Questions tagged [landscaping]
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223
questions
30
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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 ...
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18
votes
9
answers
2k
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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 ...
17
votes
5
answers
68k
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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 ...
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16
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5
answers
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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 ...
15
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9
answers
269k
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What could happen if I use 2 cycle fuel in a 4 cycle engine?
First off, this is NOT to be confused with the following question:
What could happen if I used 4 cycle fuel in a 2 cycle engine?
2 cycle oil is used for my weed eater. There is no way I could use a ...
- 253
14
votes
1
answer
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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 and ...
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12
votes
11
answers
6k
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awkward driveway curve has cars nearly colliding with house, how to mitigate? [closed]
Bellow is an arial photo and a road-side photo of my new house.
As you can see the driveway is an awkward curve especially when backing out of the car port to the side of the garage - you have to do ...
- 704
12
votes
2
answers
2k
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How should this underground down-spout-in-yard-drain be appropriately installed?
I noticed a few weeks ago during the rainy season that underground drainage from my downspout was flooded and not draining right. I purchased a pressure washer attachment that promised to unclog ...
- 1,363
12
votes
2
answers
3k
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How can this older-style irrigation tee be replaced?
This reducer tee had a right-angle piece break off inside of it for a feeder line.
I tried cutting the black broken piece inside of the reducer section without success. I'm used to schedule-40 PVC, ...
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10
votes
8
answers
49k
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How can I break up a small boulder without power tools?
I have a boulder/rock that is about 2 feet long and 1.5 feet in diameter. It is too heavy to lift and I would like to break it into smaller pieces. Without power tools, are there any good methods ...
- 2,000
10
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6
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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 ...
- 1,135
10
votes
3
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8k
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How do I make pavers stop shifting when I walk on them?
Disclaimer: I have no clue what I'm doing
Over the weekend, I replaced our mulch bed with some rock and a small paver path to our yard:
I laid a thin layer of paver sand under the path, and scrubbed ...
- 700
8
votes
5
answers
3k
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What is the best way to remove large amounts of rubble from a backyard with narrow access (1.2 m wide) and a steep (30 degree) driveway?
I have been removing around 30 cubic meters of dirt and broken rock that I have excavated manually from our backyard using a jackhammer. The access to the backyard is limited through a narrow corridor ...
- 531
7
votes
5
answers
1k
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Does the quality of fill dirt matter?
Does the quality of fill dirt matter?
For example, in my application, I need to fill an area where I'm planning to have a gravel patio. I picked up a yard of dirt from a local supply place and, upon ...
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7
votes
5
answers
824
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Could hedges help in reducing noise?
We live on a busy street with sound of tires and revving engines. We were wondering if hedges could help reduce the sound that comes into the house? if not, what other alternatives can we try? We ...
- 191
7
votes
5
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8k
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Setting fence post in gravel/backfill?
I am attempting to build a privacy fence that will sit just behind a retaining wall (as in, on the ground behind the wall and not on the wall itself).
While digging today I realized that while the ...
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7
votes
3
answers
5k
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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 harm?...
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7
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1
answer
266
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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 ...
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6
votes
7
answers
3k
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How to hide HVAC compressor? [closed]
We are trying to make our side yard look aesthetically pleasing. The HVAC compressor cage is an eyesore, as shown in pic below (the gutter were only temporarily removed for painting). What can we do ...
- 191
6
votes
4
answers
184
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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 ...
- 4,144
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3
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503
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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 ...
- 8,011
6
votes
3
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14k
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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. ...
- 2,395
6
votes
1
answer
874
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 ...
- 161
6
votes
2
answers
971
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Can I regrade this gravel section of yard myself?
My home is at lower elevation from the street. Water runs down the asphalt driveway and there is a french drain in front of the garage. On one side of the driveway there is a gravel patch that is not ...
- 161
5
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Landscape lighting wire rough in for future, what wire, how deep? Other things to consider?
I am currently working on my landscaping and I have a concrete pour planned for the front paths.
I'd like to rough in landscape wire for future lighting. What kind of wire should I use, how deep ...
- 12.6k
5
votes
5
answers
24k
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How to set stepping stones in steep, loose hillside
My lot is carved out of a steep hillside. Behind the house there is a very steep slope (30-45 degrees). The soil (at least for a large part of it) was entirely removed and replaced during the ...
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5
votes
1
answer
30k
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What are these wires I found in my yard?
