If you've been following along on the backyard updates, you know that there are two big things going on:
I've brought in dirt and rented a backhoe to help me fix a number of lingering issues going on back there: fill in a sinkhole, grading, etc. It's a shitload of work.
I've brought in a LOT of DIRT. Which… is going to look really brown for a while before it gets better (I'll get to the grass seeding part of the update eventually, but my landscaper neighbor advised a wait about a month). And that part kind of sucks, no matter how much I know it's eventually going to pay off.
Sometimes when I'm in the middle of a big makeover, I waffle (hehe) between these highs and lows. That anticipation of how it's going to look someday versus the hot mess that it looks like right now can be a little more disheartening than I'd like, and I have to put in effort to make sure that I don't give up halfway through. As a pick-me-up, I will simultaneously work on something with a shorter wait time for the big payoff. (This post contains a few affiliate links, which help support this site at no additional cost to you while I simultaneously recommend the stuff I like. For more, see my disclosure page.) And that's the logical explanation for how I found myself staining Adirondack chairs and making over planters for a deck I haven't even built yet.
A word about staining things like this: maybe wipe-on Waterseal isn't the way to go. The nooks and crannies tend to make everything a giant mess, and apparently, I'm not a good enough planner to reach for a pair of latex gloves sometimes.
Luckily (???), I got frustrated enough with chair number one to try a spray version for chair number two (similar). It did the job a lot better for reaching into the tighter areas and in a lot faster time. And my hands didn't look like that.
The color, by the way, is called Acorn Brown. I wanted something more brown than red, and this was the closest match to what I had in mind.
I like them so much, I think I might order two more to get a full set of four. And as luck would have it, they are on sale right now with an extra 10% off for Labor Day weekend. So, I'm pretty sure two of those are going to wind up magically walking themselves out of the online cart and on their way to my front door. There are also these foldable versions that look almost the same, but I'm not quite sure yet.
I then stumbled onto some planters on clearance at Lowe's ($6.98 each – more than 50% off until the end of October). I kind of love it when things go on sale just because of the color (the silhouette on these are really simple, so the only difference seemed to be that the red and blue ones had been selling better). My gain!
Equally funny to me is how they were clearly manufactured in black (you can see based on the inside of them in the above photo) and that's the color I actually wanted. So, these ugly yellowish things have been spray painted black with some outdoor plastic spray paint, which makes for a pretty nice upgrade. Or downgrade… back to its roots. Whatever. The important thing is, they're black now and they look better that way.
I should have another post for you guys on Sunday regarding the stools in the kitchen that are going under the new bar area. I just figured out how to use my router again, so it's finally going to get finished and installed. Woot!
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy & effectiveness of the information displayed on this website, The Ugly Duckling House is for entertainment purposes only. All tutorials and demonstrations are not intended to be professional advice (nor substitute as such), and I make no guarantees as to the procedures and information here. Creating with my suggested methods, materials, and tools is under your own risk. Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and seek professional advice if you don't know how to do something! Read my complete disclosure here.
You know, it's funny - this month has easily been one of the most productive I've had in about a year. But despite all of this change happening so quickly around the UDH, finding the energy again at night to relive all of the details of the things I've been doing all day is proving to be tougher than I expected. Regardless, I decided to hunker down a little today (thank you, rain!) along with the kajillion photos I took as I filled in the backyard sinkhole, and break off post number two for you. If you've been missing part one of the recap about my backyard makeover project - the one where I ordered a truckload of fill dirt, called the utility companies in to give me the go-ahead, and rented a freaking backhoe to do all of this DIY style - you might want to click over here to get those details before I jump in. I'll be right here when you get back.
Ok, done reading that long ass post? Go fill up another cup of coffee, because we're going to do it again. Let's get started!
