BACKYARD PROJECT IS FINALLY STARTED!!

We have lived in our house now for 2 years, and the backyard has needed an overhaul. The soil was so compact that water hardly soaked into the ground, and the drainage was so terrible that in the rainy season (which is much of the time) there is standing water. And since getting the dog, the mud is horrible....even though he loves to play in it. So, we have been wanting to work on the yard for some time now. My parents came for the week to help us. We added 12 yards of topsoil, 2 drainage trenches, 4 tons of rock and 5 trees....and we have much more work to do!!! Here is the progress below....Thanks Mom and Dad for all your HARD work. We really appreciate it!


Here is the dump truck putting the dirt in our driveway....pretty cool.



Steve and my dad getting a perspective of the land....where to exactly build up the low spots. And you can see a sort-of "before" picture, since I forgot to take one:)


Steve (and AJ) is digging up some of the old grass to get ready for the new topsoil and soon to be new grass.



We had to rent a small tractor to move the dirt and dig the trenches....here are the "kids" having fun with their new toy! Both Steve and AJ would love to have one of these. Ally enjoyed it as well. AJ even took some time driving it by himself!!



Luke was loving the new dirt....he thought it was his new playfield....we had to fill many holes that he dug. Now, we have installed a "lovely" orange net fence to keep him out of the new grass for about the next 4 to 6 weeks.



Speaking of digging. We put a trench along side the fence, and encountered tons of rock. Here is the biggest one. We have decided that it will become part of the landscape as no one can actually move it! Looks good there, don't you think?


Mom and Dad helping to plant new trees....the trees will be great in a few years; we have to be patient. Wish we could have gotten bigger ones, but they are quite expensive.



Here is a view of the yard after the topsoil was put down and the trenches dug and refilled...we still have much work to do...MANY loads of rock to put down to help with drainage and to contain any mud when there is rain.
It was a long, busy week, but we got a lot accomplished! I will keep you posted as the grass grows and more things get completed.