The landscaping tag has no wiki summary.
19
votes
4answers
2k views
How do I build an ice rink in my backyard?
I'm considering building a small temporary ice skating rink in my backyard. I'm hoping to do this without buying many or any materials, and without causing any devastating damage to my lawn when ...
15
votes
7answers
782 views
Which home improvement projects produce the highest return on investment when selling?
I am looking to put my home on the market in the next few months (in Ohio). Which home improvement projects produce the highest return on investment when selling?
Should I invest in exotic ...
13
votes
5answers
11k views
How do I fix a sinkhole in my backyard?
I have a sinkhole in my backyard along the fence line which began expanding during the last few months. There's a slight depression in the ground about 6' in diameter centered around one of the fence ...
13
votes
1answer
477 views
What are the disadvantages of having electrical conduit penetrate my foundation below-grade?
I'm having an electrician wire a lamppost in the backyard. His initial proposal was to do something like this picture shows:
(The diagram is from this article.) The conduit's rise from the ground ...
9
votes
6answers
4k views
Should I attach the fence post(s) where my fence meets my house? How do I do it?
I'm going to be building a 6 foot tall cedar privacy fence in the spring (with pressure-treated posts) and need to determine what to do with the two posts that meet the side of my house.
In order to ...
8
votes
5answers
762 views
How can I easily and accurately perform a small-scale landscape survey?
Summary
Is there any equipment that I can rent 'inexpensively' (less than $400) that would allow 1-2 people to accurately (+/- 6") capture the topography of hilly terrain of perhaps 250' on a side in ...
7
votes
3answers
175 views
Is it OK for bushes to touch the house and fence?
I have a house in the Seattle area. A realtor told me to trim all the bushes so that they don't touch the house and wood fences before putting it for sale. Is that really necessary? What's the ...
6
votes
3answers
307 views
Are there other advantages to using turf over grass seed besides getting instant results?
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm planning to eventually have a lawn in our front yard (right now, it's bare due to septic work). I'm confused on if there are clear advantages to using turf vs ...
5
votes
3answers
124 views
Composting “in-place”?
I have some bare patches under trees. I've taken some of the fall leaves and covered up the bare ground and exposed roots already. I would like to put some soil and shade tolerant plants in these ...
5
votes
1answer
173 views
Does my garden brickwork need mortar?
We recently redesigned the walkway through our garden to our back door. This involved lots of scaping of the land -- especially to change the waterflow away from the house. The new walkway ends with a ...
5
votes
3answers
313 views
Options for replacing an at-grade hose bibb
The problem
My house is built on a crawlspace and the floor of the house is just a few inches above grade. The hose bibbs come straight out of the crawlspace and are thus very close to the ground. ...
5
votes
1answer
288 views
Should a curtain drain be covered/back filled?
I do some light maintenance and yard work in exchange for rent.
The building had some problems with flooding. We have an extensive drain system, but it was a bit clogged. Even after the plumbers ...
5
votes
2answers
100 views
How should I landscape my yard to make my home more efficient?
At some point in the future, I plan on owning a home and I would like to use landscaping to improve both the appearance and energy efficiency of the property. I have heard that the right landscaping ...
4
votes
3answers
577 views
How do I care for the land area directly above a septic tank?
Any suggestions for how to care for the land area directly above a septic tank? I'm a first-time home buyer with a septic tank in my front yard. I'd like it to be aesthetically pleasing and ...
4
votes
3answers
459 views
Can I use landscaping lava rock as a concrete slab base?
The side of our house if continually overrun with weeds. I'm thinking of fencing it in and laying some concrete to prevent the weeds and provide some storage area. Currently there is red lava rock ...
4
votes
2answers
530 views
Building a raised wall for a pond
We are looking to build a small pond (9'x18'x6'), but we want the edge to be raised up about 8". I am thinking about using CMUs (Concrete Masonry Units) which are 8x8x16. The entire pond will be lined ...
4
votes
1answer
591 views
How to cut Patio Pavers
I would like to lay patio pavers for a patio in a diagonal fashion. I would like to know what kind of tool I should use to cut the pavers in half. They are about 2" thick, and I'd like to not use ...
4
votes
1answer
206 views
What type of fill to use to raise grade in back yard
There is a small section of my back yard that is adjacent to my house and slopes towards it. The yard itself is predominately graded away from the house, so I just need to raise the grade in this ...
