big ugly brick wall in back yard? Also need patio space? Sloped yard?
Help,
We have an L shaped yard with a garage that sits a half story higher than our yard, hence the bick ugly brick wall. I would like a more functional patio too. My idea was to add a patio in front of the windows next to the wall and somehow build some shade with a pergola or roof of some sort??..but I am afraid it will look ugly/not sure how to configure with exosting porch...We also need a way to keep the stairs up to the garage by the retaining wall and hopefully make them safer...I know there is also an existing sprinkler systemand maybe french drain around our current porch but we are worried about the drainage if we build a deck or expand a patio. HELP! thoughts?
It is hard ro see in the oicture, but the lower yard does have a slight slope as wall, not super drastic, but enough that it would still be higher than the existing porch.
Comments (7)
Lisa Dipiro
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Blank slate back yard needs design assist
Comments (6)One idea I would consider if you want to do a variety of garden areas is to move the patio somewhat away from the house, or do the patio at the house but also put seating of some kind in a few other locations in the yard, What we've done is make a lower patio that is shady in summer, and an upper patio that gets more sun all year 'round. This is because we tend to be sun-seeking in spring and fall and that's when we use the sunny patio, but sun-avoiding in summer. There is also a spot in which we can specifically enjoy the morning sun for having coffee outdoors. Not all of this was preplanned, but these are the kinds of considerations that can be used to help make decisions. If you begin by assessing your sun directions and planting trees that will eventually shade certain parts of the yard, you can plan accordingly from there - your seating areas, and what you will look at from each of them, what privacy considerations you want for each of them. Start by just placing lawn chairs at these locations and sitting in them, and thinking it through from that position. KarinL...See MoreSteep Side yard slope + big picture planning
Comments (64)CCP - I am late to respond, but I am not sure what pictures to add. If you look at the ones I put up on 4/15/11 and imagine grass, you pretty much have the layout. The swings are steps from the patio, and running around space is more open behind the garage. General Update - Another season in, we cured the drainage issue in the spring, mostly. The dry creek to nowhere, that my architect and landscaper thought would work, didn't. We were left with rocks on top of mud, instead of mud. We pulled it, and did a DIY (disaster filled install) french drain going across two and a half properties. We used "EZ-Flow" Pipes from NDS, which is basically an alternative to gravel. We are having some problems with the pipes bucking after a heavy rain and needing to be re-worked in my next,next door neighbor's yard, but we are planning to add more fill to weigh it down. Moving the water away to the community retention pond was the only cure though. Kind of wish we had written a check as opposed to DIY though. In terms of the plantings, almost everything has thrived - except the dogwood and sourwood in the rear. We replaced the sourwood once and its replacement is hurting. There is a bit of grade there and we've read that sourwood's like water, so we think that its iffy that we have the right plant there given that the water drains. The dogwood, we may replace this weekend. That particular tree was always kind of weak even before the transplant from the front yard to the back, so we will give it one more shot before looking at another selection. The patio (and deck above) gather mold rather easily. In a few years I'd like to rip the cheap composite deck out and replace it with something (tropical hardwood?, regular wood?), but we'll live with it for a while. The mold/moss (green stuff) on the bluestone is a bit more disconcerting, as we wonder if it is a sign that the area below the patio is on the wetter side. The ground is firm, and there is gravel below, and the gutters are buried/routed away, but we speculate that water may be a factor. In terms of our enjoyment - we had a labor day party last weekend and could put a couple dozen people in the yard no problem. The kids like to hid in the tall grasses by the side stairs, and the curb appeal is nice. So far, so good....See MoreHelp needed on ugly front yard
Comments (12)You're a long way from being "that house." Once you get the lawn greened up I think you will feel a lot better about your front yardscape. Right now you've got a bunch of overgrown shrubs under your windows that are too big for your limited space and really aren't needed to cover up anything. That's a small space, as Emmarene has noted, so you'll probably want to either put nothing there, or something smaller. Almost too small for even dwarf shrubs, but if you want, a fine space for some easy care perennials or a groundcover. Same with the shrub against the chimney, it is going to be a pain to maintain, and why do you need to cover your chimney with foliage? It's too big for that space, but could maybe work away from the house, viewed from an inside window. Your front landscape suffers from the classic mistake of thinking that everything has to be shoved up against the house. In my humble opinion, a front yard landscape should be designed to look nice from the road to folks driving by, from the driveway as you come home, and from INSIDE the house as you look out. That usually involves plantings well away from the house, judiciously placed so as not to obscure some area of the house where a burglar might be trying to enter. "Foundation plantings" are ok since that is an area to grow things if you like, but if there is nothing ugly around your foundation to hide, not necessary unless that really rings your bell. If you do want them, then think of them like jewelry and other accessories that you would "wear" to highlight your outfit. In the same sense, foundation plantings balance and soften the features of your house, highlighting what you like and downplaying the negatives. Depending on your light orientation, foundation plantings can also provide shade to cool your house or a windblock. But when planted too close, they just end up holding debris and moisture against the house and roof which can lead to moss, mold, rot, insects, etc. The area to the right of the front door as I'm looking at it, is kind of a long boring expanse of grey, so that would be where you could have some kind of plantings to spruce it up. Then in the front by the road, where it looks like something has died and been cut down, is where you could plant what is known as a "specimen tree" which is a tree that is spectacular in some way and gives pleasure when viewed from within the house or from the road. Common examples are white birches or river birches for their form and bark, a crimson maple or some other shrub or tree with bright red leaves in the fall, a crabapple or flowering cherry or dogwood, etc, some kind of flowering tree, or some cool evergreen or an island with a series of maybe three flowering shrubs or shrubs with cool foliage. You could relocate the large shrubs by your house to that spot, if they survive the move. I wouldn't recommend the classic blue spruce for your small yard, but there are some other beautiful options out there. But that's my taste, you have to figure out what is yours. You already have a magnolia specimen tree so purely up to you if you want another to contrast with it, or just let that area return to grass....See MoreCan I level a sloped back yard?