At the end of two days (which wound up being a total of five, but I'll get to that) of moving dirt into my back yard from its original location on my driveway (the power lines and the width of the gate had prevented the dirt supplier from delivering to my backyard directly), I had a random, weird thought that kept catching me by surprise: I'm standing in a part of my yard I've never really stood before.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
The “sinkhole fill project” (what I've been calling it) has been on my to-do list since I moved in. This means that for YEARS, there have been parts of the yard that were craggy, filled with weeds and yard debris, and simply uninviting to walk around in (Charlie doesn't mind, but I do). In fact, back in 2010 when I moved in, there were even more obstacles back there than there are now: five extra pine trees, boatloads of pine straw preventing any grass growth, and ivy growing everywhere. The only thing it was suited for was turning a blind eye and contemplating a controlled fire (I kid, but only a little). I'm betting if you visited me back then, you would have suggested the same.
2010-2012
After a year or two of focusing on the interior, I then decided to attack the ivy and get rid of it for good, since ivy is home to loads of bugs (some of which went down my bra as I yanked and slashed the ivy down) and can threaten the life of healthy trees (which thankfully stayed out of my underwear):
2013
Each time I made an improvement, the yard just seemed to look sadder and sadder, even though I knew it was heading in the right direction. The ivy provided a lot of green color, but it wasn't ideal for the trees. Once the ivy was gone though, the sheer number of trees in the yard proved to have its own issues - namely, the pine straw that just made everything more brown. Meh.
After saving up a little cash, I decided that instead of hiring a company to limb all of the branches a few years later, I might as well just spend the dough to take them out permanently:
2015
I left one remaining tree in the center of my yard, just to keep some shade back here and provide a tie-out for Charlie when needed (despite putting in my tall fence, she jumps it if she isn't leashed). Plus, after the other trees had been removed and the stumps ground down, there was still a large mound of dirt to address on the left side. I moved some of the awkwardly placed plants closer to the fence, but wasn't sure what to do next.
This dirt hill almost directly mocked the sinkhole that sat next to it on the other side, and I knew that someday (whenever that may be), I'd probably need to level things out a lot more if I ever wanted to actually use this yard as anything other than empty space. With everything I'd already done, this project always seemed to be too big to tackle… yet.
2012 2016
It's All About Timing
I expected I would probably have to hire labor and equipment and instruct them to essentially push the mound over, reducing the height of the mound as well as raising the depression in the back section of the yard… and maybe bring in more dirt if the yard couldn't be filled in enough on its own supply. In all honesty, just thinking of the various steps I'd need to take sounded way too expensive to even investigate further at the time, so I put it on the back burner and worked on a few more interior projects without doing much additional research. But, that's also why I kind of like working on several projects at once: not only does it keep the makeover train moving along, but it sometimes allows solutions to find their way to me. Earlier this spring, Compact Power Equipment Rental contacted me to ask if I had a need for renting any large equipment or would be interested in partnering with them as a sponsor. Much to my surprise, I found out that through select Home Depot locations, they were a company who allowed professionals and DIYers alike to rent out machinery like this:
Wait - you mean I can rent one of these suckers myself? And save cash on labor costs? Uh, yeah, actually, I'd love to talk to you more about that. Also, how would you like to be my new best friend? Can I cook you dinner? Er, um… order you some Chinese food? Or pizza? I make a mean “call to the pizza place”… it's my culinary specialty.
The best part of the whole thing was, it was all mine. Once I wiped the drool off my face and did an embarrassing seal clap in front of Chuck, the regional rep who was going to teach me how to use this thing, I got to work. And by that, I mean learning how to scoop bucketfuls of dirt (which takes a little bit more skill than you might think):
… drive (carefully) around my yard and through my fence:
…and deposit all of its contents into the slowly disappearing sinkhole.
I also had to learn how to reset the seat between using it to drive the front loader and spinning it around to use the backhoe. This model had a number of safety features so that the seat locks into place. You have to use a seatbelt and make sure it has an audible click when you spin it around or the seat will be dislodged as you drive over bumps and the engine will cut off. It will also cut off if you're just not a very heavy individual and the seat bounces your weight forward, which will also cause the seat to click out of place - adding to the comedy my neighbors probably witnessed as the engine would suddenly stall, and I would have to literally slam my butt back into the seat until it clicked, then turn the engine back on. I lost count of how many times this had to happen.
