Thursday, June 2, 2011

DIY Curbing for the Backyard

Since we moved in to this house almost two years ago, we've added a lot more plants and trees.  There is a vinyl fence around much of the backyard which is very nice for privacy, but vinyl fencing is kind of ugly and harsh to look at!  I knew it needed to be softened up with some plantings. 
This picture was taken in early spring of 2010 before I'd planted anything new in the backyard.  It also shows how horrendous bare things can look in the winter!  :)




So off I went to Home Depot to get several arborviteas.  I was happy with the look of them, but knew I needed some edging to keep the grass out.  The rest of the yard was edged in curbing.  I called several places and the minimum for any of them was $150.  That was certainly more than I wanted to spend for 30 feet of edging!  I originally used some extra pavers, but the mower would hit them and move them around.  It wasn't the long term look I was going for. 



So last weekend, in the middle of all of our daughter's Graduation activities, (yes, we are crazy!) we decided to tackle the curbing job.  We used bender board that my husband cut into four inch strips for the back and three inch strips for the front.  We had to be careful not to make the planter too wide, as there's a wall on the other side and needed room for the lawnmower to fit through.





We needed to make sure to keep the width consistent, so used these pieces of wood as guides before screwing the stakes to the bender board.



Those 80 pound bags of concrete mix were lifted into the wheelbarrow and mixed by me.  Yes, that's why there aren't any pictures of me doing this project.  I was the 'brawn'.  I can't wait for a project where I get to be the brains!  haha


Lots and lots of smoothing of the concrete.





And it's done.  It really transitions well with the old curbing.  I mowed yesterday and there's enough room to get the mower through there.  I consider the job a big success, especially since it cost us $30 instead of $150!

Thanks for visiting! 

19 comments:

  1. Great job! But, I can't believe you started and completed that project in the middle of graduation activities!!! We had a curb in the backyard of our last home. It looked great. Hope you have a great weekend!

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  2. Lots of work, but quite lovely in the end!

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  3. Pam, the curbing looks so nice (and so does your backyard). I cannot believe you attempted anything like that during your daughter's graduation activities! I was barely able to keep my head above water just concentrating on my daughter's activities!!! I am impressed! :D

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  4. BINGO- you won again! it looks fantastic! great job you two.Lucy

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  5. You two are incredible! The curb looks great and so does your landscaping!!!

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  6. Looks great Pam! You guys always do such a great job!

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  7. Great job Pam! Your yard and gardens are just beautiful!! Martina

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  8. It looks awesome Pam. I had to laugh because I remember my parents getting most of the yard work done weeks before one of us were graduating or getting married, etc.

    Take care,
    Lisa

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  9. Job well done! Looks wonderful my Gardening sister! Give Pat a hug and a slap on the back! :)

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  10. You guys are amazing!! That all looks so incredible and we are so glad you shared this with us at Inspiration Friday! :-)
    Vanessa

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  11. My husband is in LOVE with curbing in flower beds! It turned out great. Thanks for following along with my blog...Happy Friday to you :)

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  12. Your cubing looks great! You have a lovely yard. :) Can't wait to see the next project. We are always working on something too. I'm following now.


    Have a great weekend!
    ~Liz

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  13. oh my...how beautiful it looks. i might have to show my husband....of course he is very partial to rock walls and rock borders which is what we have now.

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  14. Hello! I'm visiting from Debbiedoo's newbie party.

    Your curbing looks great! My Husband did the same thing in our front yard and what a difference it makes! Keeping weeds out of the flowerbed is so much easier!

    I'm your newest follower; hope you will visit my blog and follow me, too!

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  15. Job well done! Perfect size and distance from the plants. I wonder how long does this cubing finished?

    highlands ranch landscape

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  16. Great DIY home improvement tips! This site and Houselogic have been great places to visit on the web when it comes to home maintenance!

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  17. How wide did you go or does it matter? Thank Liz

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