Anatomy of a Wall

Here we go. The walls around my elevated area and water feature have started. For a while I have been staring at the trenches (where they pour the foundation) - trying to figure out how the finished area will look. Well the crew has poured the foundation and now has placed the first course of blocks. Suddenly I feel like I can imagine how it will look. They have also excavated a bit more of the yard - it really feels big right now.

Oh yeah I almost forgot

Okay, so the whole project got under way officially on Monday, May 19th. As is almost always the case, we hit a snag one minute number one. It turns out that the main water line for our neighborhood runs down the street about 4 feet in front of my house. Well that sucker sprung not one, but two leaks. So when my crew showed up to start my house, they were met with three city trucks and a bulldozer tearing up the street right in front of my house... exactly where the crew needed to park and access my yard. In true fashion, it took a week to dig up the line, find the leaks and patch the road. In the end, the project started on the 27th (the 26th was Memorial Day). Hopefully we got the bad luck out of the way early. Anyone with me on that thought?

Demo is under way

Well there is no going back now. In about two days time, the landscape crew removed all of the old plants, boxed up the ones I intend to re-use and have started the soil removal. If you haven't experienced it before, demo always goes really fast. It is odd how jarring it is when you first encounter the scene - it is so different.

While you're at it

Okay, so as we started the work on my back yard, I took advantage of the crew to help me give the front a face lift as well. As you can see, the front of my house was adorned by a hybiscus and a couple of privets. You might not be able to tell from the photos, but they were well over 30 years old. The trunks on the privets were about 12-14" wide - not a good thing to be so close to my house foundation. The hybiscus was attractive, but the wood was also ancient and it was showing the signs of being kept as a hedge for too long. I'm not quite sure about the future plan for the front, but I am leaning towards day lilies - simple and colorful.

The Apricot

I guess some folks find apricots tasty... or should I say some insects. Take a look at the termite impact on the tree. I was told that the tree would have collapsed within a year

More Yard

Here are a few more shots at the existing conditions in my yard. Notice the closeup on the apricot. We aren't looking too good.

The Yard

Here's the deal... I live in a small house and I have a good sized back yard. But there's a problem - my backyard looks like it was designed by a early 50's homemaker. It is utilitarian and orderly. I've got a concrete pad that used to host a clothes line... I have a row of ancient roses, I have a linear planter overgrown with star jasmine (light on aroma - not like the strong scent of pink jasmine), and I have a couple of ancient fruit trees. Upon closer inspection, you would find that my orange tree is about 50% dead and the apricot tree is completely riddled with termites. Did I mention that I have an inedible fig tree? Not that I like figs in the first place, but this sucker just adds insult to injury - bright green fruit twice a year that drop like rocks and never ripen. Oh, and the yard also has wood-sided raised vegetable planting beds. All in all, this yard just doesn't cut the mustard for my preference.

So here I go - I am undertaking a project to scrape the earth in my back yard and reconceive the space so that I get a couple of outdoor rooms and a lot more usable space. I get both encouragement and discouragement from my friends on this one, but dang gang, this is my yard and when I am done you will have no doubts. Take a look at the existing conditions.