My house currently smells like a campfire, and I am very, very okay with that. <3
If you caught the post on Friday (which if you haven't entered the giveaway yet, go on and do that and then come back… I'll wait.), the back yard has pretty much been filled in, leveled (as much as an unskilled DIYer can), and is ready for next steps. And believe me, there are a number of plans in the works! I've been sketching ideas to my heart's content, and I'll share some of those plans with you later this week.
But before I can really get started on some of this, I needed to do some more clearing. Namely, I needed to address the overhanging branches that were coming over from the rear fence and work on the remaining stumps that couldn't be ripped out using the backhoe.
For clearing out yard debris, I mainly rely on (and recommend, so these are affiliate links) the following tools:
Small pruning shears (for clipping the larger stuff down to manageable sizes for the fire)
Now that it's October, we've finally entered an allowable burning season in my county. So, I've been getting rid of all of my yard debris in a fun way with a temporary burn area. Since most of the yard is still bare dirt, it seemed like good, safe timing to take care of all of the things I ripped out from the backhoe project without a lot of risk to neighboring yards (though just to be safe-ish though, I did create a perimeter with lots of that leftover scalloped edging you know I hate). I'll admit, I'm not the poster child for fire safety (though I am more careful than seasons past when my ex lived here! - and wow, would you look at the difference in pine straw now that those trees are gone?), but I'm also working outside while all of this goes on, so nothing is left unattended.
This burn spot is helping get rid of the stump I mentioned in the last post - try as I might on that backhoe, the root system on this particular set of trees was just too thick and extensive. Even though the tree removal guys did a decent job of grinding down stumps, I still had plenty more under the dirt once I started leveling things out. I could rent a stump grinder (and will if this ultimately doesn't work), but I have heard about burning a stump and thought it might be fun to experiment.
My neighbor was the one who recommended that I try to burn it out, which is basically win-win for me since I have plenty of things to burn (and I offered to him to just throw extra debris from his yard onto the pile as well, since he's always such a help for my projects). I've been watching a few Youtube videos for tips, and here's what I've been applying thus far:
Use a hammer drill to bore holes a couple of inches apart along the stump and roots. You'll want to use a spade bit or similar and go as deep as you can, but since I didn't have an extender for my bit, I am just boring deeper after each fire (which is a lot easier to drill into once burned)
I'm using cheap, regular vegetable oil to pour into each hole and let it soak (I love it when regular items can be used in DIY!). This oil has been in the back of my cupboard for way too long anyway, so I'm getting rid of something I needed to chuck to begin with. This helps the burn, though for faster results, it's recommended to let it soak for a lot longer (a month or so) than I've been doing.
After the first burn, I bought an inexpensive bag of charcoal and just let that burn on top of the stump.
So far, things are going really well, though I don't have high expectations that this will be quick. I'll have an update for you guys after the first few burns and report back. But, it's also not expensive and gets rid of lots of my yard debris, small pieces of scrap wood, etc. in the process without a lot of extra work, so I'm enjoying it quite a bit. If only every project would go this pleasantly, right?
Disclaimer: So many, many thanks to Compact Power Equipment Rental for sponsoring this project. You guys seriously rock. And now I'm going to have a new back yard because of you! 100% of these words are my own.
Ok, so the backyard leveling project - can I take a moment just to be glad this is off my to-do list? Not the physical part of the project itself - but the act of writing everything down and finally publishing these before and after photos. And THERE'S VIDEO. After more than six years of blogging about the house and its transformations, it's amazing how integral these recaps are to my sense of completion.
And since this one also includes a giveaway for one lucky reader, I think that's pretty awesome!
If you weren't following along in August (or just not paying that much attention - which is fine, we all have those moments and I forgive you), I did something that I never really thought I'd ever get the chance to do: I spent an entire week in the driver's seat of a backhoe from Compact Power Equipment Rental and leveled out my yard. It was one of those projects that has been on my wish list ever since moving into the UDH, but because of time, expense, and a complete lack of experience in literally moving the earth to my will, I put it off. Doing the math on how many cubic yards of fill dirt I'd need, the logistics of how dirt is even going to get distributed, who I'd need to call, whether I'd need approval from the county or whatever, how long this might take, etc. - the list just went on for reasons not to think about this yet. Each little detail seemed so intimidating, and I've never really had a picture in my mind what things would look like once finished… making it all that much easier to procrastinate.
But I promise you: you can definitely, totally do this. I did. And it was awesome.
So, let's get to it:
I covered back in this post how the whole thing suddenly came about, especially some of the things I needed to cover before the equipment even arrived: why the sinkhole existed in the first place, how I decided on the right equipment, what to do before you dig in regard to buried utilities, finding fill dirt, and the delivery. After day one, I did a Facebook Live post about my thoughts so far, and you can catch that here.
In the second post, I covered a little more about what the yard has looked like in previous years, the other projects that had to be done before I could tackle this one, how I tricked my friends into giving me free labor (I kid… sort of), and learning how to use the equipment. I did another Facebook Live video then, too.
