Our backyard remodel is underway and the main focus this week was making a start on the retaining walls and fence. It’s amazing just how far they got and the transformation we can already see happening. I’m recapping their progress below. Grab a cup or tea or some coffee and let’s catch up!
Missed a post in this series? Click on a link below to access previous posts.
Our Backyard Remodel Series:
A Look at the Before | Design Plans | Selecting a Landscape Designer | Demo Day
It’s the end of the first full week and it’s full steam ahead on our backyard remodel project. The guys got a lot accomplished this week. They were able to make a start on the retaining walls and the fence. Spending the beginning of the week prepping so by Wednesday and Friday they could knock out most of the back retaining wall and the fence as well.
It’s cooler this week with rain in the forecast. In fact, we had so much rain on Thursday that they ended up taking the day off and resuming on Friday. Too difficult to work with power tools in a downpour.
For a day by day breakdown of what the landscapers tackled each day, continue reading below.
Monday: Post Holes Dug and Limestone Added
The guys arrived around 9 am today to get to work. Brook, the owner, also showed up to check in and review a few project details with me. The main being the fence.
The original plan for our fence was for it to start at the back corners of our house. It would follow the property line and sit 3″ off. As Brook and I started to talk about some of the details of the design it brought up some questions that started to shift the original plan.
On Site Changes and Adjustments
As we started talking about the yard on the left side of our house and what the plan was for this space, the design began to shift a bit. Up until this point we really hadn’t discussed this portion. The grass wasn’t terrible over here and I figured we would leave it as is.
Brook made the suggestion to add gravel instead since the area wasn’t that big. His idea was we eliminate the grass and add gravel to help with drainage but make it easier for Mike when mowing.
We also took a look at the plan for the fence around the shed. Our original thought was we would run it along the edge of the shed. But, this would leave a weird gap between our fence and the neighbors making it difficult to maintain. If we followed the property line and put the fence around the outside of the shed, we ran into an awkward corner with a large tree that is mostly on our neighbors yard. Creating awkward space behind our shed.
We decide the best way to handle it would be to run the fence to the front corner of the shed and then start it again at the back corner. Essentially cutting out the space behind the shed.
It felt a bit weird not to include even square inch of space we could for the dogs but this space was mostly unused. There’s no grass just dead leaves and fallen branches. So excluding it made the most sense.
Finalizing the Design of the Fence with Mike
With Mike out of town, I FaceTimed him to show him the proposed changes and get his thoughts. He liked the idea of the gravel on the side of our house but wanted to start the fence at the front now instead of the back. Thinking it would be a cleaner look from the front and better for curb appeal, and I agreed. With the change to gravel, this also gives us a place for storage if needed.
I then flipped the camera around and showed Mike the proposed changes along the shed. He agreed with these changes as well but thought we should add an additional gate so we could still access the area behind the shed.
With those changes made and communicated to Brook and team, the next thing to do was start digging post holes.
Prepping for the Fence
They started digging the post holes for the fence because they planned to start installing the horizontal boards later this week. Starting at the left side of the house, up at the front now, they worked their way to the back and along the old picket fence.
Once they got to the back right corner they stopped. With the way the property line is laid out, there is a tree in this corner as well that straddles the line and is in the way. The fence will sit on the inside of the tree but they will need to figure out the angle in order to create the grooves in the posts that will go in this corner.
Mike was the one that picked out the fence design. He loved the idea of a horizontal wooden fence and found an inspiration picture he shared with them for the design.
To achieve this, and get a clean sleek look, the guys are going to create grooves on 2 sides of the post. This will allow the fence boards to slide down in and stack one on top of the other.
Getting most of the post holes dug today set them up to install the posts later this week and start cutting fence boards after that. They told me that part would go quick and hoped to have most of it in place by the end of the week.
Building Up the Patio Base
While 2 of the guys worked on digging post holes, one guy worked on adding crushed limestone on top of the gravel patio base.
If you read last weeks post recapping Demo Day, you know the guys made a great start on the foundation of the patio. They dug the rough outline of the patio and retaining wall, leveled and tamped the ground and then added a layer of gravel and tamped that as well.
Today they started adding the crushed limestone. This layer goes on top of the gravel and helps fill in the gaps between the stones. Making it easier to create an even sturdy base for the pavers to sit on that still allows water to drain.
Once the limestone was down, they tamped it in place to help speed up the settling process. This means they basically go over the surface with a machine that forces the air out between the stones. Creating a nice tight fit between all the stones that prevents the pavers from shifting and potentially cracking over the years after installed.
Tuesday: Trench Digging and Post Grooving
Today was more prep work in preparation for installing the back retaining wall and fence boards later this week. When the guys arrived today they brought a bunch of material with them that they would need for the rest of the week.
