How to simply landscape backyard?

[Clarencio08]

Hello everyone,

I would like to do my own backyard to save money but I have zero experience.

Will it be a hopeless task or Is it attainable?

I do not know where to start or what sort of equipment to use as I have a very limited space to put machinery in.

I am just thinking of putting up a simple backyard which is just in ground 1m Garden Beds on all sides of backyard and maybe just sow around a nice soil which I do not know how to proceed with.

Ang advice would definitely help! Thanks in advance! 😄

 

[Clarencio08]

Thank you so much for this.

I will draw plans now and will put it to work.

For these weeds everywhere, do i just spray the whole soil to prevent them from growing with my future lawn?

Thank you

[mich1972]

Absolutely great advice and encouragement from the Workshop Community !!! That’s what I love about everyone 😃 @Clarencio08 Good luck with your Backyard, do it in stages and at your own pace so you don’t get overwhelmed and give up, take your time. Always remember that if you need to ask questions, keep in touch and there will always be someone who can help you out 😃😃😃

[JacobZ]

Hi @Clarencio08,

I'd suggest reading the advice I gave in the discussion: How do you kill all weeds before landscaping?

To prevent regrowth, killing the roots is necessary so a glyphosate-based herbicide such as Roundup is the way to go. Ensure you wait 2 weeks after application before moving on with lawn installation. Also ensure you wear the relevant personal protective equipment including gloves, a mask, long work clothes and enclosed shoes.

3-4 weeks after lawn installation, you can apply Oxafert Herbicide And Fertiliser which is a pre-emergent herbicide that will help prevent any weeds coming through. Please note that this product is not suitable for cool season grasses such as Ryegrass or Fescue.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Nailbag]

Hi @Clarencio08 

A few basic necessities to get you started hand tool wise to research if you don’t already have them:

Long handled shovel

Metal rake

Plastic rake. This one in particular because of its wide flat shape and scraper on the reverse side

Mattock 

Medium sized builders wheel barrow

Hammer

1200mm spirit level

8m tape measure

And for powertools:

A decent 2-speed hammer drill

184mm Circular saw

And I would highly recommend an Impact driver

The rest you will work out as you go. 

enjoy the process. 

Nailbag

[pete_brig]

Hi.

First suggestion is to draw up your wish list as suggested by others, lay it out on paper, taking into consideration any services (sewerage, stormwater, power etc). Think about how you plan to use the space, future use (e.g. for children), access points (doors, garden gates) & how that affect's its usage e.g. taking cooking items to/from the house to a BBQ, clothesline & laundry door.. Think about where services are going to be needed (power, stormwater, water for irrigation). And as others have suggested, tackle it in stages.

And maybe consider an alternative to @JacobZ's sequence of steps: look at the hard landscaping first otherwise you'll be carting stuff over your lawn. That's doable but you'll probably need to lay down protection, similar to covering indoor flooring to avoid it being damaged. Downside is that it can't be left in place too long or the grass will suffer, hence the alternative sequence. And getting the big/permanent stuff done first means any adjustments/changes won't affect where the turf is laid or dug up--doing it after means just laying the turf to butt up against the hardscaping. But this also needs to be considered along with doing things in stages--maybe do the 1st major stage & lay the lawn around it after it's done so you can enjoy that stage & the lawn is in place to look nice.

If you'd like further input from this site, when you're ready, share what your wants are along with a plan showing dimensions of the space & position of the house, including doors, access points, & fences--that way any suggestions will be realistic e.g. no point suggesting a bench seat when it's in front of a door 😁

Cheers, Peter

[Dave-1]

Good @Evening @Clarencio08 

Since this just popped up in my feed the first question that went through my mind is wondering how your yard might be going?

For mine, I have decided to loose the berms and level the front yard except for the pathways I like them So even tho I had a nice layout, sketched and put into place it is still not finished and about to get a revamp

Dave