I was digging the holes for some crepe myrtle saplings and I sliced into a wire with one unlucky shovel stroke. They do not seem to be carrying any voltage, but I haven't hooked my multi-meter up to ...
- 375
5
votes
1
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3k
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 ...
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5
votes
1
answer
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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 ...
- 711
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2
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Can a retaining wall follow a slope?
We've got a 50' stretch of yard that has a very gentle side to side slope that we can't easily eliminate (fences on each side built at different heights). We want to build a retaining wall along that ...
- 53
5
votes
2
answers
161
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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 ...
- 246
5
votes
1
answer
7k
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How far from the foundation and how deep should a French drain be?
My wife and I bought a house recently but sadley the rainy season has come and I noticed a bad smell coming from the crawlspace I went under neath and found standing water about a inch deep running ...
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1
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Pouring Curbing On Existing Concrete
I recently removed the crumbling concrete curbing from around my front porch flower bed. This weekend I plan to create the form and pour a new curb for the bed. My question is: When I build the mold, ...
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4
votes
5
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2k
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Rake handle screw keeps falling off
I keep having the same problem with leaf rakes. This screw works its way loose and it gets lost while raking. I have replaced it and kept going, but it is annoying. Is there any way to lock it in ...
- 1,327
4
votes
4
answers
16k
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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 ...
- 8,011
4
votes
2
answers
1k
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How to protect outdoor low-voltage cable over concrete walkway?
I'm considering Philips Hue low-voltage outdoor lighting for my front lawn. The challenge is the outdoor 120V outlet and the yard / landscaping is separated by a concrete walkway. How do I run the ...
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4
votes
4
answers
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What "gravel" is composed of 50% clay, 25% sand and 25% small stones?
As a supplement to this question. I ordered gravel to gravel my driveway. My wife accepted the delivery. When I got home what they had dropped was over 50% clay and equal parts sand and small stones. ...
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4
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6
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1k
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How to manage leaves?
The location is wooded Georgia suburbs on roughly an acre with lots of oak and a smattering of pine trees. There isn't much yard; a couple hundred square feet of grass with leaves three to six inches ...
- 155
4
votes
3
answers
101
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Small-Scale Low Voltage Lighting Separated by 175'
I am looking to install a new, all-LED low voltage lighting system. Basically I want to illuminate the 2 edges of my lot with 100' of 12V up lights and a few path lights. It's a pretty small system, ...
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4
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3
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10k
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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 ...
- 198
4
votes
3
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7k
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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 ...
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3
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How to make a Tall Retaining Wall
Recently, as in September [Final close date was 11/13/2015] this year, I bought a house. This house is on an extreme incline. I would like to level out this incline.
The front first floor of the ...
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4
votes
1
answer
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How to protect Building foundation from Dry wells
We have installed 6 dry wells around the building as there was no empty space for drainage water.
We did this as per the engineer's advice.
Sand texture:
It's clay
Water table 2 ( During rainy season ...
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4
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3
answers
2k
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How much wooded land should be cleared around a new home site?
I'm planning to build in a wooded lot, and want to leave as much woods as possible. What is the minimum buffer that is required or recommended to allow around the home's footprint, taking into account ...
- 1,562
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votes
1
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1k
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Are railroad ties suitable for a retaining wall under tree canopy?
This video shows a sharp cliff near my house that leads down to a stream. The drop is about 20 feet. I would like to build a 4' high retaining wall right around where you see a stack of dead branches. ...
- 1,410
4
votes
1
answer
27k
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Can I build a retaining wall along an existing fence?
Our yard has a small slope to it, and we wanted to make it level. (Mainly so we can put a swing set in for our kids.) I was thinking I could build a small retaining wall and just fill it in, but would ...
user6769
4
votes
4
answers
15k
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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 ...
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2
answers
1k
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Yard floods - will replacing a floway drain with a rainwater drain resolve this
My yard is flooding!
It has floway pit that connects directly to a 90deg PVC bend, then that connects to the storm water pipe via another 90deg bend. So there are two 90 deg bends in the span of 500mm....
- 183
3
votes
3
answers
4k
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 ...
- 155
3
votes
2
answers
701
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What is the purpose of a 6" base gravel layer in patio installation?
All standard drawings for patio installation show a base gravel layer. What is the purpose of this layer? Depending on the answer, I am curious what this forum feels about this product as replacement ...
- 471