c/backyard-projects

So I built a raised bed and realized I'd been leveling ground wrong for years

I spent like 4 hours last weekend digging out this spot in my backyard for a 4x8 raised bed. Used a level and everything, checked it maybe 6 times. Looked perfect to my eye. Then my neighbor Jeff walks over and asks why my bed is sloping toward the house. I told him I leveled it, he just kinda smiled and pointed at his truck. He had a laser level he picked up at Harbor Freight for like 30 bucks. We ran it across the area and sure enough I was off by almost 2 inches from one end to the other. Turns out my ground was so uneven that the level was just following the slope instead of showing me the real difference. Has anyone else discovered they've been making some simple task way harder because of a tool they never thought to use?

1 comments

skylerg17•2d ago

That moment I poured a concrete pad for a shed and forgot to call 811 first

I was digging in my backyard in Everett last Saturday and hit a gas line with my shovel, then had to pay $900 for emergency repairs because I skipped the utility check, has anyone else made that expensive mistake?

1 comments

julia_fisher28•5d ago

Tore out my old patio and put in flagstone over a weekend - the difference is night and day

Finally got tired of looking at that cracked concrete slab in my backyard. It had been there since I bought the house 8 years ago and the weeds were taking over. Last Saturday morning I rented a jackhammer from Home Depot for $60 and had the whole thing broken up by noon. Hauled the chunks to the dump for $35. Sunday morning I laid down 2 tons of flagstone from a place in town. The whole thing cost me about $400 total. Looks like a completely different yard now. Has anyone else here ripped out concrete and put in stone instead? How long did yours hold up over the winters?

1 comments

maxm63•5d ago

My neighbor watched me build a raised bed and gave me one piece of advice that stuck

I was out back last April building a 4x8 raised bed from cedar planks. My neighbor Bob stops by, watches me for a minute, and says "you're gonna want to line the inside with hardware cloth or the gophers will eat everything in 3 weeks." I laughed it off because I'd never seen a gopher around here. Sure enough, about a month later my tomato plants started wilting and I found tunnels running right under the bed. Dug it all up, stapled some 1/4 inch hardware cloth to the bottom, and replanted. Stuff cost me 15 bucks and maybe 2 hours of my Saturday. Has anyone else had one of those "I told you so" moments where you ignored advice and paid for it?

1 comments

brookepark•8d ago

Wildflower seeds vs sod for my shady backyard

I spent last spring deciding between a fancy sod install and just scattering native wildflower seed mix in my back corner near the oak trees. Went with the $30 seed packet instead of the $600 sod quote, and let me tell you, the bees and butterflies showed up three weeks before my neighbor's grass even rooted. Now I'm fighting thistles that came with the mix though. Anyone else deal with mystery weeds popping up from those bargain seed blends?

c/backyard-projects

So I built a raised bed and realized I'd been leveling ground wrong for years

That moment I poured a concrete pad for a shed and forgot to call 811 first

Tore out my old patio and put in flagstone over a weekend - the difference is night and day

My neighbor watched me build a raised bed and gave me one piece of advice that stuck

Wildflower seeds vs sod for my shady backyard

Am I the only one who thinks most backyard patios are way too small for actual use?

Switched from a rotary mower to a reel mower. My lawn actually looks better now.

Built a rain garden after the city raised my stormwater fee by $40 a year

Am I the only one who found a cheap trick for leveling a shed floor?

PSA: That old hammock stand you've been ignoring? It's a PERFECT trellis.

Cleared out a corner of my yard last Saturday and hit 150 pounds of weeds pulled in one afternoon

My neighbor laughed at my raised beds until she saw my soil test results

Concrete vs. flagstone: went with flagstone for my patio and kind of regret it

Gravel or mulch for the path to my shed? I went with gravel and here's why.

PSA: Don't bother with those cheap plastic raised bed kits

Rant: My paver patio took 4 weekends instead of 1 because of one dumb mistake

I was wrong about rain barrels for 3 years

That solar fountain I bought last spring was a total flop

My neighbor's patio project taught me something about prep work

Vent: My cedar fence pulled apart after 3 months in Phoenix

Concrete vs paver patio for my backyard in Portland

Finally got my drip irrigation to stop leaking after 3 weekends of tinkering

Visited a community garden in Portland last weekend and saw someone using wine bottles as edging for their raised beds

Had a neighbor help me trench for a French drain last summer

Neighbor said put gravel under deck for drainage. 6 months later it's a mud pit.