Makeover Monday - Too Much Dirt

The first task we needed to conquer in the yard was the dirt.  There was a lot of extra dirt that needed to be removed before we could begin any part of the project.  We hired a little help so that the removal would go faster and also so we had a truck to move the dirt.

 :::

 

 

 It doesn't look like much but there were 5 truck loads taken out of here. 

 

 

The patio was the major part of the yard and we knew we were going to need help with it.  We hired someone to do the pour and finish work of the concrete. 

The two things that were most important for us were to match the existing concrete with texture and color, and to do it with as little cost as possible.  We decided to get colored concrete to avoid the cost of the finishing with staining process.  The color we picked matches the existing patio perfectly.  We were also able to save some money by renting the concrete skins instead of hiring the finish work out.  The skins added the texture to the newly poured concrete  allowing us to match our existing concrete patio.

  

   

 

Here is the patio, start to finish.  Just what we wanted

 

Makeover Monday

Well... I'm back.  Lets try this again.  As with any big change for a new big idea, you have to make a plan. I didn't before and now that I have one its GO TIME!

 

Today is Monday and Monday is now my Makeover MONDAY on the blog!  I will be posting re-designs.  Some big some small but all things you can easily do yourself. 

 

One big project I did this summer was completely transform our side yard.  My boyfriend and I worked for about six weeks almost everyday after work, and only one whole weekend to get the job done.  I'm going to show you what we did ourselves for a fraction of what the contractors bid us. 

First, here are the before pictures.  Yep we had a blank slate to work with.

 

 

 

 

Below is the design I drew up for us to work from.  This was the plan the whole time and it really helped to keep us on the same page.   There were things he wanted and things I wanted and we made it work into one cohesive design. 

 

 

 

 

 

I can't wait for you to see the finished yard….stay tuned each Monday to see a little more progress each week.