For years, we've disliked the layout of our backyard. It was over grown with fruit trees, rotting railroad ties and spruce/juniper bushes.
In May/June of this year (2011), we decided it was time to do a bit of cleanup, starting with our 8x10 shed.
Stage 1: Relocate the 8x10 shed from the N/E corner to the N/Central section of the yard. We had no idea how much work it would be to relocate a shed. The ground was soft and muddy from weeks of rain.
At first, we purchased 4x 12' lengths of heavy duty PVC and attempted to roll the shed. Considering we had to push uphill in mud, we had no success. I even tried hooking my winch cable around the shed (winch on my ATV) and that didn't work.
We then decided to rent an industrial fork lift. 6' forks are the longest available and we needed to move the shed lengthwise. Unfortunately, the 6' forks broke through the floor of the shed and damaged the framing.
The fix? Gorilla tape wood studs to the ends of the forks, making them 10' long. SUCCESS!
With all the heavy equipment in the backyard, the grass (what was left of it) was devastated. We needed to get the grass restored before the dogs made an even larger mess. What to do?
Initially, we thought we would just leave the lawn and put seed down, but that didn't seem to be an acceptable long-term option. The search for a landscaper was on.
We decided more work was needed. Off I went to Diamond Rental to get an excavator. I tore out all the railroad ties, many of the fruit trees and all of the juniper and spruce bushes. We'd never seen the back fence before and it was eye opening just how poorly it looked; another project exposed.
With all the debris hauled to the dump, we were ready to replace the sprinkler system, put down fresh top soil and begin laying sod. We trenched 2-3' deep to run the new lines (satellite TV, power to my sheds, phone lines, etc) and had two dump trucks full of top soil delivered.
After grading and leveling, it was time to lay the sod. The yard was looking so much better already!
I went to the Park City area and secured landscaping rocks from Brown's Canyon Quarry and put them in the new planter areas.
Next it was off to Bland's nursery & garden center to find some nice matching gravel. We found an excellent Gold lava rock. 20+ loads later and things were shaping up.
Next up (for next year); Trex fencing and a pave-stone patio.
What a difference a few months and much back-breaking labor can make!
In May/June of this year (2011), we decided it was time to do a bit of cleanup, starting with our 8x10 shed.
Stage 1: Relocate the 8x10 shed from the N/E corner to the N/Central section of the yard. We had no idea how much work it would be to relocate a shed. The ground was soft and muddy from weeks of rain.
At first, we purchased 4x 12' lengths of heavy duty PVC and attempted to roll the shed. Considering we had to push uphill in mud, we had no success. I even tried hooking my winch cable around the shed (winch on my ATV) and that didn't work.
We then decided to rent an industrial fork lift. 6' forks are the longest available and we needed to move the shed lengthwise. Unfortunately, the 6' forks broke through the floor of the shed and damaged the framing.
The fix? Gorilla tape wood studs to the ends of the forks, making them 10' long. SUCCESS!
With all the heavy equipment in the backyard, the grass (what was left of it) was devastated. We needed to get the grass restored before the dogs made an even larger mess. What to do?
Initially, we thought we would just leave the lawn and put seed down, but that didn't seem to be an acceptable long-term option. The search for a landscaper was on.
We decided more work was needed. Off I went to Diamond Rental to get an excavator. I tore out all the railroad ties, many of the fruit trees and all of the juniper and spruce bushes. We'd never seen the back fence before and it was eye opening just how poorly it looked; another project exposed.
With all the debris hauled to the dump, we were ready to replace the sprinkler system, put down fresh top soil and begin laying sod. We trenched 2-3' deep to run the new lines (satellite TV, power to my sheds, phone lines, etc) and had two dump trucks full of top soil delivered.
After grading and leveling, it was time to lay the sod. The yard was looking so much better already!
I went to the Park City area and secured landscaping rocks from Brown's Canyon Quarry and put them in the new planter areas.
Next it was off to Bland's nursery & garden center to find some nice matching gravel. We found an excellent Gold lava rock. 20+ loads later and things were shaping up.
Next up (for next year); Trex fencing and a pave-stone patio.
What a difference a few months and much back-breaking labor can make!
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