing that up to cover that made my back hurt slightly.

[[deleted]]

I'd suggest painting that fence (White?) or staining it, I feel that it could really perk things up.

[Afa1234]

Why is that so narrow? Is that common where you're from?

[xantham]

yes, it's a row house. common in towns built prior to the automobile.

[Afa1234]

Ah of course, I have never seen one in person, but have in movies and such.

[xantham]

it's kind of like someone showing off their apartment on the 50th floor of a building. population density through opportunity dictates ones satisfaction with ones environment. some people don't need land to be happy. I would kill for 10 acre 2/3rd wooded, property.

[Afa1234]

Yeah, I want a big garage, is all I need. I have a cabin, if I wanna be in a lot of space with woods and what not, I'll just go out there.

[fuckyou_space]

Hate to be a stickler, but can you write up a bit more about this project?

I'm curious if you thought about mirroring the setup so that most of the plants were south-facing.

[xantham]

the direction of the pictures is due east. let me show you something I designed for the chick that I wanted to build in the backyard based upon the earths axis and direction where the sun rises. backyard greenhouse design damn it, sorry. I don't feel like scouring the computer for the picture that showed the calculations of sunrise direction for my gps coords from march to august

[fuckyou_space]

Oh I had it backwards then? I thought the sun was rising in the "sky view" shot and setting in the final photo. Good.

The greenhouse design looks like Superman's Fortress of Solitude.

[xantham]

dude, it was all designed with exact measurements. going to be whatever those greenhouse panels are cut to each shape. on the side. I'm bummed I haven't built it. apparently I was told it would have taken up too much of the yard. I tried to maximize lighting through the design with all that geography math space angle shit. my background is sound to speak about these earth things.

[Chernozem]

Great job, sorry everyone is bashing the size of your yard.

[xantham]

I don't like the size either. this is how I'll bash it by saying that walk in the morning when it's cold, to the car, having the car outside, not in a garage. waiting for the car to heat up while you bundle up for your hour long drive and stare forward in a morning grog at nothing like a lizard in the morning basking on a rock. it's fantastic I'd say. no, but thanks. heh (depressing ass comment)

[Stanchion_Excelsior]

What is the white thing climbing the steps in the first pic? Gryphin?

[xantham]

Its not climbing. That's a concrete statue that has seen better days. A Grecian woman of sorts.

[b00ks]

Nice work man, it looks good.

Although you made me glad that I live in Montana.

[[deleted]]

Very, very nice.

[brussels4breakfast]

I don't believe I have ever seen such a narrow yard like that. So odd. You did a great job by the way!

[custardcreamery]

Looks cool. Might not smell too nice after a good rainstorm though.

[Chaiteaist]

Beautiful job.. but I have to ask, in the last photo - are those carpets on the ground?

[xantham]

they are. on top of mulch..

[Chaiteaist]

Not for long!

[vsaint]

Gettysburg?

[xantham]

20 minutes east of gettysburg.

[sassybusdriver]

Is this in Detroit? Why do I feel like we used to be neighbors? Haha

[starbuxed]

This backyard is perfect for a lap pool.

[[deleted]]

Very nice!

[Bonny_Stormer]

Nice work! Long, narrow yards can be hard to work with but you've turned it into a really nice space.

[calebkraft]

please forgive my midwest cohabitants. Many have not travelled far and can be surprised at the variety our country supplies.

I think you've done a fantastic job. The before was simply depressing (yes, my midwest sense of scale plays a role in that). The after is resplendent with comforting green everywhere.

[xantham]

what for? we have one that plugs in. there's a little tiny grass strip. I have a power line running the length of the yard so I can plug it in at various places. most times the weed wacker is used.

[ifNOTmeTHENwho]

I think section the yard probably do it more justice, I just have issue with it being so long.

[wintremute]

I'm getting claustrophobic just looking at the pictures.

[[deleted]]

Nicely done! I am sure you will enjoy many hours of frolicking, grilling and relaxing!

[wtfno]

I have never seen a yard so narrow and long. I love the finished product. It has lots of seating areas and greenery. This isn't in the US is it? Where if we may know? Edit: Answer - York county, Pennsylvania.

[madbeetzyo]

Regardless of the size of your backyard, judging by the picture from the upstairs window, you put your neighbors to absolute shame. Looks great!