3
votes
3answers
741 views
Should a 3'-4' retaining wall have interlocking blocks?
I'm building a 3'-4' retaining wall in my backyard and I'm in the process of choosing block. One of the blocks I like isn't engineered with any kind of lip or interlocking feature. Is this necessary ...
3
votes
2answers
299 views
What are the steps for landscaping a lawn?
I bought my house in 2007, and we inherited a crazy backyard. I'd like to completely redo it, but cost is a big issue. Estimates for a complete landscape are around $30,000, which unfortunately is out ...
3
votes
3answers
167 views
How do I reverse erosion which is lowering earth around fence posts?
Erosion has exposed several fence posts behind the back yard.
I've considered building a retaining wall, buying dirt and filling the area in then growing some ground cover, or eventually rebuilding ...
3
votes
2answers
150 views
Online landscape design
I have some guys coming in two weeks to pull the shrubs in the flowerbed in front of our house and replace them with others. The problem is that I have no idea what I should put in. Is there an ...
3
votes
2answers
133 views
Can I build a 28" retaining wall using blocks with no lip?
I am building a wall that is 10.5' long and 28" high. There will also be side walls sloping down from both corners to enclose a patio. I would like to use blocks that are 15" wide, 5" tall and 8" ...
3
votes
2answers
398 views
Suds accumulating at the base of a tree [closed]
Today is cool and rainy and I noticed suds accumulating at the base of a tree. They seem to be oozing out of the tree (on one side only) and dripping down from a height of about four feet. There is ...
2
votes
2answers
196 views
Who is responsible to relocate cable TV line?
I had my yard marked for utilities before digging for new landscaping(trees, etc). Unfortunately, the cable TV line runs diagonal across my entire back yard. I was planning on putting a 3" diameter ...
2
votes
1answer
53 views
How do you best help trees that have been damaged by severe freezing?
In my home area, we had a very deep freeze about 2 weeks ago, at least, for this area. You can usually count on 1 hand the number of days it goes below 30 in a given year, and rarely does it go below ...
2
votes
4answers
140 views
Is it safe to spray herbicide on the bark of a tree if you don't get it on the leaves?
I've got a bunch of poison ivy growing up a tree. I'd like to kill the poison ivy, but obviously not the tree it is growing on.
It is just about impossible to spray the ivy without hitting the tree, ...
2
votes
1answer
689 views
How do I level a small yard?
I have a small grassy area in my back yard surrounded by one of those "curvy concrete" borders. The ground is wavy and needs to be lefeled but the ground is solid as a rock. I have no idea how the ...
2
votes
1answer
197 views
Can plants be planted over a drain field?
The previous owner of my house planted plants and small bushes where the drain field is.
I have a feeling that the roots will eventually damage the drains.
Is this okay or should I remove them?
2
votes
1answer
78 views
Should I add landscape rock before or after installing a fence around a dog pen?
I am making a 20'x15' dog pen area. The L-shaped fence will be against the house on each end. This is new construction, so I'm waiting on final grade.
Should I install the fence, leaving a 5" gap ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
What are my options for installing a water softener on the opposite side of the house from the main water supply?
Background Info
My main water supply on my home is located on the east wall of the home, whereas my garage is located on the west side of the home. There is no water softener loop in the home, and in ...
1
vote
3answers
115 views
What are good cleaners to use on pruning shears?
I'm new to the realm of shrubbery trimming, though have gotten some good results already.
Now, however, I need to clean my pruning shears so they don't rust / get sticky.
What are good cleansers to ...
1
vote
2answers
129 views
Drought-Resistant Lawn/Turf Recommendation For Area Above Septic
We recently had a new septic system installed in the front yard. The installation went fine but the front-yard is quite bare now (almost all dirt). I want to have a nice lawn in front but am ...
1
vote
1answer
318 views
Exterior lighting: Is a round waterproof lampholder ACTUALLY compatible with a rectangular housing?
I happened to be at Home Depot for something else, so I didn't get a good look at our exterior floodlights that need to be replaced (they're about 13 years old and don't work anymore). So I picked up ...
0
votes
2answers
382 views
How do I stop weeds in desert landscaping?
The primary culprit is actually grass. Grass killer isn't an option because there are fruit trees involved.
My understanding is that a couple of inches of rock will stop them. My wife disagrees. ...
