When we bought this house in American Fork, we knew that the yard needed some work. I don't think we anticipated how much work (hard to tell when you buy a house in November)!! The grass was so bumpy, uneven and full of nasty weeds and gravel. The sprinklers were a disaster - I think Brandon has replaced every single sprinkler head in the yard. The fence was barely holding on. The one large tree in the backyard had been cut in half was diseased and dying, so we had to take it down. :( The concrete was cracked and uneven. We really haven't spent much time there because the backyard wasn't a nice place to be. We've been really focused on the backyard, and we ("we" meaning Brandon) ended up taking it down to dirt and it is basically all brand new! Brandon has been working tirelessly and has done most of the prep work (taking down the tree, taking down the old fence, removing the sod, hauling out the sod and wood, leveling all the dirt, fixing and moving all the sprinklers, laying the sod, etc.). He has been a MACHINE and has met all the deadlines we set on ourselves! I have been contributing where possible (due to our pregnancy) and have been worn out. We are so relieved to have done all the things we wanted to do this spring to be able to enjoy it. The final touch was to set up a brand new trampoline and playset. The kids have loved the backyard and now spend many hours outside! Brandon still wants to build a pergola and shed, so I am sure there will be more updates. I am proud of our hard work and the progress we've made. Especially since after landscaping our entire yard in Arizona, I said on multiple occasions that I really hoped our marriage would never have to landscape another yard. And here we are - we learned some things and did it again pretty successfully I'd say (but we still don't love yard work).
ORIGINAL BACKYARD
PHASE 1 - CONCRETE (SPRING 2016)
PHASE 2 - RETAINING WALL & BACK FENCE (FALL 2016)
PHASE 3 - LEVELING, FENCE, CURBING (FRONT & BACK), TREES, NEW SOD
(SPRING 2017)
