Sweat equity! That’s the name of the game in my new home and by golly am I sweating. whew! Summer is nearly here and the temps always go from 50 to 90-degrees quickly. I’m excited to share with you my backyard terrace beginning today. {{happy dance}}
Here’s where I’m at after (1) backyard official beginning (2) installing my French drain (3) felling the rotted trees
As much as I’d like to say this is going to be easy, I’m not gonna lie. It’s pretty much me doing the work since my kiddos are highly irritated (allergic maybe?) to poison ivy.
DIGGIN’ IT
No problem.
Just a MOUNTAIN TO MOVE!
haha.
Just for reference, I’m a few weeks ahead of this post currently. That means the temps were still cool at the end of May and made it simpler to load the brush and logs for the chipping service to come.
Thankfully, I am able to have the kids help a bit with pieces not tainted by the poison ivy.
That may not look like much, but I stacked that stuff neat and tidy and includes three trees because they charge $25 per ten minutes.
And yes, I timed them, as I mention in my vlog below. And according to my watch, they took eleven minutes.
Now, that took care of the trees I cut down, the small trees from the autumn start, and SO MUCH MORE.
In the meantime, I’ve bagged over thirty yard waste bags just from this project alone. Then, I haul them off to the city compost dump. Not only am I exhausted at cleaning up brush but just wondering how it all got this bad.
This is the regular view at the front of my house even though I take 5+ bags a week.
Likewise, I still have to remove the stump left over from felling the cherry trees and at this point just waiting for them to come.
I know this backyard terrace beginning will pay off as I’m easily seeing all the effort pay off. And I also know that I won’t be finishing it this year but look forward to having this part done so I can get to the fun stuff.
Like plants, summer evenings with my kiddos, and just savoring the hard work.
Take a minute to watch my vlog below as it has more content and context than any picture can show.
MORE DIGGIN’
Maybe you also recall I still have Mt. Digmore out front staring at me ever since my new garage was built just before the new year.
Kids and I haven’t fully been able to move it as I’ve been waiting for our “monsoon” season to stop so I can actually work outside. Well, that time has come as we actually had a forecast with more than one day of sunshine.
You can bet your granny underwear as I am out there lickety-split ready to go!
Mr. O and Loula got a few wheelbarrows full taken to the back while I work on leveling out what I can around the driveway. However, we can move much back until I clear out that terrace space.
NO MORE IVY
First, this entire terrace is COVERED in English Ivy, Poison Ivy, and Periwinkle with tons of daylilies and iris tossed in randomly.
In addition, there are dozens of wild rose bushes, stumps from the Bradford pear trees I cut down in autumn (they are an invasive species and not planted). Just in one morning, I had to dig out over twenty stumps in a small section.
Oh, and one random Sweet William flower that I am trying to save.
No workout for me the last few weeks as this is BEYOND enough of a workout!
My mattock pickax is my best friend throughout this entire process. I use one side for deep digging out the ivy roots and stumps, while the ax side allows me to switch and get roots out in one blow.
What’s also insane is how many rocks were buried deep in that terrace!
I literally am having dreams about finding them. Funny/not funny. heh.
And try as I might, I started each day in pants, long sleeves, gloves and bagged hands to remove the poison ivy wherever I was working, I still got some on mainly my forearms, but torso, chin, and a few spots on my legs. That doggone stuff was HUGE and everywhere with 1″+ root systems.
FUN FINDS
I even found the other part of the squirrel skull I dug up in my first backyard cleanup. Poor lil’ critter.
In addition, I found markers, a baby bib, a baseball core, and so many other fun things that I’ll share soon.
On the other hand, I had to dig out one bag of sand at the base of each tree.
They were just plopped there and left.
weird.
Not only that, but when trying my best to remove the ivy on the top of the terrace, I came upon a buried tarp.
OH-MAH-GOODNESS was that thing heavy and a pain the patootie.
Aside from the stone, I also pull out so much broken concrete and brick as well as random metal poles. We think maybe a railing at one point?
Finally, after six or so days with eight hours each poured in, I can finally see the light.
While I didn’t have much help with that part, the kids did help me move the stone out of the way so I could carve a wall setting.