One pallet was filled with bags of ready mix cement which they would use to anchor the fence posts in the holes. The other was filled with pressure treated wood which included the fence posts and the boards themselves.
Two of the guys worked on mapping out the area for the trench for the back retaining wall. Using string to mark a straight line to follow as they dug a trench that was about 16″ wide. Starting at the back corner of our shed and spanning the length of the yard parallel to the white picket fence.
While that was happening another person worked on all the fence posts. They had to carve a groove on 2 sides of the post, opposite each other. The groove needed to be wide enough to allow the boards to slide in and the fit be snug. The groove couldn’t be to deep though as to interfere with the boards that would slide in on the opposite side.
As a treat, I stopped at Dunkin’s in the morning and grabbed the guys some donuts and breakfast sandwiches so they could have some extra fuel for the day. It was much appreciated and I was happy to do it!
Wednesday: Start of the Retaining Walls and Fence
When the guys arrived today, they brought our first pallets of block and pavers for the back retaining wall. They are using a mix of the Grand Discover Pavers line and Summit Stone line by County Materials Corporation.
The color ways we are using for the retaining walls, patio, and walkway are a combination of Timeless and Reflection. Timeless will be used for the main portion of the patio and walkway with a border in Reflection.
Our retaining walls will also be made up of block in the color way Timeless but will be capped with a block in the color way Reflection to tie everything together.
Laying the Foundation of the Back Retaining Wall
The pallets they brought today were a mix of 16″x16″ Grand Discover Pavers in Reflection and 7″x10″ Summit Stone blocks in the color way of Timeless. The 16″x16″ pavers in Reflection were used for the base of the back retaining wall. The base of the wall will be buried under the ground and won’t actually be seen.
Before adding the pavers, they added a layer of gravel. They tamped that down, added another layer of crushed limestone and tamped that down as well. Just as they did with the base for the patio. Creating a stable foundation from which to build upon and prevent the structure from shifting.
Once the foundation was set, they laid the pavers one after the other inside the trench. With the base set, the next levels of the retaining wall would go up quite quickly on Friday.
Setting the Posts
Also, today the guys set the posts in preparation for installing the fence boards later this week. They started at the front of the house. Adding a little bit of gravel to the base of the hole first.
Then, they added the post, making sure to position it correctly and ensure it was level. Next, they added the Quikrete (High Strength Concrete Mix) to the hole and topped it with water. Making sure to saturate the concrete mix. The Quikrete sets up in about 20-40 minutes and once it does, you can backfill the hole with dirt.
They did this for every post hole they drilled except for the very last one at the back right corner of our yard. They still need to determine the angle of the fence and will wait to create the groove in the post until they do.
Friday: Progress on Back Retaining Wall and Fence
With no work on Thursday because of all the rain, the guys were eager to get caught up. And, because it was Friday, I decided to grab breakfast for the guys at Chick-Fil-A.
Their focus today was getting a good portion of the fence boards in and the back retaining wall mostly complete.
Jack, the team lead, worked on the back retaining wall. Setting the 4 rows of Timeless 7″x10″ blocks in a running bond style on top of the base he created earlier in the week. He used construction adhesive to hold each block in place.
Once he was done running the wall as far as he could take it for now, he backfilled with gravel behind the wall to help with drainage. Once complete, he topped it off with dirt.
While Jack worked on the wall, Ant and Juan worked on the fence boards. Again, starting at the front of the house, they worked their way back towards the shed. Cutting each one to length and sliding them down through the channel grooves they had cut in the posts. I was able to see the install from the office window upstairs while I worked.
They were able to get the whole left side of our yard complete and the small short wall next to where the back gate on the shed will be. Once the boards were in, they went through and nailed each into the post. Providing extra support to keep each board in place.
Week 1 Progress Recap
The transformation our yard has undergone in just a week is crazy. The back retaining wall is mostly in and already making this part of the yard look so much better.
It’s also exciting to see so much of the fence up. It is the piece I am most excited to have with the dogs. Giving them the ability to run and play together off lead makes me so happy.
Speaking of the dogs. They were away all week, to give me a bit of a break but also to prevent them from freaking out with all the construction going on. We were worried the noise would scare them or cause Roland to have focal seizures. Which he gets occasionally when he gets really worked up by loud noises.
I picked them up today and they are throughly investigating all the changes and tools in the backyard. Lots of new smells and things to adjust to as the project continues.
Also, Mike is coming home on Monday after being gone for 4 whole weeks. I know he’s excited to be home but also to see all the changes that have occurred.
The landscape crew is off on Monday for the holiday but will be back Tuesday to start again. Check back next week for another weekly recap of our backyard remodel project!
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