The backhoe also had pins that secured the arm to keep it from extending while the front loader drove; unless they line up perfectly, the pins won't come loose, but once they do, the full features of the backhoe can be used.
I really did feel pretty awesome riding around on this thing. I mean, I live in a small subdivision where houses are relatively close to each other. My neighbors were naturally curious, but the best part of any outdoor makeover project is that exterior improvement projects are contagious. I knew that if I did this thing right, I'd have a gorgeous backyard that everyone would want to come check out. Plus, I'm kind of that neighbor who is always clearly working on something, so I'm pretty sure they just shrug and think, there she goes again.
Speaking of the fence, figuring out how to lift and move the gate was kind of a comical event as well. It came off in one panel (phew), but I'm also about a fourth of this thing's size, so moving it around was less graceful and more like a cartoon (I honestly wish I could think of the clip that I have faint memories of, but I can't seem to find it online… if I do, I'll link it).
By the end of the first day, I had about half of the dirt from the driveway redistributed into the yard. I was exhausted, but it became clear that I'd probably need more dirt than I initially estimated, and a load of topsoil to help establish grass would be a good option for the last load. In my defense, though, I really did think I had plenty at first. Wouldn't you?
I shot a quick live video on Facebook about the whole first day, and hopefully this embeds for you below. If not, just click on over here.
Day 2: Dad's Help and Backhoe Party!
Okay, so it was really more of a casual thing than a big party, but I invited a handful of my friends over on Saturday to see me in action, help me take video (I'm hoping to have a Youtube recap video to accompany the final post), and maybe even get a little free labor off of my friends who think playing around on a backhoe is a fun way to spend a late Saturday afternoon. And for the record, the brews were shared after we called it quits (no drinking and backhoeing)!
When the first few arrived, my role went from student to teacher and I gave everyone the lowdown on how to operate things, where levers were to stabilize the backhoe, etc.
Honestly, I didn't expect so many folks to show up, but a good number of them were willing to hop on for a few minutes and give it a whirl. Some were intimidated (when you grip onto a root and it doesn't want to give, it can lift or move the machine in a way that makes you feel off balance), while others took to using the backhoe like total champs, ripping out a bunch more roots while I just stood around making “dirty hoe” puns. It also made me realize that I need to really work on having people over to this house a LOT more often, because DIY is considerably more fun when there's an audience who is willing to get their hands dirty. It's just not worth all of this work if I'm not opening it up to people, right?
Before they came over though, Dad set aside yet another Saturday in his lifetime to help me work on this house. I'm sorry folks, but my dad is probably way more awesome than your dad (I'm sure he's nice and all, but mine helped level out the yard, so…).
At the end of day 2, I took another live video to reveal how much progress can really happen in a single day. Again, if you aren't seeing the video embedded below, just click on over to my Facebook page to view.
And if you aren't into video, here is a pretty decent glimpse of the progress thus far:
I honestly took SO many photos during this whole thing that there are way too many for this post, which means I need at least one more to cover the rest. There will be a giveaway for you guys too in part 3! I have some other progress to share with you soon as well, so stay tuned. But first: what have you been up to this week?
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy & effectiveness of the information displayed on this website, The Ugly Duckling House is for entertainment purposes only. All tutorials and demonstrations are not intended to be professional advice (nor substitute as such), and I make no guarantees as to the procedures and information here. Creating with my suggested methods, materials, and tools is under your own risk. Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and seek professional advice if you don't know how to do something! Read my complete disclosure here.
I have more of the leveling, grading, and sinkhole saga coming to you soon, but I also promised another sneak peek this week, so I wanted to go ahead and show you something I'm installing in the kitchen:
It's a wall-mounted breakfast bar! Or, well, it's really just IKEA shelf brackets that I spray painted black, along with some leftover butcher block from the kitchen renovation mounted on top. Still, if it all goes to plan, it's going to be a nice little spot for my morning coffee (I haven't even routed or screwed the thing in yet, but I've already been drinking my coffee here all week… so you could say the dry run went well enough to proceed).
