Here are some photos of the back yard to give you an idea of the space -- please ignore the partial demolition haha!

I forgot to mention -- I'm located in Ontario (Canada) where we get snowy winters in case that influences any suggestions :-)

Great project!

Have you considered a screened in porch?

Also where is all your current electrical?

Fun puzzle!

Thanks Janet! It’s going to keep me busy for quite a while, that’s for sure!

My electrical is directly below the light fixture on the wall near my patio door.

For a screened-in porch, were you thinking of extending my roof over my patio door to cover the deck? That thought has crossed my mind (a neighbour is doing something like this) but I wasn’t sure if that would be an expensive task, and I wasn’t sure if it would darken my kitchen (which gets natural light from the patio door). It’s something I could probably do with the help of my Dad though.

Nice lines, organization, and simplicity. Nothing stands out as alarming or that you need to be cautioned about.

Thanks @Yardvaark!

I recognize your name as someone who has helped me a lot with my prior bathroom/bedroom renovation project a couple of years ago :-)

It's good to hear that I'm not doing anything stupid in the design! It was just my first crack at it with SketchUp. A few specific questions:

1.) Should I consider a different placement of the trees at the rear? Like, should I bring the outer columnar norwegian spruces out of the swale towards the house more? They haven't been planted yet, but I'll have to decide the placements in the next week or two.

2.) Should I keep the line between the swale/rock and the grass straight, or should I curve it in some way?

3.) Should I leave the "green space" as simply a grassy area, or should I look to do something more creative with it?

4.) Do you think that replacing my grass with artifical turf is a DIY job? From what I read, it seems like prepping for artificail turf would be similar to prepping interlock (but easier and with a much thinner base). If I do artificial turf, it might make sense to have an excavator pull out a layer of my dead grass at the same time as excavating for my patio.

Thanks!

Hi Bryan. I remember you, too. It was your driveway/front yard that I helped with.

I wouldn't pull the spruce forward, but I probably would add some bed in front of the tree planting. I get the appeal of crisp, modern simplicity, but for me personally, it's a bit 'dry.' I'd be adding some curve to the backdrop bed, giving it a little room for perennials or groundcover ... plants that look a little 'party ready' as opposed to just trees & shrubs. Maybe along the lines of one of these, or similar.

.

I suggest that whatever bed line you consider, use marking paint to paint its line on the ground, and appraise it from a distance. You'll get a much better feel for what you think about it, as opposed to just trying to imagine it in your head. For the foreplants in the bed, I'd be looking for perennials and groundcover that offered bloom, so there is some excitement in the yard. I think that once you add some flair to the bed, the grass will be important as 'white space' in the composition. So I don't think I'd be read to give too much more of it over for there plantings. (That's not to say it would be impossible to work something in somewhere.)

I've never personally installed artificial turf, but think it would be a combination similar to paver prep and wall-to-wall install. It doesn't seem like it would be too difficult, but just something to take one's time with and follow all the mfg. directions/specs. That's my guess. Check if there are Youtube videos on it. You probably already have.

I'm not familiar with it --how will artificial turf affect drainage? also, have you considered turning the sale into a rain garden? if you are in an area that bands pesticides, you may also have rebates or incentives to create rain gardens to reduce runoff and standing water

FYI, we have synthetic turf in our small urban yard, SYNLawn and love it. Zero maintenance, non toxic and plant based.

It was pricey, they don't give it away and we had it professionally installed, but cannot tell you enough how fantastic it is for us.

And yes, something screened in by your dining area.

We visit the GTA often and it can be blazing hot too!

@Yardvaark,

Thank you for the suggestions! The "clean lines" in my drawing were simply because I'm not good at drawing cruves in SketchUp and I have no creativity haha! I like the idea of adding some curves at the back! I intended to add some kind of plants (other than the trees) but I hadn't drawn them in yet. I kind of like the look (and maintenance simplicity) of decorative grasses and that sort of thing. Do you have any recommendations of plants that I could put in that extra curved space that you drew in? Am I able to grow plants in the "slatescape" rock (which I was hoping to use rather than having to deal with mulch)?

In your drawings, what is the "2ft to 3ft" and "12in or less" in reference to? I don't think it's in reference to the rear fence?

And thanks, I'll just leave the grass (or turf, or whatever I go with) as "white space" -- it makes it easier too :-)

@Janie Gibbs-BRING SOPHIE BACK,

Thanks for sharing your experience with artificial turf! My neighbour has had it for a year now and loves it. It looks quite good, and I'm thinking that it might not be too difficult to install on my own (especially since there's nothing really complicated about my grass area). If my green space was just 5ft shorter, I could have even done it with a single 15ft roll (with no seam required). It seems as simple as preparing a thin compacted base and then fastening the turf down with spikes.

It would be really cool to extend the "roof" over my patio door, but it does sound like an expensive undertaking. I might consider building my deck in such a way that I could easily add a roof in a future year, but it might be too much for me to tackle in 2020.

Ah, are you from Canada too? :-)

@Em Dash,

Artificial turf is permeable and isn't supposed to impact drainage.

I haven't considered a rain garden because I've never heard that term before haha! But I do intend to add some plants in addition to the trees (provided they can grow in the slatescape rock).

Thanks!

" In your drawings, what is the '2ft to 3ft' and '12in or less' in reference to?" Suggested approximate plant heights ... the taller being a perennial or medium/low height shrub, and the shorter being a groundcover, preferably both something that flowers so as to offer a little pizzazz.

@Bryan, not sure I'm Ontario, but here rain gardens and swales are designed to help with water runoff.
We have many incentives for it. usually they include native plants that can take flash floods and also help with both drainage and erosion control. You may want to research it. they look nice when done properly and I hear people rave about the improvement.

@Yardvaark,

Ah! I don't know why my mind didn't go to "height" instead of "distance" -- that makes complete sense! For now I'll concentrate on the shape of the bed, and then I can go to a local nursery to get some recommendations on plants to fill the space :-) I've tweaked my drawing a bit to reflect the changes that you suggested (the little pink circles jsut represent where some perennials can go).

@ Em Dash,

My swale actually includes an engineered drain an infiltration gallery beneath the surface, so I don't think the benefit of a rain garden is really required in my application :-)

Thanks!

Hi @Bryan! It looks like you've received some great help on top of the great plan you laid out. I noticed you are leaving space for a fire pit. Have you decided on what kind of fire pit you wanted to include? There are many different sizes, options, sources of heat to choose from, so I wanted to make sure I gave you my best input on that part of the yard. There are numerous benefits to whatever you decide to go with, but you have considered installing a gas fire pit? Unlike a traditional wooden fire, gas fire pits are easy to use, reliable, convenient, and smoke-free. Another factor is whether to use natural gas or liquid propane. Looking at the pictures you've put in the thread, a few fire pits we would recommend would be the Cove series, a Cortlin fire pit table, or a Beacon fire pit table. Other options can be found here. Good luck with your backyard project!

@Yardvaark,

Thanks for making the drawing better again! I like the simple design! I'l get a nursery help select plants for the space :)

@The Outdoor GreatRoom Company,

Yes, the firepit is already planned out :-) I'll be building a paver kit made by Techo-Bloc (Brandon 54" square) and then installing a natural gas kit ("Crossfire" by Warming Trends).

Thanks!

Looks Great!!!

Beautiful!

WOW! Wonderful job!

Well done!