Total Yard Makeover

George Yiannakas
by George Yiannakas
9 Materials
$700
2 Days
Medium
Moving to a new house with a big backyard definitely has its perks. However, what do you do when the current situation requires a complete makeover? How do you even begin, especially when all you have is soil with plenty of unwanted greens? Well, it is actually simpler than you think! All you need is a little bit of imagination (not very good at it? no problem since hometalk and pinterest are your friends), setting an initial budget, planning and definitely some help from friends.

I decided to cover most of the soil with synthetic grass, to place garden stones, chippings and short fences around it and to leave some space for the flowers and plants.

Phase 1 - The basics
Step 1 - Clean the soil from unwanted greens icon
Step 2 - Pay a visit to your nearest DIY store and purchase the basic materials needed (synthetic grass, white stones, chippings, wood fencing, sand and geotextiles in order to create even soil but also prevent unwanted greens from growing in the future, garden fences, wooden boxes for decoration, a couple of triangle shading sails). Finally, ask your parents if they can spare some plants... at least for phase 1icon .
Step 3 -  Call your friends, put some beers in the fridge, have fun and do some serious work!
Step 4: A few hours later you can enjoy completing phase 1.
Phase 2 - The small details


I found phase 2 to be the most rewarding phase of the makeover. Phase 2 requires you to handle the small details that can bring your backyard to a whole new level. In-addition, it’s time for gardening :)


Again, use your imagination but this time take your time since making some additions or small twists to the initial planning, is an ongoing process. One thing is certain though. You will enjoy every single minute in your new DIY backyard!
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 5 questions
  • Barbara Best Thomas Barbara Best Thomas on Aug 27, 2017

    How did you account for drainage?

  • Wandamurline Wandamurline on Aug 27, 2017

    Does the color fade with the sun? I live in SE Texas and the sun shines very hot and a lot here. I also would like to know about what this grass would cost....Sam's had some and it was VERY expensive.

  • CWise CWise on Aug 27, 2017

    How far did you place the stones on top of the "artificial" grass to hold it in place? What did you use in the "open area" of the grass area to keep it held down and from shifting over time? BTW......I just LOVE what you did. No maintenance except for maybe vacuuming, blowing and/or hosing down! My kinda "grass".

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 27 comments
  • Joanie Joanie on Jul 17, 2020

    I guess I 'll stick to real grass.......Long hard road, but we'll make it work!

  • Jill Krol Jill Krol on Jul 17, 2020

    I've had artificial turf at 2 homes and you can figure it is expensive. It was beautiful. I had it in 117 degree weather with no issues of melting, fading, etc. There are places online that you can buy it, so check it out first. With the turf I had, you could not see the seams. They used a black sand to fluff up the blades and hold down the turf along with ground staples. Underneath it was a fine red sand-like material that hardened after wetting and kept out the weeds. I also found that I preferred the longer grass to the shorter grass. The longer one looked real whereas the shorter one looked like artificial grass. Just my opinion.

Next