All caught up? Good. Because when I last left off, things were starting to look really different, and I was finally standing in a part of my yard that I'd never stood before (that sinkhole was dangerous, so I generally avoided it).
It took many trips from my driveway to the back yard to distribute the dirt (low power lines prevented the trucks from driving back further), but after days 2 and 3, I was making significant, visible change, especially to the back left corner:
Starting on Thursday morning, it took about two full days of work to get the entire first huge truckload of fill dirt moved into the yard. For my neighbors, watching me ride around on this thing, scoop up dirt, and carefully navigate to my back yard proved to be a sight to see. One guy walking his dog grinned from ear to ear and gave me the thumbs up; kids getting off the school bus were thoroughly confused.
After trying to compact the sandy fill dirt (lowering the bucket in the front along the ground seemed to do the trick), I realized I'd probably need some topsoil so that I could help establish grass. According to my neighbor, I didn't want all of this work to get eroded away from rainfall, and grass would help it stay. I called up the soil guys to get a second load, and that's where I ran into a snag: they were closed as of Saturday afternoon and wouldn't be able to deliver until Monday morning. Wop, wop. I was pretty disappointed, especially since I was expecting a whole crew of my friends to come over that evening to help move more dirt around, and that essential piece was now missing. We made it work by having them start on all of the roots left over from the pine tree removal from last year, and they all seemed to really enjoy it!
Sunday was rather boring since I was merely trying to get things compacted and level and scoop up remaining dirt off the driveway (the ONE area where it seemed super easy to get everything compacted well, which I didn't want). I also filled in another sunken spot in the front yard that would make mowing easier in the future, and dug up the rest of the plants that I wanted to clear out. The pile was laughably huge… all of that was in my yard?
I also piled everything up since I didn't want to have a repeating sinkhole problem; the whole issue was created back when the house was built because of buried debris just like this, so I was cautious to remove and separate every large branch, root, and bush I could find, and only leave compacted dirt behind.
Finally, the topsoil arrived, and I finished things off with distributing the remaining load. Insert “that's what she said” joke. I did a final Day 5 Facebook Live video too.
Charlie was… a little uncertain with what had all happened. I pretty much gutted her bathroom, which I can understand is quite a change! She seems to love how much more of the yard she can explore now, though.
Once my rental was over, it was time to arrange for pickup. All I had to do was hose the equipment down and fill the fuel back up, and it was ready to go. (Sniff. I'll miss you!)
I'd like to take a minute and just acknowledge that for some of you guys, this might not even look like the most amazing transformation to ever happen to this house. But I assure you, after the last couple of months of being able to walk around my entire yard instead of having to avoid the giant pit behind that tree, believe me: this is big! And the most amazing part was that once I had this part solved, I suddenly found the inspiration for what the rest of the yard will look like. I started drawing plans!
I basically Kevin Costner-d my way to an actual plan for the back yard's design; until I finished it, the ideas would not come. It's been a couple of months already, so the pine straw is coming down and I'm full of ideas. I can't wait to get started on all of the other things. My favorite part? The overgrown back corner is now going to be the perfect spot for a shed:
At CPER's request, I combined most of my experience into a short video for Youtube, along with some video footage of me in action. If you can't see the embedded video below, just click over here (and subscribe if you'd like to see me do more vids). I also uploaded the Facebook videos to a single playlist so that you can watch them all in one place if you wish.
Here's the before - a craggy, scraggy mess:
And here's the after: aerial view! As things were leveled out, it became clear that there was still one “ground” stump that wasn't going to budge (it was WAY too large). So, I'm going to use it as a burn pile for a little while to see if I can get rid of more of it, and then begin the next few plans. :)
The yard still has a slight slope, but that was the plan all along since I didn't want to interrupt or change the flow of water as it drains from my yard to my neighbor's; I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping that intact.
I also started growing some grass seed, but it's going to be a longer process to get it all green again. Still so much left to do. And finally… the giveaway…
Giveaway Alert!
And now, one of YOU guys gets to win your very own rental! With how big of a difference this project is going to make on my future backyard changes, I'm thrilled that CPER was willing to let someone else try this out for themselves. They have lots of options for rental equipment, so it's a choose your own adventure situation, up to a value of $500. Here are all the details:
PRIZE: One equipment rental of your choice from Compact Power Equipment Rental, up to $500
NUMBER OF WINNERS: 1 (one)
LOCATION: US residents only. They rent their equipment out of select Home Depot locations (cities listed below), so that should cover most of you guys just fine. But should it be the case that you don't live inside their delivery range, they are happy to provide an alternative prize, such as a Home Depot gift card of equivalent value. So even if you don't see your city on this list, you should enter!
HOW TO ENTER: As usual, let's keep it simple, and make me laugh! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to mark that you've left a comment (yes, I'll check), and answer this question for entertainment's sake: What's the funniest or most embarrassing thing your neighbors have ever witnessed you do?
It's only natural: while in the midst of working on outdoor projects, I start thinking about interior changes that I've never gotten around to completing. I mean, how much interest can one have in digging through Georgia clay before they start thinking about more awesome things like light fixtures, amiright?
