We finally started our backyard! I cannot tell you how delighted I am, after looking at nothing but dirt for almost 2 years we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
What we are working with and what we want
The backyard I would say it is an average size of 25’ depth x 55’ wide. But one of the side areas is quite wide (10’ approx) and we want to take advantage of that space as well.
As for what we want in it, here’s our list:
- Area for a dining table
- Fire pit with seating
- Outdoor kitchen
- Space to grow herbs and maybe some fruits and veggies
- Area big enough for M to play
As far as budget, we didn’t have a set budget. But after asking for a few bids, we were unpleasantly surprised with the price. For what we thought was something simple and temporary, the price didn’t look it. We got everything from 13-19k to get artificial turf and pavers. We weren’t expecting it to be so costly, but what isn’t nowadays?
So after watching enough people dying their own backyard, we decided to do it on our own. It was quite a feat and we won’t deny we delayed it quite a bit because of it. We had no idea where to start or how to do it all. But little by little our confidence grew. We started brainstorming ideas of what we wanted and what we thought was possible to do ourselves. And of course by ‘ourselves’ I mean Luis. With a baby and no family in town to help, he was going to be the one working on it.
The inspiration
While brainstorming ideas for layout and styles, we always leaned towards more relaxed spaces and not so very manicured. We like the idea of it feeling lived in, comfortable and cozy. We plan to spend a lot of time out there, specially in the winter, spring and fall, (if you can call them that, remember we are in Arizona.)
Italian and French villas have everything that we love in a garden so we are grabbing inspiration from those. More specifically, we love the movie ‘A good year.’ If you know, you know. If not, I recommend you watch it. And even though we live nowhere near Europe, we want to achieve a similar vibe.
The Backyard layout and design
Turns out we have all the space we need to get all our wants in. Of course we could use more space if we had it but I am glad we can work with what we have without compromising. On the main area we will have the play area, the dining and the fire pit/sitting area. On that 10’ wide space on the side, we will have the outdoor kitchen and the herb garden. And we will still have space left for a shed to store all the gardening supplies.
Below is a picture of the layout that we are planning on.
hardscape
Because we wanted it to feel relaxed, we decided to go for pea gravel. It is very comfortable to walk on, you can step on it barefooted and it doesn’t feel to bad. And I just love the look of it, a lot of designers usually go for pea gravel in outdoor areas and they look so cool.
greenery
Along the fence on the main area, we want to plant and layer a few shrubs, flowers and ferns. We will plant them randomly as well as add some of them in planters. We have some wood edging to delineate the area of planting, to avoid them spreading towards the gravel. And there will be more pots and planters scattered around to get even more plants and flowers in.
And of course we need some trees. Because we want to enjoy our backyard year round, we want to make sure we have plenty of shade, and when we were brainstorming we loved the idea of adding trees in the middle of the backyard. It is not the usual thing to do, but for us it makes sense. So we will be adding one on the sitting/dining area, creating shade for the dining table (eventually.) The other tree will in the grass/play area, with plenty of space for M to play. Another big plus of adding the trees in these locations is that we will be able to enjoy them from inside the house. Mainly from our main living area and our bedroom, which is my literal dream.
On the “play” area, we looked at both options, turf or natural grass (sod). We were not to keen on turf, for various reasons. It is a somewhat big area and it was going to be very obvious that it is fake. Plus during the summer months it can get pretty hot. And I had been reading a lot about the potential health effects of having basically turf releasing toxic fumes. This is where M is going to be playing in A LOT, so it was definitely a concern. Plus, it is not cheap.
But after talking to a few people about how simple it is maintaining sod in this climate, we were encouraged to lean towards this option. As long as we have a sprinkler system, we shouldn’t have a problem keeping it nice and green. There are a few options that don’t need as much watering and can take the AZ heat very well. We can’t tell you how excited we are we were able to go for sod. It will be great for M, and it will help the backyard not to feel as hot during the summer months.
other backyard areas
For the outdoor kitchen, Luis will be building that almost from scratch out of wood. We are brainstorming howa to create a cover to protect it from the sun when not in use. But this is Luis’ territory I will just help make his dream a reality (not kidding.)
As far as the herb garden, I might delay that a bit, depending on how fast I acquire my gardening skills, I want to make sure I get a routine for the other plants, sod and trees established, and once that is settled, I think I’ll add the herb garden. I just want to be realistic with the amount of time and knowledge I have now. I don’t want to get overwhelmed and fail miserably at keeping them all alive.
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