So far, everything is exactly level, according to that giant level that I believe used to be my grandfather's. I think it's kind of cool to use things like this that were handed down over the years, especially since he passed away before I ever bought this house or began my renovation/blog journey (and considering how close he and I were and how much he liked to tinker with things, he probably would have been the biggest supporter if he'd been alive to see it). So, it's just kind of nice to have a piece of him around.
I still have to route the edge, install a third shelf support (I would have done so already, but I needed to pick up a few more wall anchors since this one isn't going into a stud), and treat the butcher block like I did with the rest of the kitchen, but I think it's a perfect use for this wall. The patio and backyard are to the right in front of this area and the dining room is just behind it, so it felt too cramped to put another table and chairs here. Instead, a more casual setup with some industrial bar stools (you can see a peek in the pic above, but I'll share more on those next week) and a narrow counter will work well. Then, it'll be time to add some art above, and I've already got a plan for that too!
At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the height the same as the rest of the counters in the kitchen (roughly 36″), but when I tried out the first bracket, it just felt too low, so I raised it to standard bar height (usually between 40″ and 42″). This feels much more appropriate for the space, and the shallow depth of the counter will allow me to set out platters and such but not get in the way of foot traffic going out to the back yard (keeping the entire space designed for casual entertaining). I cut the remaining piece of butcher block that I had been storing in the garage to make it, and it's basically half the width of the counters (12″). I never wanted to get rid of the extra walnut if I could come up with a use for it, and I'm so glad I did!
This of course means I still have an identical strip at about the same length and width as this piece, but no plan yet for what to do with it. Feel free to suggest some ideas. I'm going to spend the rest of my afternoon outside though, as I've got more of the backyard transformation to take place and I just heard a loud pop of a fuse outside (or the transformer blew), so my internet and power will be down for the rest of the day anyway (I'm guessing). Then, I'm going to actually get out of this house for a change and try to even out some of these weird tan lines I earned this week while on that backhoe.
just as soon as I stain this chair… and the matching one
So, about six things going on at once… kind of the UDH as usual! What are your weekend plans?
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy & effectiveness of the information displayed on this website, The Ugly Duckling House is for entertainment purposes only. All tutorials and demonstrations are not intended to be professional advice (nor substitute as such), and I make no guarantees as to the procedures and information here. Creating with my suggested methods, materials, and tools is under your own risk. Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and seek professional advice if you don't know how to do something! Read my complete disclosure here.
You guys. I am so excited to share this update with you today. As I sit here typing this post, my eyelids are just as heavy as they were when I went to sleep. And it has everything to do with the giant pile of dirt I shared with you in the last post.
I just completed one of the biggest projects, if not THE biggest project, that I've ever done at the UDH. This pile of fill dirt plus one more load of topsoil were delivered to my house in the last week so that I could fill in the backyard sinkhole. If you've been following on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Periscope, or whatever else other social channel popped up in the last five days, you've already seen some pictures and video describing this experience. This is where I started:
And after several days of sitting in the hot sun on what I'm calling “a giant toy”, you could say that I have definitely had some moments where I just couldn't pull up one more root without getting a little goofy:
I would show you the whole before and after thing in one post, but I have so many details to cover that I'm saving the last few finished shots for the final post. There will also be a giveaway on that post from my sponsor on this project, Compact Power Equipment Rental, so the wait and reveal will be worth it. Sit tight!
