Back Yard Renovation

About a year after we purchased our home, we experienced something no Home Owner should ever go through: a Flash Flood. We knew we wanted to transform our backyard into a rustic oasis, but this project wasn't on our priority list until the night of September 7th, 2021, when everything changed. We consider ourselves lucky because the flood missed our home by inches, but destroyed our backyard instead. It took out our privacy fence, demolished our gazebo, and left piles of wood and mud in its path.

Let the Rebuilding Begin

First, and foremost, we removed all the debris from the backyard, and took this opportunity to remove several large trees that were in danger of falling onto our house. With the trees cleared, we now had a blank pallet to work with. The only lingering question that remained was: how do we want to use this backyard? It already had an existing wooden platform that was in poor shape, and a lot of space surrounding it. Our immediate thought was to build a gathering area for entertaining large parties, and for us, that meant a Fire Pit and Lounge Area. But, to get there, it would take several steps.

The Removal of the Old Fence

While the flood destroyed our privacy fence, a portion of it remained that separated our backyard into two zones: the occupiable area vs. the wooded area. It made no sense to keep this fence, so we began to dissemble it. It was then that we came up with a great idea, and a key tip to any backyard renovation.

Utilize the Existing Fence Posts

Why tear down existing fence posts when they make great supports for anchoring string lights? We love string lights! They provide a calming quality to any space, and we knew the perimeter of the entertaining area should be lined with them. By keeping the existing fence posts in tact, we were able to mount metal light poles to the sides of each fence post for added stability.

Time to Rebuild the Fence

Rebuilding the fence was a great opportunity to control the design and direction it should go. The original fence never went up the hill of our backyard. Instead, it made a sharp turn at the base of the hill and separated our backyard from... well, our backyard. Now that we had a blank pallet to work with, we thought it was best to visually see our entire backyard, even if we never explored it physically, so we had the new fence extend up the hill.

Rebuilding the Platform

The wooden joists were in great shape, considering the age of the platform. We removed the old deck boards, and kept the structural joists in tact. When you have a wooden platform so close to the ground like ours, it's best to control any moisture buildup that may affect the longevity of the wood. While the joists were slightly elevated from the muddy surface that was our yard, we poured gravel between all the joists to eliminate any moisture that could rot the wood or attract pests and insects.

We replaced the rotten deck boards with pressure treated boards because they were cheaper and are already treated with chemicals to withstand moisture. As we installed the boards, we realized this platform had two wing additions to the primary "square" shape, and for budget purposes, we chose to dismember the wings and keep the platform a simple square.

Defining the Fire Pit

With the existing wooden platform rebuilt, it was now time to focus on the fire pit area, as this would be an extension off the lounge area. We selected pea gravel as the primary surface material because it has a natural resistance to heat, pest, and it acts as its own drainage system, which our backyard desperately needed due to all that mud from the flash flood. Before we could lay the pea gravel down, we ordered medium-sized river rock to act as the border for the fire pit area, and to improve the drainage flow since the fire pit would be located at the base of a hill.

Defining the Path

With the Fire Pit nearing completion, it was time to provide access to it from our house. Using the same rubber landscape edging from our front yard renovation, we outlined the path that would connect our back deck to the fire pit, as well as two other paths that would connect our privacy gate and untouched backyard to the fire pit. Once the path was outlined, it was time to remove the weeds and grass, exposing the dirt underneath. Due to the amount of unlevel surfaces and roots in our backyard, we did not line the path with a weed barrier. However, it's always recommended to add this protective layer if your yard has the ability for it.

Thank you very Mulch

As with the front yard renovation, a majority of our backyard was non-mow-able due to rocks and roots. Therefore, we chose to replace the remaining weeded areas surrounding the walking paths with Scott's red mulch, in order to match the front yard. We felt that the color of the mulch would bring a deep richness to the space as it did with the front.

Time for a Fire & S'mores