Side yard ideas

4 years ago

Hello, I have a grassy sideyard that we don't use. To make the spae useable I am thinking of filling it with concrete.

1. Either, put artificial turf with a little putting area.

2. Or, just put a green roll out carpet. https://rugs.com/green-8x10-outdoor-grass-area-rug-6281698?utm_source=google&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&rt=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8IWXwpCA6AIVIR-tBh3Z1wi2EAQYBSABEgIJa_D_BwE

Then use this place as outdoor dining. Maybe hang a string of lights over it. If there is some space I can put a little 2-people swing to relax and read in.

Which one of the above is better - turf or carpet?

Thanks,

Side Yard: The area way in the back next to the fence will have a shed for storage. Concrete will cover only along the wall of the house. So the orange tree will stay along with the grass.

Backyard: This grass will stay and I hope to pep up the area under the tree to be a cozy romantic little retreat

Backyard Patio: This is where the grill is

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Yardvaark

4 years ago

But our difficulty in helping you remains to be our difficulty in comprehending the total space. A base plan is needed.

The solutions that you've speculated on -- pouring concrete from house to fence ... would your municipality allow that? Most places have restrictions on how close you can build or place things to the lot line.

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Comments (10)

pbeq111
Original Author
4 years ago
Any ideas on this?
pbeq111
Original Author
4 years ago
Dimensions:

The concrete in the side yard will be put on 15feetX10feet grassy area. That will give me a total of 21feet X 10feet concrete side yard. I will use part of it next to the fence for a storage shed.

So it is better to just roll out a green outdoor carpet and place dining table there. Or putting artificial turf is better? I am considering feasibility, cost, home value increase etc

Thanks
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frankielynnsie
4 years ago
If you do use the artificial turf (over the grass?)it will make it a low maintenance area. Is that a gate at the very back? There is already so much concrete.
pbeq111 thanked frankielynnsie
pbeq111
Original Author
4 years ago
No that is not the gate. It is just the fence. So right next to the fence I will put a shed sitting on concrete. There is grass but it is not so usable. I will need to push back the bushes and put friendly plants and cozy up the corner.
pbeq111
Original Author
4 years ago
I was contemplating between artificial turf and concrete with a roll out carpet. Criteria being: cost of installation, maintenance, usability etc

Redoing the whole yard will be super expensive and yet not add to the house value as much. Basically, I am need: more space, utilize the areas we are not using right now, and make it more pleasing that the current bushes.

Turf will allow for a putting area and is eye-pleasing. Roll out carpet will be practical when a table is set over it.

If the bushes go away, I can put either pots or some vertical plants the wall, and even some interesting focal points on the wall/fence. Currently we only use the patio where the grill is and the small dining table is. I would like to have a better grill, and a dining set that is more than just an obstruction because this one is neither pretty nor can be folded out of sight when not in use (just takes up space).
pbeq111
Original Author
4 years ago
I have an irrigation sprinkler system in place. If I remove some bushes and put concrete over it, can I use the existing irrigation pipes there to somehow put into big pots I would like to place there. This is with reference to bushes both in the backyard and in the side yard.
PRO
Yardvaark
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
It sounds like you are asking if you should put a bunch of band-aids on different parts of the yard, solving little problems completely independently of each other. This is not how you end up with a desirable and well functioning yard. To do that, you'd need to solve the problems within the context of the whole yard. In other words, a person would need to see the base plan (what is existing now) and learn about all your needs, and then begin to reconcile the needs against the plan.

The first picture doesn't look big enough for outdoor dining ... unless you got all of the plants out of there, too, and there was nothing but a table and chairs. It seems a bit far, for grilling, from where the dining might be.
pbeq111 thanked Yardvaark
pbeq111
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks Yardvaark. Yes you are right, I am putting band-aid to make the space workable for us :)

Yes, in the first pic (side yard), all the plants will go so there will be concrete from the wall to the fence. The Orange tree is in the way in the pic, but it is actually closer to the corner by the tree (where the pink pinwheel is in the second picture).

Basically I am trying to find use of the side yard (10X28 sq feet) coz right now we don't even go there. For sure I want to put a shed for storage in a part of it.

Some ideas for the rest of the space I thought were to perhaps a quiet reading retreat with a two-people swing. Or, shed + golf putting. I was imagining, if it is golf putting, I could put up folding table and chairs for dinner guests on a rare summer evening, with a string of lights on the top. Or any other use of that space.

On the patio, if the bushes are removed and we have concrete from the house wall to boundary wall then we get 16 feet which is easier to walk around a dining set. At present the bushes do not permit to walk comfortably.
pbeq111
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you for your help

Side yard ideas

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