Questions tagged [backyard]
The backyard tag has no usage guidance.
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replacing lamp post; can underground electrical wire be in concrete?
I'm replacing an old lamp post. Am digging out the old one. The wire seems to be at least or around a foot down, instead of a few inches. I'm not sure if the old pole had a hole in the side, about 12-...
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What are these 2 black pvc pipes with wire
I have 2 black PVC pipes in my side yard. One is capped and the other is uncapped with a wire looped around the capped tube. I tested the wire with my voltage tester and multimeter and got nothing to ...
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Options for hanging string lights on patio?
I'm wanting to hang string lights to cover my 20x20 patio but struggling with the best option.
I had been planning to use two 8' 4x4 posts secured to 26" half whiskey barrels by retrofit post ...
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Can I use old fence boards for building raised garden vegetable beds?
I'm in the process of replacing an old fence and I want to reuse the fence boards and posts to build some vegetable beds.
I've read online that the type of wood is important for veg beds, as older ...
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Hardware for removeable fencing section?
I have a fence around my backyard. On the one side is a standard gate. The other side currently has no access. I have a section that I secured just with a few screws so that I could easily unscrew it ...
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Rodent issues in my yard [duplicate]
My new house has a major mole problem in the yard. Holes and soft spots everywhere. I’ve tried poison and repellent without success.. any suggestions on other eradication methods?
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Convert Brick Flower Bed Into Sandbox?
I have a long wall flower bed made of brick. I was hoping to take a small section of that to convert into a sand box for my little. Any suggestion on how to separate the soil from the sand? Should I ...
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Backyard gate not closing [closed]
With excessive heat this summer our backyard gate seems to have expanded and not closing. I'm requesting suggestions if I can do anything to fix it or is replacement the only solution.
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How to terminate a soil drain pipe into the earth and avoid blockages
Is this advised? How would I set up the end of my drain pipe so as not to get a backflow of dirt and have the pipe get clogged. I'm thinking rock, then black cover, then more rock, then dirt, with the ...
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How thick does the impermeable layer need to be when grading a yard?
I'm grading my yard and have found a deep layer of sand (at least 2 ft) extending out about 10ft. Perhaps the sub base for a patio? I understand I need an impermeable layer to ensure rain runs away ...
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Need help finding Display stone to finish Off the French Drain
Where can I find stone like this to help finish off this French drain.
Can I find this at a big box store, or do I need to go to "stone seller"?
Also any other comments to make it look nicer....
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Backyard Greenhouse Studio Sink Drainage Question
I live in San Francisco and have a permit to build a greenhouse ceramics studio in my backyard. I am a potter. I am currently renovating my 1915 house and adding the studio as part of the plan.
I want ...
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How can I drill precisely located holes at the top end of 11' steel poles?
I have 4 steel pipes installed in a square pattern, 11' tall in my backyard. I want to install steel cable (wire rope) between the pipes to attach the shade sails.
I want to drill a hole straight ...
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Floodlight Recommendation [closed]
I have a half acre backyard and I'm looking for ways to keep it bright enough since I host a lot of functions in the yard. I already have a Google Nest cam with floodlight and 3 lights that operate on ...
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How do I fix this sinking walkway?
My cement walkway is slowly sinking as the dirt has given way with erosion. Is there a DIY friendly way to fix it?
My one thought was using a carjack to lift it up then filling with dirt and slowly ...
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How can I remove a long narrow strip of over-growth (weeds, grass, etc.)? [closed]
I have a long patch of over-growth in my back yard along my driveway. It is about 2 feet wide and runs the entire length of my back yard, around 100 feet. Half of it is right next to my detached ...
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Increase Thickness of Concrete Pad (for BBQ Island)
I poured a concrete pad a year ago in preparation for a BBQ island that I'm building. Unfortunately, I was slightly off on the elevations and as a result, the pad is level with the patio pavers (was ...
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How to solve the drain and sewerage issue along the street curb
Water always fills on our side of the street curb in front of my house. We have a curb drainage hole on this side, but water still fills up the curb on rainy days. During winter, water would freeze ...
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Do I need to collect clippings from a hand-push lawn mower? [closed]
I’m thinking of buying a hand-push lawn mower (reel lawn mower), kind of like the one below.
My yard is small, and I would enjoy the workout. My only concern is, would I need to subsequently rake and ...
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How do I cover up a broken concrete landing? [closed]
Before it was flipped, our house used to be two separate units. The staircase to go to the second floor was outside in the backyard. The staircase was removed by the flipper, but the concrete landing ...
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How do you create a foundation for a rock garden? [closed]
I have been searching for the correct process for creating a "rock garden", but I have been finding mixed instructions.
Some say to create a foundation of small gravel and then build on top ...
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How do I further reduce leaves from being tracked throughout the house?
Our house has a screened-in-porch that leads to a deck that leads to the backyard. We've been pretty happy with our ability to reduce mud and leaf tracking by raking/mowing and using simple mats at ...
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What causes water ponding in the back yard?
I inspected a house that has a separate main liveable building and the garage that is separated by a back yard, hence one must go through the back window sliding door and the whole length of the ...
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Moving a bottomless metal shed
I have this shed I want to move about 10 meters from its current location in my backyard. This shed is metal, without a floor, sitting on paving stones which appear to have been cemented together.
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How to find which zone on Rain Bird sprinkler system is for backyard?
