Spring has sprung! And then it reverted back to winter. It has done this multiple times over the past few weeks. The sun begins to shine, the birds are chirping and I am able to leave the house in a t-shirt for the first time in months. But as quickly as the sun comes, the rain returns. The dark and dreary days cloud your hope for spring; every year seems as though winter gets longer. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t get a head start on our yard maintenance.
Our backyard is on the smaller side, but we love it as there isn’t much upkeep. Every spring I buy new soil and spread it over our garden for blooming spring and summer flowers. Our next task: lawn seed. There are some dead spots in our backyard (mostly due to our kids’ play structures that sit all year long killing the lawn), but this year we want to turn those dead spots into luscious green grass. However, that task is nothing compared to the project we just completed in our backyard.
A few weeks ago, we decided to tear up half of our grass and extend our patio. The grass along one of our fences doesn’t get enough sun which resulted in a lot of moss growth. As our backyard is south facing, we were looking for something to provide more shade and privacy for the upcoming hot summer days. We decided a gazebo was our ultimate goal, so we had to figure out how we wanted to extend our patio as well as make the ground level to add a gazebo.
We decided that adding pavers throughout the backyard would create a unique space. After taking measurements and deciding which size and shape pavers we wanted, it was time to get our supplies. I wish I had counted how many trips to Rona it took to get all of our supplies (it was definitely over 10). We ended up getting close to 250 hexagon pavers, endless limestone screenings (for the paver underlay and to make our ground level), and white rock to accent the edges.
The biggest task was levelling our backyard: we underestimated just how many bags of underlay we would need, as well as how many pavers. Our yard may seem small, but when you start a project like this, it can easily make your yard seem bigger! It took us about a week to put the underlay and pavers down (working mostly at night once the kids had gone to sleep). We added white rock to accent the edges and then we added polymeric sand to lock the pavers into place (it also prevents weed and plant seeding, as well as insect erosion). We were quite pleased with the end result.
Next: we bought a 10′ X 12′ gazebo. Luckily we received a great deal that also included free home delivery, but we passed on paying for someone to install it for us because that would have cost an additional $700. After teasing Shaun constantly that the reviews said a 78 year old man built it himself in 8 hours, we completed our gazebo over the course of 4 days (probably within the 8 hour time frame, but we did most of the work when our kids were asleep and we were racing against losing daylight). We completed our gazebo last Tuesday at 10:30pm (Shaun wore a headlamp to complete the roof as it was pitch black when we finally finished). We also added lights under the roof of the gazebo to illuminate our patio at night. We have already enjoyed a few days out there and can’t believe how much bigger our yard looks with our new addition.
I also bought a new pool for the backyard for the kids to lounge in – just a simple wade pool as the above ground pools are quite a bit of maintenance and the kids are still quite young. However, it measures 6.5ft in diameter and will be a perfect space for them to cool off during the hot summer days. In the next few years, we may look at getting a bigger playset for the kids, but as they are turning 4 and 2 this summer, I think what we have is more than enough to keep them entertained in the upcoming hot days.
Our neighbors behind us want to put in pavers as well – copying our design right down to the white rock accents (imitation is the most sincere form of flattery I suppose). I overheard them speaking with a landscaping company who gave them quotes… let’s just say doing it yourself pays off, as the landscaping company quoted them over 4x the amount it cost us to do it ourselves. Obviously some don’t have the ability to do these projects, but I encourage those who are physically capable to learn and attempt (some home projects require special trades and knowledge), but if it is achievable, doing it yourself will save you money and give you an additional sense of accomplishment.
