Backyard Redo #2: Cleaning up the mess

That ’s quite a sope you have to deal with.

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

That looks like it was a lot of work! The photos make it quite clear that your lands slopes quite a bit which can be a landscaping challenge. I am looking forward to reading what you did next.

-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi

Al, your slope looks somewhat similar to mine. Forming terraces and levels is in order to prevent erosion. Good luck, and keep us informed.

-- jroot

You’re all right the slope is bad, the steepest part is closest to the house. Not very good for making use of the yard and almost dangerous for our kids. The slope is pushing against the fences below. Terraces were definatly needed like Jroot said above.

-- Alan - Prince George

Wow that sure was a lot of work Al.It’s great to see the pictures as you go along.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

how nice it is to have someone with the big tools!!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Yes it was nice to get the help. I would still be digging stumps today if I didn’t have the help.

-- Alan - Prince George

IT WAS a moment that brought thousands of garbage men to their feet. On April 30th Maurice Myers, a 60-year-old executive, had spent several panicked seconds in a Las Vegas parking lot, trying to work out how to make a rubbish truck move forward. Then, unable to change gear but with the transmission firmly locked into first, he guided the vast green vehicle on to the stage of a hotel auditorium. There he greeted a previously demoralised group of employees from Waste Management, a company that only two years ago seemed about to implode. For more details you can visit us at Cleaning London.

I’m a little surprised you took away all those trees….....were they bug infested. I ask because thats quite a slope and the trees roots, the grass prevents “mud slides”

Having plenty of experience in the world of general contracting and sub contracting I have come to believe that anything and anyone can be made to look beautiful if you throw enough money at it !!!!!

Are you going to terrace it with stone and or logs?

I recently hired a friend with a bulldozer to clear away bush that blocks my view to a natural pond. Amazing power as the dozer just ripped the forest out, smoothed out the soil and in 5 short hours made the next MONSOON’s rain/water flow to the pond instead of the house

$$ ching $$ ching $$

-- Central northish Ontario

Greenthumb. All the trees were pine and were dead standing thanks to the mountain pine beatle. The soil on the slope is mostly sandy gravel and I was very surprised at the lack of errosion that spring. I’m making my terrace with stone and cement, I didn’t want to choose logs as then don’t last as long and treated logs can leach chemicals into the soil and want to have rasberries and other edible plants growing there. I totally agree that anything is possible if you throw enough money at it. My first thought on my terraces was to use those premade locking landscape bricks and then I measured and priced it out, it would have cost me over 30K in materials.

Luckily my Father in Law has a backhoe and dump truck and is able to help us out with moving the big material, definately saved a huge amount of time.

When we moved into this house the previous owner had brought in soil to make their grass grow better and at the same time had sloped everything toward the house also and raised the level enough so the wood windows were touching the ground and starting to rot. Luckily water was not coming into the house. I don’t know why people don’t think of basic things like don’t slope water into your house.

-- Alan - Prince George

mudslides are rather rare ?........especially in temperate rainforests?

no worries here

I’m not your neighbor just down that hill…..but if I was your neighbor just down that hill I might be concerned about an onslaught of rain.

-- Central northish Ontario

Don’t get what your questions are greenthumb sorry.

-- Alan - Prince George

I would be concerned about a Mudslide. The root balls of those trees you removed help to prevent mudslides and knowing that you are in BC and knowing that BC gets a lot of rainfall…........I would put in retaining walls as part of the landscaping

Water can be a powerful advesary.

Cheers

-- Central northish Ontario

Oh, I was a little worried. I have added a retaining check out part 3.
Thanks, Al

-- Alan - Prince George

Thats quite a project Al and I know that I would rather be up the mountain looking down that down the mountain looking up.

I think having slope to a yard makes for excellent landscaping options.

Nice job of it.

-- Central northish Ontario

I’m late … but what a project … and guess I’m adding my “what a slope”. But such potential to create your own “place” ...

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5