Yard Makeover

One of the things that attracted us to our house was its corner location in a quiet neighborhood. Our lot is just shy of a half acre which is plenty of space for the two of us.  When we lived in our apartment, we dreamed of having our own yard.  The hubs literally couldn't wait to get his hands dirty.  Now that that dream has become a reality, though, it's a lot more work than either of us could have imagined.  Below are the only real before shots we have, which are actually from the original listing.

 

I will make a confession though, we were not thrifty when it came to the yard (hanging my head in shame). Our house was unoccupied all last summer and fall and therefore, the yard was overgrown and full of weeds and leaves. After much deliberation, we decided that we just didn't have the time to devote to the yard (as much as the hubs wanted to). So, we loosened the purse strings and had a company come in to do a spring clean-up. They weeded everything, hauled away all the leaves, and trimmed the bushes. I do have to admit, it was money well-spent.  Once that was done, we ordered mulch and the hubs spent a weekend spreading it. I tried to help...and lasted 45 minutes. Yard work is exhausting! I have a newfound respect for the hubs. He does it all without a single complaint and is looking forward to the upkeep. It looks sooo much better now!

Most of the plants in the yard just needed to be spruced up, and a few we bought at Home Depot and Lowe's to add some color. 

Before we bought the house, we knew it needed a new septic that was to be the responsibility of the sellers. This was installed just before we closed, but the yard had to be ripped up in order to do it. Then, in the early spring, the septic guys came back to reseed the lawn they tore up for the new tank. We weren't exactly sure how the new grass would come in, but it looks great thanks to a lot of care from the hubs. I wish I had more before pictures so you can see the transformation (note to self: get better at documenting projects) but just know that this area was a big pile of dirt just a few months ago.

Our house also came with a garden in the front yard. I'm not so thrilled with its front location, but that area does get the most sun, so I understand why the previous owner's put it there. A former co-worker was kind enough to give me some tomato plants she started and we cleaned up the front bed and planted those along with some peppers. We also planted some basil and cilantro.  We actually used the basil for a pizza last week which I'm just now realizing I should have taken a quick pic of.  Anywhoo, everything is starting to grow and we're seeing our first signs of tomatoes. I guess I can cross "grow a garden" off the list!

The backyard is coming together as well.  The in-laws gave us some cute adarondack chairs for our first anniversary present and we just added a fire pit.  I'm hoping to grab some more chairs and a patio set at the end of the season when everthing gets marked down.  We also want to add some outdoor lighting and extend the back patio in the near future.

For now, though, we are so thrilled that the landscaping is all done and we can sit back and start to enjoy our outdoor space while there's still some summer left.

Be well,