Our yard remodel

[Brett]

Nice Rog! That looks like a nice haven for the kiddies.

Brett, thank you.. Despite your poor attitude towards assisting with my sod.. asshole

Kurt, I'll help you when you decide to do it.. regular rates apply. If you do sod you oughta order it from the company that I did. Despite the hickup on placing the order, the sod was the cheapest around and its awesome quality.

Tacoma, yep.. It's wild to look at what we started with and compare it to it's current state.

lol.....I didn't even check my phone till the next day and saw your message. :-\ Gotta send that "invite" before 10pm, son

 

[SAMI]

So I mowed the lawn for the first time, and it was glorious. Actually, the northwest section in the backyard was so thick that it killed the mower a few times... Good thing it's not my mower.

I've quite a bit of weeding to do. Plenty of grass has made it's way into the perimiter garden areas. My dog had dug a few small holes in the lawn, but I think it'll be ok with some EZseed or something; they were very small. The poor dog has to deal with a gopher under our yard. That little bastard gopher has holes all throughout our neighbors yard as well as a few along our fence on our side. Any ideas on how to kill it?

We're also thinking that instead of a paver patio and pergola, we'd build a new deck to accomplish an outside hangout area. It will serve a dual purpose with a built in storage shed underneath it for all the yard equipment and associated crap. I've got some cool ideas for this. The area that we were planning the patio to go actually has grass growing, sonwe won't need to worry about that. It may eventually become a sandbox and swingset or something in a few years.

West backyard area....

 

[Taco4life]

Any ideas on how to kill it?

I have a few gopher traps.... Or a trusty single shot .410 has always done the job :greg:

 

[Caleb]

Looking good!

I would strongly suggest against putting a shed under your deck.

As for the gopher, there's many way people say you can get rid of them. A couple ways include:

Drowning them (I've killed one in my backyard this way). You have to find one of their burrows, and shove a hose clear down it, then turn it on and let it run. A lot of time sit doesn't work, and it can potentially make a huge mess of your yard or your neighbors yard. Be prepared for them to pop up one of their other holes.

Poison them. Usually want to have a company come do this. Probably one of the most effective ways to take care of them.

Suffocate them. Some people use propane, some use the exhaust from your car, the effect is the same, it depletes the oxygen in their burrow and kills them. Be prepared for them to pop up one of their holes (you should clog as many as you can find so it's more effective)

Get a gopher snake and release it in the burrow. A single snake can clear many many acres of land. Quite effective but snakes give me the heebee geebees.

Ofcourse, the most fun option is a .22. Obviously not really viable at your home.

I've been dealing with gophers in my yard for the last few years. I've only been able to knowingly kill a few. I now have a company that's supposed to be taking care of them. They aren't doing a good job up to this point

 

[Robert T]

X2 on the water hose, Ive gotton many this way, when they pop up kick them like a soccer ball.

 

[SAMI]

I've thought about the .22 option many times. I've heard that if you tape a 16-20oz plastic bottle to the end of the barrel and position yourself a few feet inside from an open window, that the noise is minimal and neighbors won't suspect gun shots. No clue if that'd work, but sounds fun... I've never seen the gopher, just signs of fresh dirt when he pops back up along my fenceline.

Caleb, why do you strongly suggest against an integrated shed under the deck?

 

[sixb]

Caleb, why do you strongly suggest against an integrated shed under the deck?

x2

When I was younger and lived in Holiday we had a wood rat problem and they to dug burrows in the back yard soooo I poured a bunch of gasoline down the holes and lit it. Well shortly after a few of them ran out of the holes engulfed in flames running in circles around the yard, but one went under my fence into the neighbors yard I never found it and lucky for me nothing else caught on fire:greg: I never had a problem after that.

 

[DOSS]

Paintball gun and patience will take care of your gopher

that or get a trolling pole, led core line, a small treble hook with some corn on it and go gopher fishing ..

 

[SAMI]

Seriously, talk me out of the integrated shed with valid reasons why; because to me, it seems like a great way to save yard space. Fire away!

 

[MOODY]

Wow, your yard sure looks fantastic compared to what you started with...good work.

One thing I have learned about sheds...they are never (ever!) big enough...we are going to tear out our existing shed and have a bigger one built. (Build a big shed, and put a window or two in it, along with a whirlybird on top)

 

[SAMI]

One thing I have learned about sheds...they are never (ever!) big enough...we are going to tear out our existing shed and have a bigger one built. (Build a big shed, and put a window or two in it, along with a whirlybird on top)

I just don't see where I could stick one in the backyard, other than integrated into the deck design. There is a prime spot on the east side of the house, but the ground has an extreme slope and would need to be filled and corrected.. That sounds like another several thousand dollar project!! But, I would love to have a shed down the east side of the house.... I just want to get the mower, snowblower, and all that yard crap out of the garage.

