We have been re-vamping the side of our house this summer. Well, actually, this has been a work-in-progress since last summer. Slowly, Neil has cleared the scrub oak trees away from our house. He cleared so many that we started thinking about using the little forest behind our house for something fun. In May, Neil and some awesome neighbors helped him build a sandbox for the kids. Then we decided all the mud on the side of the house leading to the sandbox had to be dealt with, so we built a patio and a pathway. It sure has reduced the amount of dirt being tracked into the house, and it looks great! On hot summer days, this shady haven is a dream play area.
This is what it looked like just after Neil started digging into the hill. Together, we used levers to move three boulders this size. Then Neil laid a brick wall to reinforce the hill.
The last step was the pathway. It connects to our garage side door, so we never have to walk on dirt to get to the sandbox. All we have left to do now is lay gravel on both sides of the path so the mud won't wash away and flood the basement during rainstorms--which has happened once, by the way.
Our neighbors came over almost every Saturday to help us haul sand, cut wood, install window well extensions, and much more. They cruised between our houses on this ATV and even let Neil take it for a spin a few times. We LOVE our neighbors! Our house would be a disaster without them.
There are some neighbors that we have mixed feelings about. I can't really call them neighbors, because they actually live on our property. We are realizing that the pavers we laid down have only given them easier access and fuller reign over our yard. There's just no stopping them now!
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