Comments (3)I'm always going to plug finding a local landscape designer, but especially here because we just did a similar project. Every contractor who came in was advocating 8 ft walls and craziness, and we did it with two 30" walls and actually created a stronger transition to get their kid into the wooded area to play. Search for a local pro, there's a button for that above. Even if you DIY it, it'll give you some guidance. To your questions: 1- you'll have a lot more options if you lose the pines, unless you're willing to bring the wall well in front of them. In that case, I don't know how much value you get from the process. 2- it's worth checking with your city or county. There may be specific regs in your area that deal w/ disturbance of soil within XXX feet of a waterway. It may be as simple as you being required to but up silt fence, but cheaper to know in advance. 3- that decision would be site specific (for example, prevailing winds) as well as specific to the type and construction of wall. 4- I've seen plenty of DIY walls. Some are pro quality, some are horrifying, some are in between. Once you control for the variable of relevant experience, it seems to come down to patience, attention to detail, willingness to seek advice, and willingness to see something that went wonky and tear it out and redo. If you've done a brick patio you'll have some of the basic skills for wall building under your belt. You can square up corners, you can level an area, etc. Grading just comes down to only using the biggest tool you can confidently use. I have guys who work for me who can use a bobcat to feather out a nearly perfect finished grade that only needs a bare minimum amount of raking. I'd end up taking out a car-sized chunk of hill, so I need to do it by hand (which is why I'm management). We're in VA so we usethis typical details packet as a starting reference for walls that don't require engineering. Note that if you were to use a segmental retaining wall (as in the interlocking concrete blocks by companies like Techo-Bloc and New Line), most municipalities don't have typical details as in the above. If your wall will require a permit and you use a segmental wall product, you'll need to get an engineer's stamp. You have an interesting project, and I think bringing in a design pro would be hugely helpful. Yard brings up a great point in his comment, that you have a terrific opportunity to create a blend between more structured space and the woods beyond. I'd love to see that developed, for sure....See More
PROYardvaark
4 years ago
Beth
4 years agoThe yard slopes towards the house. The area around the porch and side yard are what I call the flat part. But it does have a very slight slope. You can kind of see a more true angle in the pictures below. The one with my son pushing his train, I am standing on the existing covered porch looking towards the other side away from brick wall. You can see the slight angle of the fence line. I am pretty sure we need to fix the existing drainage issues first. Our foundation was fixed before we moved in and we have since had it re evaluated and the structure is sound. However, I notice that the soil stays moist much longer in corner with the windows and the brick wall. Not sure why the sellers have the gutters emptying in that corner there. Seems like it would be the worst spot? But, I am no expert...not even close lol.
ShadyWillowFarm
4 years agoBeth
4 years agoYeah, my little guy and our full time jobs have obv pretty much consumed all the hours since he was born not quite 2 years ago. lol...But, the pots I had started pre-him are actually all my gorgeous hostas that are just sprouting and now need homes ;_; The big pots are my hydrangeas that are coming out as well. I didn't want to put any into the ground since I wasn't sure of the plan for our yard. I would like to keep them potted and in our hopefully semi shaded new patio wherever that may be. The weeds on that upper part have been a struggle since day 1. The tree roots sprout new shoots constantly, so weed killer becomes difficult. Not to mention, the roses we had inherited with the property became diseased so we are in the midst of pulling them out as well. Believe it or not, we had a full vegetable garden year before last which is why I was hanging on to the empty pots as we do not have great soil. Long story short, I am looking to have more livilable space that doesn't include more weeding, watering, and gardening in our outrageously hot summers.
If I put a patio in the corner between the windows and the retaining wall, what would be the best surface? raised wood type? Gravel ? would gravel hinder drainage and made the ground underneath even more soggy? same issues with brick? Even if I had concrete poured and connected it to the existing patio what kind of drainage solution would we need under and around?
These are my beauties from last spring.
Beth
4 years agoHere is some views after we do our usual "weeding"
I am just worried about the drainage in that corner. I wonder, if I extended the roofline from the large brick wall somehow so that that corner didn't get actuall rained on...if that would help? Maybe solve 2 problems in one? shade and help with damp corner?
ShadyWillowFarm