Yard Transformation- Part 1 -

yard-transformation

The past few months have been so busy! It’s amazing how quickly time goes by and how behind I can get on things. I had so much planned for my blog, and then, poof! Months have gone by! Add in a new baby and it gets crazy.

After deciding to purchase a brand new home that was just built last fall, we knew we were going to have some additional expenses- a fence and landscaping to name the biggest ones! Our front and backyard were just fine sandy dirt and we wanted to make it look beautiful without breaking the bank…we did just buy a house after all!

It’s still a bit in progress, but, a HUGE improvement from what it started as. Even better, we’ve been able to keep a pretty reasonable budget for all of it which is most important!

Our first priority was landscaping, irrigation, and fencing- one, because we live in a neighborhood with an HOA and it was a requirement, and two, I was getting tired of dirty dog footprints all over my house thanks to our dirt backyard! Plus, since we had no fence, we had to take our dog out on a leash for every potty break….that gets old fast, my friends. It gets old very, very fast.
The first part of the project was fencing. A decent expense, but, we wanted a good quality product that wouldn’t be a victim to some of the insane hail we get here in Colorado. We also used a very reputable company and they did an amazing job and have come out to adjust our gate a few times at no charge (If you’re in Northern Colorado and need a good fencing company, check out Bonnell!) Plus, they are wonderful to work with and we are extremely happy with the quality of work they did.

Our second part of the project was edging and landscape rock. We did rent a skid steer to help spread the stone once it was delivered. Then, my dad and husband installed our irrigation system for the sod. We decided to put an investment into more expensive sod, since over time, it uses 30% + less water. Bigger expense up front, but, less money in the long run which is what we wanted and needed. Delivery was included in the expense as well and it was so worth it. We didn’t pay for installation, just recruited my dad, my husband, and a friend to help (we did pay him with breakfast, lunch, some cash, and a pack of his favorite beer!). The guys started around 6:00am and were done with everything before 9:00am- talk about efficient! That was even with them taking breaks for breakfast and hydration. We just did lunch after they were finished.

We watered the sod like crazy for the first few days and it really took off! We were finally able to try our new lawn mower that we were so fortunate to try out from Green Works Tools*! It’s a cordless 40V 16-inch mower and literally the quietest thing ever! To be honest, I always hated hearing lawn mowers. With this one, I actually mowed the lawn for the first time in my life (sad, but, true!) It is extremely easy to use- I mowed the backyard with no problem, pregnant! A little out of breath just because, well, I’m pregnant! The size we have would be ideal for a smaller yard, but, we love it regardless. If it was a larger model that could handle more square feet, I think my parents would have stolen it from us :) This mower is quiet enough that your little ones can still be outside without risking hearing damage. Our daughter is always excited to be able to stay out on the patio with her chalk while Daddy mows the yard, and, I’m happy because I can still hear her while I’m in the kitchen.

Once we finished the backyard, we had to do some planting in the front yard. We chose some simple bushes that would look nice for most of the year and grow into manageable sizes without extensive care. We still don’t have a tree in the front yard so that’s on our to-do list! We’ve already been able to cut back on watering which has saved a lot of money (the first water bill with sod was not pretty!).

I feel like we did pretty good budget wise for the quality we wanted, the work put in, and the amount of space we needed to complete. Below, check out our overall expense breakdown for this project!

Breakdown of Fencing & Landscape Expense
Fencing = $2,877.59
Landscape Rock (25 tons) = $787.80
Skid Steer Rental = $329.00
Top Soil = $389.33
Landscape Materials (edging, weed barrier, etc) = $250.00
Irrigation Materials = $500.00
Sod & Labor = $1,169.46
Total = $6,303.18