Author Archives: Sara

Fixing the Grass in the Backyard

By Mike,

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August 2013, prior to fence and tree removal, when the lawn was in rough shape

I thought I’d begin this post with a look back at what the backyard looked like when we moved in.  Since 2013, we have removed at least 8 trees and several bushes.  We removed the garden and have spent several seasons tending to the grass.

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The picture above is what our yard looks like as of August 2016.  The tree shadow in this midday sun is an example of the complexities of this yard.  Half of it gets a lot of sun, while the other half gets mostly shade.  The grass in the sunny area is very healthy and thick, other than a crabgrass issue I’ll discuss in a moment.  Towards the beginning of the summer, however, the shady area was being taken over by clover patches.  When we took a week-long vacation, I treated the area with a spray to kill the clovers and also used a 2,4D broadleaf weed killer just because I had the opportunity to use it.  If you click the links, you’ll see the spray bottles I used, which are very easy to hook up to a hose and apply.

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You can see the weed killer left behind a mess of grass-less patches in the shadowy area of the yard.  A couple of days ago, I threw down a bag of grass seed I picked up from Menards that says it works in the shade.  It comes with fertilizer and mulch and I am hoping it will do the trick without having to till up the entire yard.

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The grass seed mix with fertilizer and mulch. Hoping it fills in the patchy areas in the shade.

The other big issue I am dealing with in the backyard is crabgrass.  The stuff seems like it shot up while we were on vacation and spread FAST!  It grows the most in spots where we had trees removed, which makes me think the soil isn’t very healthy yet.  I have been pulling it out sporadically when I mow the lawn.  I’ve been reading that mowing a little more often could help, but also plan to use something to prevent the crabgrass next spring.

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The crabgrass is at the bottom. The healthy lawn is on the top.

All of this grass maintenance also comes with the constant struggle of an 80 pound dog who likes to dig, and do other business.  Overall, we are very pleased with the progress of the lawn in just a few short years.  It’s green and that’s the important thing.  In the coming years, watch for updates on the other grand plans for our backyard, including a retaining wall and patio.

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Winnie after what was almost certainly a fun-filled day

Adirondack Chairs

By Mike:

Living in Minnesota, you have to get as much enjoyment as you can out of the summer months.  It often seems like snow lingers more than half the year in these parts.  With outdoor enjoyment in mind, Sara and I want to make the most of our backyard.  We saw Adirondack chairs in Home Depot a year ago but the price tag of $100+ was not appealing.  We thought there has to be a cheaper way to build chairs on our own.  I searched around on Google images, found a few plans, bought the necessary materials and got to work.  I assembled the first chair in the summer of 2015 and just completed a second.  Each cost roughly $40 in supplies.

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The first chair (right in the photo above) took about 6 hours to complete as I did not have perfect measurements and often had to guess when it came to angles, etc.  Some of the more intricate cuts involved using a sawsall to shape the arms and seat supports, and also cutting 6” deck boards down the middle for the seat back.

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The sawsall I used to make detailed cuts

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One of the pieces of scrap wood from the chair arm

The supplies needed for each chair:  All of the wood is pressure-treated to prevent damage from bugs.  I needed three 12 foot lengths of 6” deck board, three 10 foot lengths of 3” boards, and five 8 foot lengths of 1.5” boards.  I also bought a box of deck screws (which will not rust) and needed four carriage bolts.

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Building the second chair proved to be much less of a challenge than the first chair because I had an example standing in front of me instead of a picture on an iPad.  I could easily walk over to the first chair, take measurements, then cut new pieces.  I also made several improvements from the first design for a more stable seat.

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The frame of the second chair taking shape

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More of the seat coming together.  It helped having two drills, one to drill holes and a second (cordless drill) to drive in the screws.

We are pleased with how the second chair turned out.  The next project will be building a couple of foot rests and a table for our drinks (maybe even one with a cooler build into it).  Stay tuned for that update.

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For the second chair (left), I secured the arm rests from the bottom. This helped me avoid having screw holes visible from the top, as you see in the original chair (right)