Here's the space on east side of my house. I would love to clean this area up. I already got rid of the orange thing. Carl W can attest to the funky eastward slope towards the neighbors yard. Ideally, I would like to fill the whole area in to be level, and tuck a shed as far back as I could. Then dump and spread 4-6" of gravel from the shed to the sidewalk. That would be sweet additional parking.

 

[SAMI]

Wow, your yard sure looks fantastic compared to what you started with...good work.

I still have a ways to go, but yes a huge improvement over what it was!

7/28/10

4/6/11

 

[SAMI]

I know we discussed wood options earlier when talking about a pergola, and I'm back on for researching and deciding what to use for the deck. I'm leaning stronger toward a premium pressure treated wood due to it's durability (two large dogs), rot and warping resistance, and strength. What are your thoughts on this? I'm worried that if I went with Cedar, it's get scratched to high hell, due to being softer. That's what I've read anyways.

... That gopher made a he'll of a mess yesterday. I want it dead.

 

[Coreshot]

... That gopher made a he'll of a mess yesterday. I want it dead.

 

[Caleb]

Seriously, talk me out of the integrated shed with valid reasons why; because to me, it seems like a great way to save yard space. Fire away!

You will constantly be fighting moisture problems. All precipitation that ends up on the desk, will drain right on to your shed. With your shed being under the desk, that means no direct sunlight. Also as mentioned, unless you are planning a very large deck, you will be tight on space and want to expand. It will also be a breading ground for spiders, termites, etc and having that right next to your house is no bueno.

As for wood options for your deck, after having a Trex deck, I won't go with anything else. You'll never have to repaint/refinish, it will never get scratched up, you'll never have to deal with broken boards, and it's not that much more expensive. My deck looks as good now (four years later) as it did the day they put it in.

 

[1\4elliptic toy]

As for wood options for your deck, after having a Trex deck, I won't go with anything else. You'll never have to repaint/refinish, it will never get scratched up, you'll never have to deal with broken boards, and it's not that much more expensive. My deck looks as good now (four years later) as it did the day they put it in.

This ^ We have a Trex deck too and love it, ours is 2 different wood tones and both still look really good. You DO however need to use a "deck wash" on Trex or color "might" rub onto your clothes. At least thats the case down here where it gets hot as hell in the summer.

I LOVE that its been 3 years and the deck still looks awesome.

 

[1\4elliptic toy]

Bill Murray at his absolute best!! I love that show

 

[Caleb]

This ^ We have a Trex deck too and love it, ours is 2 different wood tones and both still look really good. You DO however need to use a "deck wash" on Trex or color "might" rub onto your clothes. At least thats the case down here where it gets hot as hell in the summer.

I LOVE that its been 3 years and the deck still looks awesome.

What's a deck wash? I pressure wash my deck once or twice a year is all I've ever done. I've never had any color rub off??? Ours may not be actual Trex brand, our builder built ours, they advertised it as a "trex" deck, but that's the same thing as Corrian counter tops (often used to describe a solid surface counter top, not necessarily the brand Corrian) or Kleenex vs. tissues

 

[1\4elliptic toy]

What's a deck wash? I pressure wash my deck once or twice a year is all I've ever done. I've never had any color rub off???

If you pressure wash it your probably good. Next time your in home depot or similar, look near the decking and they sell a commercial deck wash, its just a concentrate that you spray on with a hose or pump sprayer then "scrub" (thick bristled broom) it some, not much though. Its basically diluted bleach I think.

I found out the deck color rubbed off when my daughter was setting on it the edge of it having prom pictures taken in her nice new white dress.

just take a white old sock or towel and rub it somewhere you may have not got really good with the PW'er and see if any thing comes off.

 

[Caleb]

If you pressure wash it your probably good. Next time your in home depot or similar, look near the decking and they sell a commercial deck wash, its just a concentrate that you spray on with a hose or pump sprayer then "scrub" (thick bristled broom) it some, not much though. Its basically diluted bleach I think.

I found out the deck color rubbed off when my daughter was setting on it the edge of it having prom pictures taken in her nice new white dress.

just take a white old sock or towel and rub it somewhere you may have not got really good with the PW'er and see if any thing comes off.

Ah, interesting. Never knew they made such a product, I would have guessed it was a gimmick anyways I also can't say I've ever laid or really rubbed up against my deck. I'll have to test it out