The number of questions we received on this Instagram post made it clear we hadn’t kept you up to date on the backyard. We’ve made several major changes — including hiring professional landscapers — which turned out to be the best warranty we ever bought (we talk about why two DIYers outsourced planting on this podcast). With more big backyard projects coming and so many of you asking “When did that happen? How do you like it? How did you do that?” we figured it was time to share a full update.
Update 1: Removing the Deck
Your last memory of our backyard might include the large deck that spanned the back of the house.
We detailed the reasoning back in June 2017 on Episode #51. The deck had been deteriorating since we stripped and stained it after moving in, and those fixes were only temporary: the wood continued to degrade, nails popped, and boards curled and warped. As our kids outgrew the fenced deck that once “corralled” them, it began to feel like a barrier that kept us from enjoying the lawn. So last fall we hired a local handyman to remove it.
Deck removal created a fair amount of follow-up work: our HVAC had to move the air conditioning unit closer to the house, an electrician tidied exposed wiring, and our tree service ground the stump that had been hiding under the deck. We also power-washed the brick to remove the green residue left by the failing deck boards.
By last Halloween we had a clean slate to work with (the image below is pre-power-wash, so ignore the greenish scum):
Update 2: Professional Landscaping
After several unsuccessful attempts to establish screening plants ourselves — often watching them fail just after the warranty period — we decided to hire professionals. A neighbor recommended a local nursery whose program includes a free landscape plan when you buy plants and their crew will install everything. The real selling point was a two-year warranty on the installed plants: if anything dies, they come back and replace it at no cost. That plant insurance was exactly what we needed.
Here’s our backyard shortly after we moved in — we planted all the grass ourselves over a few years:
Last November the crew installed a perimeter of screening perennials — mostly holly and ligustrum for privacy — along with ornamental trees and shrubs for color, including a weeping cherry, a ginkgo, and two Japanese maples.
Hiring pros was one of our best decisions: they completed a lot of heavy work in a day and a half that would have taken us much longer, and the warranty has already proven its worth. We’ve had seven bushes replaced so far, including a large holly lost to an unusually severe winter. The nursery has also advised us on deer and pest issues (we recently had a Japanese beetle scare) by email. Their expertise and warranty prevented us from pouring money into plants that might have failed again.
The landscape still needs time to fill in — it feels a bit bare in winter when deciduous trees drop leaves — but the replacements have thrived. The two-year warranty restarts whenever they replant, so the seven new shrubs have fresh coverage. It’s an excellent program and has given us real peace of mind.
Update 3: The Gravel Patio
The pea gravel patio drew a lot of attention on Instagram: “Tell me more! How do you like it? How did you do it?” It was actually a pragmatic, temporary choice.
We plan to install a permanent stone patio someday — maybe pavers, slate, or bluestone to tie in with the raised sunroom tile — but wanted the ground to settle first. Stump grinding and root decomposition can cause sinking, so we didn’t want a permanent patio that could shift. After the deck removal the area was just dirt and mulch, and we didn’t want to live with a mud pit while waiting for settling.
While the landscapers were here in November, we asked them to bring in pea gravel to fill the space. It cost under $100 for the whole area and can later be reused as a base for pavers. They also dug a shallow trench along the edges meeting the grass to help contain the gravel, which greatly reduces tracking.
There’s no weed barrier underneath, but weeds are minimal and easy to pull. The gravel was mostly spread rather than compacted, so moving lightweight patio chairs can feel slightly sticky; a thinner layer or tamping might help. A nice surprise: the pea gravel blends well with an existing aggregate path, so the transition doesn’t look too jarring. Eventually we’ll replace the old path to match the final patio material.
Will we keep pea gravel permanently? Probably not — we want hardscaping in the long run — but it’s an affordable, attractive temporary solution, especially for low-movement furniture like a fire pit or picnic table area.
Update 4: Hanging Garden Lights
Even though the patio isn’t finished, Sherry couldn’t resist installing a long strand of string lights to add ambiance.
The space has limited anchor points, but after some trial and error we found that one 48-foot strand arranged correctly would light the area nicely.
We initially tried two strands swagged from three points on the covered sunroom, but it looked too clustered on the side with only one anchor point. The best arrangement ended up being two strands converging at that single point.
To hang them we screwed white cup hooks into the wood siding and looped the cords over them. The hooks aren’t rated specifically for outdoor use, so we’ll monitor how they hold up, but the white blends well with the siding. Everything plugs into an extension cord that runs to an outlet in the sunroom for now.
Eventually we’ll tidy the plug and excess cord and likely add a smart switch so the lights can remain plugged in and be controlled more easily. For now, the setup is low-key and unobtrusive — you can barely see it in photos.
Hopefully this answers most of your backyard questions. We’ll be focusing much of our energy on the beach house yard this summer, while keeping these plants healthy and deer-free. Stay tuned for more updates!
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