My Non-Consumer Backyard Project Is Finally Done!!

I bought my house in 1996, partly because of the nice big backyard. I had all kinds of schemes for how I would tart it up. I drew fevered plans on graph paper and scavenged bricks for a fabulous patio.

And then I did nothing.

Worse than nothing. I let the somewhat verdant lawn turn into a moss farm. 

And when my son wanted to dig holes, I told myself, “he has therapeutic digging needs.” 

In the middle of the lawn.

Then my divine sister Sara stepped in. She’s done some rock work and had recently completed a permaculture program in Canada.

So I snapped her up faster than you can say, “Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssse.”

Together we planned out a brick patio on a bed of gravel and sand, which would be sure to drain properly. And because that area is significantly lower than the rest of the backyard, she’d have to build a retaining wall.

This bummed me out majorly, as Portland is insane for retaining walls, and I know people spend tens of thousand of dollars on them. 

But we hatched a plan to see if we could get the materials for free. And you know what? We did. All of them. (Except for $55 spent on some amethysts chunks, a fossil, and black and white rocks for the mosaic.)

Craigslist and my mother’s keen eye was all it took.

So not only were the rocks free, but they came from close-by. Which meant I wasn’t buying rocks trucked from thousands of miles away. A green choice I feel good about.

And the bricks? All salvaged from local torn-down chimneys. I did score a number of brand new ones from some landscapers that I spied throwing them into the back of landfill-destined truck. These bricks were used for the round step element, as I didn’t want mortar in old crumbly bricks.

We did buy the gravel and sand. And we rented a power sprayer, tamper and plate compactor. All from nearby, locally owned businesses.

And I payed my sister an hourly wage. For which she worked her tuchus off.

All the leftover rocks were used to edge the garden, and the extra bricks were given away free through craigslist. Except for a bag of accidently moistened concrete, there was next-to-no waste.

The patio and rock wall are perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Not only am I happy with the job my sister did, but it was better than any experience I’ve ever had with a hired contractor. She showed up when she said she would, worked consistently hard and only complained a little bit when I sang to her to keep the momentum going. (Two choices — The “Sisters” song from White Christmas, or the “Sisters” song from Saturday Night Live.)

I do still need to re-plant the small lawn, but I’m waiting to find some free sod from craigslist.

Until then, you can find me in the backyard sipping tea from a Goodwill mug, and reading my library books.

Click here and here to read earlier posts about my Non-Consumer backyard project.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

Tagged as: Amy Dacyczyn, Cheapskate, Compact, Craigslist, Frugal, Frugality, Gardening, Green Living, Landscaping, Simple Living, The Compact, Tightwad, Tightwad Gazette, Voluntary Simplicity