A New Entrance to the Backyard

 

We have recently redone both sides of the backyard.  Last week I showed the arbor we put in HERE.  This project is where we added a path, DIY curbing and a new planter.  Now we have the entrance to the backyard that we always wanted!

 

 

 

 

 

Here it is in March. 

After we added the arbor, we tore out about a third of the grass.

 

 

I wanted to keep the grass here so I could get the mower to the backyard.  Well, setting pavers is a lot of work.  Setting pavers in cutouts of grass is a TON of work!!  My back and hips are just now getting back to feeling normal...

We added the forms to make our own curbing.  I called around and the minimum charge for curbing was $275.  Since we only needed 20 feet, we decided it wouldn't be worth almost $15 a foot to have someone come out.  Instead, we bought boards and concrete mix and did it ourselves for $24.  And I think it looks just like the professional curbing!

 

We left the forms on for 24 hours.

 

We then added a couple of new sprinklers to the planter.

 

 

 

And lots of flowers--Rose of Sharon, Peony (already blooming!), Cosmos, Daisies, Lamb's Ear, etc. and of course a birdhouse!

 

 

 

It shouldn't take too long for the grass seed to fill in the empty spaces. 

 

 

Thanks for your visit!

 

Pam



 



I am linking to the following parties:

Elizabeth and Company

  Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House 

A New Arbor for the Backyard

 

 

I've been wanting to work on the entrance into our backyard for a few years now.  Recently, we redid the west side of the backyard. HERE.   Now it's time to do the east side.

We started with this.  Of course this was several weeks ago, so everything was still looking drab during the winter...

 

 

We dug up an area and decided to use the same pavers that we used for the other side of the backyard.  Of course we have our trusty new helper, Henry! 

We have really bad winds at times here, so we needed to make sure the arbor would stay put.  These 8" tubes were the smallest that Home Depot had.  We thought about using 4" pipe, but it was significantly more expensive.  One 4 foot tube did the trick for the four footings.

 



 

 

We mixed two bags of concrete mix in the wheelbarrow and filled the tubes.  (then it rained for 6 days!)

 

After a week, we drilled holes in the footings and put concrete anchors in.  The arbor was then attached to those.

 

 

Once again, our trusty helper...  :)

 

 

We used bags of paver sand for the base and carefully made sure every paver was level itself, then level with all of the pavers next to it. 

 

 

 

 

We'll let the sand settle in (more rain coming this week!), then I'll add soil and plant ground cover between the pavers.  That will soften the look.

 

I've added a clematis on the left and some cosmos on the right.  We'll see about hanging some baskets until the clematis takes off to add some color.

 

 

 

 

 

We're so happy with the entrance now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your visit!

 

Pam

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am linking to the following parties:

Elizabeth and Company

  Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House 

Shady Spots for Summer

It gets really hot here in the summer.  It's so nice to have a shady spot to sit in the heat of the day.  Recently I was on Hometalk and found these inspiring spots to relax and stay cool.  Check out my Hometalk clipboard HERE.

 

 

 

Of course, my favorite is the one in my own backyard.  :)

 

 

Thank you for your visit!

 

Pam