However, there is still so much more to do:
- remove the stump
- finish digging out the left side
- carve out the new rock retaining wall
- tear out and rebuild the steps
- clear out more of the top of the terrace
- etc….
Thankfully, the field owner tilled the field just as I was wrapping up this day.
(though they didn’t come to the property line and take out all the junk near me)
That waist-high grass was harboring SO MANY ticks, and the deer out there invite them to a card party as well.
FOLLOW ALONG!
As always, my goal is to inspire you and share my journey along the way. Have you ever tackled something like this? Leave some comment love so I know you’re here. While you’re at it, pin and share this backyard terrace beginning to inspire others.
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Along with this backyard terrace beginning, check out these other DIY projects:
Wow! This kind of project is so gratifying. I remember doing years of this kind of work. I loved it! Finding treasures while digging up the old is fun. I give you lots of credit…I never had to deal with digging up so much poison ivy. Yuck! I love watching your progress.🌿
It certainly is, but man… this is (what I bargained for) but seems like I keep running into things. Hopefully, I’m past that and can just proceed. Yes, I’m SO SICK of itching for over two weeks now. haha. Thanks, Dale.
Wow! You have quite the project going on! I had a similar situation at one of my homes, but instead of a terrace, it was a LARGE corner (triangle shaped) garden plus around a pool area. Literally, COVERED in layers and layers of stones. Instead of pulling up the weeds and clearing out the fallen leaves, I think the previous owners just decided to put another layer of stones down so it would look fresh. The few plants were struggling to survive in that environment. I sifted tons of stones to clear them out and get down to the dirt, then planted lots of iris, daylilies, peonies, sedum, and other perennials to green up the backyard. And the stones…free to whomever would come with their pickup truck and haul the pile away!
I can totally relate to the hot, back-breaking work. But in the end, it is so worth it. So satisfying to see the plants flourish with our assistance. I feel like this is my purpose, to care for God’s creation, nurture the earth, cherish the beauty He created for us. He gives us so much; I can work hard to thank and glorify Him in this way. God strengthen and encourage you!
Back-breaking for sure, Judy! 😉 And I agree about what you’re saying about the previous owners. This terrace was a sort of dumping ground. But no more! haha. I’m so glad I’m seeing the light at the end of a a month-long tunnel. That way I can move onto another hard project! sigh… hee hee.
Yes, God is giving me the ability, the place, and so far the brain to tackle it all. Amen.
I’m sure you slept well after all that! I know all that hard work will pay off. It will be gorgeous and you can be proud of what you have built! Not just the terrace, but the life you’ve been building. What a beautiful monument to your spirit you will have. Congratulations and I look forward to seeing the dream realized! 🥰
I’ve been at this for over three weeks every day and yes… exhausted but feeling like I’m headed in the right direction. 😉 Just like my previous home, oodles of sweat equity and I can always say I did it. Thank you, Rebecca.
Once upon a long time ago it must have been quite lovely back there. You coined the phrase “trashure” (turning trash to treasure), and boy are you doing it on a grand scale right now. Thanks to a woman who isn’t afraid of hard work, It’s going to be beautiful again and something you can be proud of and enjoy for years to come. You rock! Sorry, couldn’t resist. 🌺 🪻🌸
Absolutely. With the horseshoe pits up top, all the stone, and remnants of landscaping… someone cared for it. This is actually a bit less or about equal to what I did at my old home. Gutted everything, dug and dug, hauled TONS and am glad I did. Thank you for the love, Maire. Oh, and the giggle!! 😀
Wow! What a job! It’s coming along bit by bit. I bet that area was really nice at one time. The steps and all the stones and with all the “finds”. You must be exhausted! Hope you’re taking some time for yourself too. I really love your house with the garage added! It’s so cute! Can’t wait to see it finished one day and you can actually enjoy it!
HUGE job. 😀 It reminds of all the similar elbow grease and sweat equity I poured into my previous home landscape. I am exhausted and looking forward to sitting down and enjoying this whole space. Especially won’t miss the poison ivy. {{scratch, scratch}}
Wow Larissa, you are not afraid of hard work! Good for you for “carving out” your slice of Heaven on earth. Can’t wait to watch your progress on this project!
It’s in my blood (and my training. 😉 ) Thank you for the well wishes, Wendy.