Need design ideas for my backyard(5000 sq.ft) - Seattle area
csreek
9 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (10)
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
9 years agoRelated Discussions
I need a 'hang out' area in the backyard. Please help!
Comments (8)Hi, If you check Craigslist and other classifieds, and tell everyone you know that you're looking for bricks (or anything else) they may start showing up on your porch. I put out the word that I need bricks and in one month, there are over 1500 of them in my yard, all for my favorite price, FREE!! A friend of mine says that there are a few bricks everywhere. It appears to be true. If you get bricks from lots of sources and mix them up, they just all go together. Sand is cheap to lay them on. If you dig down in the soil to make the bricks level with it, you won't need rebarb around the edge to hold them in place. Some people on the Garden Junk and Trash to Treasure forums have made paved areas out of wood and other materials. You may want to post this question on those forums. There's a lot of wood being thrown away everywhere in the form of pallets and old redwood or cedar fence boards. You can build a frame from 2x4's or pallet 'stringers' and nail the fence boards on top of them to make a wood floor. If the termites move in, just throw it away and make a new one. (Treated 2x4's are inexpensive and shouldn't be attacked by termites.) Total cost-the price of nails or screws. If splinters are an issue, the boards can be sanded and finished with any exterior stain, sealer or paint. Anyone with 7th grade carpenter skills could help build this thing. You may be able to find a sale on new fence boards and be within your landlord's budget. The wood is far less work than bricks and will possibly be cooler to walk on. This answer has nothing to do with landscape design, just a few ideas about getting a cheap patio. Hope that helps, Linda...See MoreI need a 'hang out' area in the backyard. Please help!
Comments (2)You may want to try the landscape design forum, since your question is more general than just stone. They will probably have good ideas, and it's a more active forum than this one....See Morehow would you design this lakefront backyard?
Comments (31)To be frank, I think the raised wall waterfall as it is situated, and the palms flanking it, are space-destroying elements. These elements are placed in the prime "window" to the water views. Now all of the water view is broken up into small, less important looking segments. We use nature's ideas (like a grove of trees) in order to make artistic statements in the landscape that have some power. The grove is a single element made up of many small parts. Adding parts that are of a different artistic family will not make the whole element read stronger, but weaker. Suppose you are creating a hardwood floor. Would it look better to intermix many wood types -- oak, cherry, bamboo, etc.? It would look like a bargain basement mess! Your present groups of palms are single lines of widely spaced palms. To me they look skimpy even after I've added more. If anything, I'd consider beefing them up with even a couple more -- of same type plants -- to each group. Calling tubs of color a "container garden" makes it sound like a planter with a lot of variety. I think it would be much more powerful to have planters that contain a single variety, and possibly repeat them where there is room for another planter. These are the kinds of things that are figured out more or less toward the end of the planning process (since they are like furniture) after you know what space is available and where the permanently installed elements will be. For #6, what I mean by large flowering shrub is ... a large shrub that flowers! :-) The intent is to screen the neighbor's pool cage and give a sense of privacy. Therefore, it must be a shrub that is tall enough to do that. Well, why not specify that the shrub puts on a show at least once per year? And actually, it could be SMALL trees combined with a hedge behind, or some such thing. Or it could be an evergreen screen that doesn't flower but just looks really good anyway. The main idea is that is screens and looks good....See MoreNeed help with designing a family friendly backyard
Comments (26)It must feel like you're not getting much help here, probably because your yard is quite small and your wishlist rather long. I don't think your backyard will ever be a fun space with a play structure, etc. unless you tear everything out and turn it into a playground. Realistically, even if you did that, your kids will outgrow it in a couple of years and you'll be stuck with an unattractive, deteriorating, view-blocking structure that no one uses. My suggestion is to embrace what you have and try to make it better, even if only for the adults. Think cozy courtyard, or intimate patio. With that view it could be fabulous. A few thoughts in no particular order . . . tear out the shrubs that block the view tear out the lawn replace the lawn with raised beds for vegetables and flowers, or replace the lawn with attractive, low-growing, drought tolerant plants plant a couple of patio-size trees that can be limbed up to preserve the view install a drip system look into staining the concrete patio divide the space into zones -- dining, socializing, quiet space and provide furniture for each add a table and chairs that can be used for dining, games, work, etc. if you go the veggie route, figure out where your tools and supplies will go figure out how to provide shade -- umbrellas, shade cloths, awnings, pergola, etc. figure out lighting so the space is useable more hours each day invest in several beautiful large pots; use them to help define zones; fill them with shrubs, small trees, etc. put speakers outside so you can listen to music go to open houses in your area and spy on what your neighbors have done in their yards HOW ABOUT A HOT TUB? The kids will love it! =) Oh, I think I just spent your $20k. Good luck with your project....See Moremarcinde
9 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years agovioletwest
9 years agoemmarene9
9 years agoSuzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
9 years agovioletwest
9 years agoYardvaark
9 years agooldfixer
9 years ago
Related Stories
PATIOSCourtyard Comforts Make a Seattle Backyard a Joy
A new hot tub, fireplace, shower and even a mini stage take a backyard from uninviting to ‘Come on out!’
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESSee a Seattle-Area Home Steeped in Graciousness
Brimming with welcoming touches, this condo shows that a home short on space and decorating funds can still go long on personal style
Full StoryMODERN HOMESHouzz TV: Seattle Family Almost Doubles Its Space Without Adding On
See how 2 work-from-home architects design and build an adaptable space for their family and business
Full StoryCRAFTSMAN DESIGNHouzz Tour: Happiness Reigns in a Seattle Home
A newly retired couple remodel their home to make it more beautiful, energy efficient and accessible
Full StoryCONTEMPORARY HOMESHouzz Tour: Craning Toward the View in Seattle
‘Head turning’ takes on new meaning with this modern two-story home overlooking the mountains
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: Major Changes Open Up a Seattle Waterfront Home
Taken down to the shell, this Tudor-Craftsman blend now maximizes island views, flow and outdoor connections
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: Industrial Minihouse in Seattle
An artist transforms a garage into an efficient, open home in 250 square feet in Washington state
Full StoryCONTEMPORARY HOMESHouzz Tour: Reading Shapes a Seattle Home
Written words drive the design of a house for aging in place, from a plethora of bookshelves to a personal word wall
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: Modern, Ecofriendly Prefab in Seattle
Green materials and a connection with nature help this prefab house, and the family who lives there, tread lightly on the earth
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: A Seattle Home Reaches for High Sustainability
Tapping into rainwater, sunlight and natural ventilation, a Washington state home gets both green cred and a gorgeous look
Full Story
Yardvaark