If you are wondering if I'm exhausted, you're 110%, 150%, 1000% correct. In fact, I just noticed this morning that one of my favorite tank tops is now dyed pink on the back in a distinct pattern of the sports bra I was wearing because the sweat-soaked dye bled through (and I've worn and washed that thing enough times that there's no good explanation for how it even happened, other than I guess sweat has extreme dye-leaching properties). I have sports bra and other weird tan lines along my shoulders, my back, and along my legs from being out in the Georgia summer sun for five consecutive days. I have weird muscle aches from working on a machine that was never built for someone as small as I am. In short: I became a dirty, bug-spray-covered, human swamp monster… all in the name of filling a backyard hole.
(So many half-formed jokes are in my head now after reading that last sentence, but since I'm too tired to turn them into punchlines, I'll just move along.)
Anyway, all of this came together in kind of a weird, serendipitous way. I mentioned the sinkhole in my backyard a few years ago, but since I didn't really have the budget to fix it at the time (fill dirt + topsoil + renting machinery + hiring labor = $$$$$), all I have been doing for the last few years is throwing various bits of yard debris back there and just avoiding the area altogether. Charlie has been quite comfortable with this scenario, as it's basically her bathroom and it is left relatively undisturbed and provides plenty of privacy. This pretty much meant that for the last six years, half of my backyard has been an unused mess. But let's back up and talk about that sinkhole for a second, just so we're on the same page.
The Story Behind the Sinkhole in My Yard
I'm betting when you hear the word sinkhole, you're thinking of the clips on the news where whole streets go missing, cars get swallowed up, and it looks like someone just took a giant bite out of the earth. However, at least in my case, it's not quite as scary as all of that. Back in 1982 when my house was built, a common practice in Georgia was for builders and contractors to cut corners by burying their excess trash (things like tree stumps, regular trash, other yard debris, etc.) in a hole on the construction site rather than hauling all of it to a dump and paying disposal fees. Over the course of around 10 to 15 years, the debris begins to decay, depress, and sinks down. Then Mother Nature does her thing and washes away even more soil in some cases, and a depression forms, usually by a few feet. The surface area might look like it sunk down or it might not unless you step on it (which can be dangerous). And if this is anywhere near a foundation, driveway, or other structure built on top, it can cause some MAJOR problems, and many builders have often gotten away with the whole thing scot-free (either the statute of limitations runs out, the fine is negligible compared to the cost of paying for dump fees, etc.).
To read most of the articles out there, it seems like this is still a sneaky practice that's happening occasionally, though laws since the 1990s have made attempts to curb the problem. Regardless, in my yard and those of my immediate neighbors, we are pretty lucky. These trash pits were buried in a back corner of each lot and nowhere near the home foundations, so they are pretty much little more than annoying chunks of the yard that sink down a few feet (and insurance companies don't care if it's not really causing structural issues). The previous owner disclosed (required by law) to me that she had filled in the hole once before with fill dirt, but since the materials below had likely not fully decomposed, it made sense that the area continued to sink down a little. Most of my neighbors have done similarly, filling in these areas once or twice and then leveling out the rest of the yard. I'm pretty glad they have, too, since it gave me a good idea of what I needed to do to fix the one in my yard, and how I might go about accomplishing this on my own.
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Before I move on to the next part of the story, I should just go ahead and address it before the comments start rolling in: there are plenty of people with experience with this who have given me advice on the matter. Some websites will use every exclamation point in their arsenal and say that how I did this was completely the wrong way for how to fix it, since what you're supposed to do is dig up the offending area and fully excavate, just in case there are still stumps and other things buried below that will continue to decay (which of course means that the yard might sink again and it will need to be filled in again). I chose not to do this for a few reasons:
it's been almost 35 years since the trash was buried and not the 10-15 year window where most people try to remediate the problem, so a lot of the decay has already taken place
the previous owner already compacted the soil down once before when she did her own filling in 15-20 years ago; to excavate would mean to first dig up all of the soil she put on top of the area to begin with
obviously, excavation is a much bigger project and costs tens of thousands of dollars, and I don't have $25k sitting around for dirt (student loans and whatnot); so even if I had to fill this pit in twice before moving out of this house, it would still cost me considerably less with the route I chose, and most of my neighbors have successfully filled in theirs in the same manner for many years without issue
it's my yard and I'll cry if I want to?
