Dirt-R-Us

I decided first thing after purchasing the house that the backyard is to flat. I decided to fix this in a couple of different ways. First, I'd build elevation changes using dirt. I'd get the dirt by excavating the area for our pond. Second, I'd add dimension to the yard by using varying height landscaping.

I started by building a half-mound of dirt against the fence. I contemplated building a full mound, but decided that the back of the mound would be wasted space, since it wouldn't be easily visible. To build the half mound, I began harvesting concrete chunks from around the yard that the previous owners left. Not to worry -- we'll have an endless supply on concrete chunks once we begin pulling out the driveway. I'll save that story for another day.

Kurt and I began stacking the concrete chunks against the fence. As with any mound, it has a high point and then slopes down on each side. Therefore, we built the wall to gradually slope up to a maximum of approximately 3 1/2 feet and then back down again. The base of the wall at the highest point is probably 2 feet thick, since it'll have a lot of soil stacked against it. This is my number one concern. If this stack ever collapses into the neighbors fence and yard, it's going to be a mess to fix.

Later this summer once we complete the process of excavating the pond, we'll build a waterfall whose head will be at the top of this mound. Once finished, no concrete chunks will be visible.