Lately, I've been considering how much time I spend in my master bedroom. And yet, almost shamefully, this perpetual DIYer has never upgraded the ugly “temporary” boob light - that was first installed not long after moving in - to something more substantial.
I guess I always figured that the right fixture would just serendipitously come along one day, much like some of the other light fixtures have in this house (don't you love it when something just finds you?). But perhaps it's eluded me for so long because I haven't been able to decide on the biggest element: should I go for the pretty light, or the functional one?
It's no secret that ceiling fans aren't that pretty. BUT I also live in Atlanta, where it gets hot as Hades for a significant portion of the year. So, as much as I would like to skip right ahead to something aesthetically pleasing, there's part of me that knows that a ceiling fan is the more practical option. It is a lot of ugly, though.
After an exhaustive search of thirty minutes (when you know you've got losing odds with your choices, that's about all I could spend on this needle in a haystack), I found only two options I really liked (I have a program that runs on this site that might link the products below to affiliates, which just helps to support this site if you were to purchase through the recommended products linked here; for more, see my disclosure page). The first (from Shades of Light) has a sleek profile and a good color combo, which I don't entirely hate, and the price tag is pretty reasonable too. The second (from Lowe's) is similarly priced, but it's more of the classic 5-blade style and with more contrast.
Ceiling fans might be getting slightly more stylish than how they used to be, but let's be honest: they simply have a hard time competing with these beauties!
All three are from Shades of Light, but the first one literally costs more than what I paid for all of the flooring in my entire house! So, no (still pretty, though). But I did find two comparable lights that look just as elegant.
2016 projects seem to have a theme at the UDH: dirt. Digging it up, moving it around, or buying a whole bunch of it… I have subconsciously picked a theme and have been running with it for months. The upside, at least, is that shoveling and using a mattock gives me quite the leg and butt workout - so if you're looking to enhance your yard and skip the gym, I think this is a pretty good pick.
This past week, the majority of my time has been spent indoors working on a few blog design clients (life of a freelancer - things area always different week to week!). But every now and then, I took a break to dig at the side of the house. The goal was to get around 4-6 inches down into the garden soil and set up the frame for the concrete pad that will serve as the landing spot for my outdoor trash bin. I've been watching a few Youtube videos on how I'm going to accomplish this, but the general idea is that once I know a little bit more from hands-on experience, I'm going to pour another, larger slab in the back yard to begin the shed building project. (This post contains affiliate links; for more, see my disclosure page.)
The first inch or so turned out to be pretty easy to dig out, but eventually, I had to whip out my mattock and use it to break up large chunks of the red clay so commonly found in Georgia. The upside, if there is one, is that it's already pretty well compacted without me having to do much else… but the downside is that it puts up quite the fight when you're trying to move things around.
After multiple rounds of hacking away and digging out the dirt, I also ran into another enemy that plagues this house: more freaking roots. I did get a lot of them out when I rented the backhoe in August, but their tendency to - you know, stay buried in the soil - of course resulted in a few extra that I didn't find in time to get more heavy-duty assistance.
Once the roots were clipped or dug out of the ground, I wound up with enough space to start planning the wood frame. And see? No need to compact that much since the soil is as stubborn as the homeowner writing this post.
I had some scrap lumber in the garage and used it to chop down two 2x4s to create something that's around 3 feet wide and 5 feet long,. In doing so, I also made sure that the area was dug deep enough before screwing the frame together.
Getting the frame square and level required using some new tools I picked up at Harbor Freight: corner clamps! These were cheapos but if I were to start doing more woodworking (like cabinetry), I'd recommend getting something a little more professional grade (I might eventually also get the Kreg one, but it's not a priority right now – if anyone owns them and has an opinion on if they're worth the money, I'm all ears!).
Once the frame was squar(ish), I placed it back in the designated area and checked for level. I couldn't help but laugh and the fact that without even trying, the whole thing was perfectly level! The thing is though, I wanted the slab to have a slight slope so that it would be easier to wheel the trash bin on and off the pad (not to mention, to keep water/rain runoff sloping away from the foundation of the house).
Once the slope was rectified, it was time for next steps: staking the frame into the ground (so that it doesn't bow out when the concrete is poured) and adding some all-purpose gravel to the base. Guess which one I decided to do first, even though I should be doing the stakes first? The more fun thing? You betcha.
The frame is pretty square as it is on its own, so the stakes are really just going to be reinforcement. And it turned out that I opted not to purchase them on my last trip to the store, so I just went ahead and added the gravel anyway. This was after two bags, but I think I might need to add a third. According to the videos, I'll need to compact the gravel a little.
Since I forgot the stakes, I think I'm going to make some of my own using some scrap wood left over after making the frame for the wood screen that will go next to this pad. I'll cut them down and use my miter saw to add a 45-degree point on the end.
Hurricane Matthew stopped me at this point (didn't want to pour a slab if it's going to rain), but this week looks to be nice and sunny, so fingers crossed that I have the energy to mix several pounds of concrete and have something to show for ya soon. ;)