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Finding the Right Equipment
I knew many years ago when I bought this house that I might someday want to add some fill dirt to the back yard, but since I had so many other renovation projects in mind, this one kept getting pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. I thought after removing the pine trees last year that it might be time to look into the cost of fill dirt, hiring labor, getting the job priced out and such, but that's where the serendipitous part comes in: a few months ago, I got an email from Compact Power Equipment Rental, who rents out large, towable equipment from select Home Depot retailers to both pros and DIYers alike. I never even knew equipment of this size could be rented by homeowners (I suppose I assumed a special license would be required?), but I was so excited to see their email that I immediately wanted to jump on board with them as a project sponsor. I sent them a few pictures of what I had in mind, they asked for dimensions to determine what equipment would fit through the gate of my fence, and made their recommendation to provide a tractor loader backhoe. Not only would the front of this machine help me to push the existing mound of dirt on the left side of my yard around the sinkhole to help fill it in, but if I got a load of fill dirt, I could use it for that too. Plus, the rear backhoe would be excellent for digging some new garden bed areas, digging out the extensive tree roots left behind from the removed pine trees, and I could even dig a small trench to run lights out to the remaining pine tree I left in the yard for shade. WIN!
Before You Dig!
It took a little planning to coordinate everything together. And even then, not everything will go smoothly. But before I did any digging, I checked in with 811 to let them know of my project plans. What this service does is contact your utility companies that might have underground lines buried around your yard.
Each company that might be impacted will come out, mark off the areas you shouldn't dig, and you basically get a legal window for a period of time to complete your project. If the project goes on past the date, you just call them up again. It took just a few days before the project was to begin to have them come out, but I would recommend a week's lead time just in case there's a delay. Since the back yard was the only place I intended on digging, this was kind of overkill (the spot had already included pine trees previously, so I knew there weren't gas lines below them), but it was more peace of mind to avoid driving a heavy piece of equipment over areas where I knew would be more trouble if things went sideways.
Finding Soil
Finding a fill dirt provider turned out to be the most difficult part. Granted, things came together both over a long period of time and yet seemingly overnight, so making sure everything was going to be there at the same time was a bit tricky. The dirt needed to be delivered before the equipment, 811 had to come out too, but most fill dirt places had weird hours and some places wanted to see my house before they'd even be willing to drive their trucks over. I finally got lucky with a disposal company that recycles dirt waste and offered clean fill dirt, a discounted rate from competitors, and dropped off more cubic yards than initially quoted. They were very helpful over the phone and could deliver in just a few days. Boom!
My Favorite Part (So Far)
My hands-down favorite part was when Chuck, the regional rep from CPER, dropped off my shiny, brand new backhoe. As part of their service, CPER includes a training session that shows you how to use their equipment so that you can jump right in. He also gave me his card for when I inevitably ran into a couple of learning curves (things like spinning the seat around to use the backhoe function, figuring out that it was my weight - or lack thereof - for why the engine kept shutting off, etc.). But seriously, I was thrilled. I don't think I've ever felt like such a badass. My friends came over (more on that later), neighbors got an eyeful too, watching me move all of the soil, seeing a giant mound of dirt in my driveway, etc. I got lots of looks, a few stares, and at least one old dude giving me a big grin and thumbs up. And knowing that I was soon going to be left with a yard to build on, I couldn't wait to get started!
Since we're already over 2,000 words for this post, I'll wait to share a play-by-play of the first few days of progress. In the meantime, you can check out some of the live videos I shared and get some sneak peeks here. More soon!
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy & effectiveness of the information displayed on this website, The Ugly Duckling House is for entertainment purposes only. All tutorials and demonstrations are not intended to be professional advice (nor substitute as such), and I make no guarantees as to the procedures and information here. Creating with my suggested methods, materials, and tools is under your own risk. Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and seek professional advice if you don't know how to do something! Read my complete disclosure here.