When we did pavers in the backyard, contractor simply capped off sprinklers and did pavers. That means, if sprinklers are running in the backyard, I cannot see it.
We have Rain Bird ESP-RZX sprinkler ...
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Fence post on concrete slab
I'm looking to build a fence around my backyard, which already has a concrete slab laid where I want to place the fence.
Would anchoring a fence post there be structurally safe? I think the slab is ...
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I laid my back patio flush with the back door. I know this isn’t right, now what do I do?
I paid a family friend to lay a concrete patio attached to my back door. He laid it too high. Specifically flush with the back door. I know now this can be a big water issue but can’t imagine how to ...
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Drainage issue in the yard
Below is drawing of our yard sloping (depicted by arrows along the lines) and what I'd like to do to fix the drainage issue.
During the rain, water comes from our neighbors as well as from street ...
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Large Ant population in yard - problematic? [closed]
I have a significant portion of my back yard (1 acre) that is VERY sandy soil.
In that area, there are a lot of ants, and between the beginning of summer and the end of summer, they make so many ant ...
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How should I remove a swimming pool from my back yard?
Our house had a nice cedar pergola in the backyard, about 20'x16', whose posts began to rot at the base. It was covered in grape vine... Nice for shade but not for a falling down pergola. Needless to ...
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Addition cement slab
Should an addition of cement slab be attached to house foundation?? I do not know any information about this pretty new at all this planning on getting a 18x30
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What is the purpose of flanged plugs?
What is the purpose of putting a flange on a plug like this (from yard equipment)? Help me understand.
It’s not like it’s waterproof.
It seems to me it only serves to keep you from plugging it into a ...
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How do I fix a wooden fence that has shifted and won't close?
There's no visible sag so I don't even know what part to adjust, or how. It used to fit but in the past few weeks has become misaligned so that it won't close. Nothing seems loose or moveable
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Pebbles and paver installation for side walk
I am trying to improve my side-walk which basically goes to my backyard. Its roughly 30ft length by 4ft width. I want to install pebbles and pavers in the middle to make it look clean. I have no ...
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Pergola Material for Desert Climate
I'm building a roughly 12'x12' pergola on a concrete slab in my backyard in Las Vegas. Planning on attaching to house via ledger board. 6x6 posts will be set on metal post bases attached to concrete ...
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How to remove EZ Sand that is sticking to pavers?
We hired an inexperienced guy to do the pavers and he poured EZ Sand in pavers joints but didn’t do a good job of cleaning the residue that is on pavers surface.
How to fix this? Google says, do a ...
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Finished grade in my yard is pure clay. How much topsoil should I add?
Ever since we moved into our home, the backyard grading has needed work. It basically slopes right into the back of the house. I put in a small trench a few feet away from the foundation to divert ...
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water pooling in concrete slab
We recently had our concrete patio and driveway completed. We have direct the water flow to the grass but the water drains out really slow and is pooling in the area. how do we solve the issue?
The ...
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Use Korky Fill Valve to fill a tank in yard
I'm trying to create a system in my yard to automatically fill my pet tortoises dishes with water. My current plan is to have a bucket half submerged in the ground, and fill water up to surface level. ...
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Quarry block sunken firepit
I want to put limestone blocks 2x2x5’ for seats in a 10x12, 4’ deep fireplace area, I rented a digger and dig a good amount and plan to put 6” of bass or minus then the blocks around the pit.. will it ...
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How can I fix this fountain and prevent it from happening again?
I bought a fountain recently and since it's been below freezing I put it outside empty. Well, it fell over in the first high wind day. Now the statue part has cracked off the base, and part of the bit ...
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Attaching Pergola posts to lumber on ground
I'm a new homeowner with DIY enthusiasm to improve the outdoor living space. Recently completed build my fence now planning to do a pergola first and then add deck to it so we can enjoy some outdoor ...
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What are our options for a base under a raised garden bed?
In the backyard we currently have a small patio and a lot of lawn. We also have a toolshed, which seems to be sinking into the earth because there's no real foundation underneath it. We want to invest ...
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What is this stake in my yard and can I remove it?
My child has been swinging in our front yard (NC, US) and worn away the grass, revealing this metallic stake (* See photo, note the acorn top for scale*):
I gently tried to pull it up, but it is ...
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Cleanup broken glass and debris
I had the back half acre of my lot cleared of brush and saplings. There was an old shed that the previous owners left to rot. It had fallen to the ground and there is now a lot of broken glass and ...
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Screen door track replacement
I need to replace the twin plastic tracks (see pic below) guiding the tops of two sliding mesh screen doors attached to the back entrance of my house. The tracks are plastic and come in one piece, but ...
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Landscape + drainage along fence line
I am on a corner lot and my backyard receives water runoff from my neighbor behind me and my neighbor beside me. I have a french drain installed where the backyards come together and didn't have much ...
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Glass materials for patio cover
I found this picture and interested in knowing what glass materials being used for the patio cover. Is it just fixed single pane glass (from local home improvement store)? And if so, how do I attach ...
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How to determine the severity or size of a hole in yard?
I found a hole in my yard. This area has three common features that could cause that, a sink hole from an underground stream, prairie dogs, which are everywhere in the neighborhood, or an abandoned ...
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Best way to fill gaps between lumber and masonry or rocks
We have built 4x4 retaining walls around existing rocks and concrete that we were unable to get rid of. The idea was - and is - use something fill the gaps between the lumber and the rocks / cements. ...
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