It’s a total oasis, I tell ya.
Remember that awesome brother-in-law of mine? The landscaper? Let me refresh your memory:
Well, it turns out that Jared’s also a miracle worker.
When we first bought the flip, the backyard was abysmal. And that’s being kind.
See what I mean? We knew that it had potential, and that it could eventually turn into a huge selling point for the house – but there sure was a long way to go.
I’ll fill you in on all the details with the pool later, but the landscaping was a huge hurdle all in itself. Basically, there wasn’t any landscaping. No grass, no flowers, no plants – it was kind of a wasteland back there. And there were lots of stumps – oodles of them.
There was no question that the stumps had to go – so two awesome guys went to work and had them all removed within 2 days (they might also be upgraded to miracle worker status). Take a look at this big sucker, mid-demolish:
It doesn’t look too impressive in the picture, but trust me – in person it was about 2 feet in diameter!
Once the ground was clear, my fancy brother-in-law Jared got to work bringing in the fill dirt and leveling out the backyard – remember that escapade? Then he laid out these big rocks to form the two planting beds:
I was very impressed that he managed to manhandle these ginormous and heavy beasts into position.
Then it was time for the sod – ahh, the sod:
It took about a pallet and a half to fully sod the backyard – that’s a lot!! (And all while working in 100+ Texas heat – I’m pretty sure Jared deserves a medal).
After the sod was down, it was time for the fun stuff – plants!!! The hubby and I took our merry selves to Lowes and had quite the field day in the tropical plant section – no backyard oasis is complete without tropical plants, you know!!
After we wrestled all the plants back to the flip, we laid them all out into position – it took us awhile, and we took turns telling each other where to move the plants. And let me tell you, some of those palm trees are really prickly!! My right arm looked like I had lost a fight with a fork (ok, I’m exaggerating, but it wasn’t pretty). Here are the plants all lined up and ready to find their places:
And here are all those gorgeous plants in their new homes:
And sorry, I couldn’t resist – they were begging to be photographed from every angle, so here you go!
Awesome, right?? Here’s a huge thank you to Jared, who gave up oodles of time to help us out and created a totally gorgeous backyard oasis that any buyer is sure to adore. Thank you!!
So what do you guys think? Are you ready to move in yet? I know I’m ready to jump in that pool!! What’s your backyard like – did you go tropical, go for all lawn, or are you a sucker for bushes and flower beds? We want to hear about it!! (And later I’ll fill you guys in on the plants that we chose, so stay tuned!)
P.S. A little birdie told me that Jared is thinking about moving to Dallas next year to start his own landscaping company – how cool would that be???
Ooooh. I want an oasis! Gimme!
what an incredible transformation!! that pool looks terrific!!
The plants you selected are gorgeous. It certainly looks like your landscaper put in a serious amount of work to get that beautiful yard!!!
Can Jared come to Houston and help me transform my new (and barren) backyard into something as wonderful as that?!?! :)
Lookin’ great, Liz!
WOW! What a wonderful change.
What a tremendous amount of work!
What a terrific brother-in-law!
You must have an extra gene for creativity and vision!
Wow Liz – that is amazing! Yes, jared does deserve a medal – but so do you! I hope your arms are all healed from the prickly plants!
I just love love love this backyard…it’s like my dream backyard – not too big, tropical to the hilt, and with a lovely pool. Swoon. Can I please move in?!
Ours? Eh – a pit. Dublin’s pit to be exact. Just grass, no plants, a couple of big trees. We won’t be living here forever…when we move I want to move somewhere warm so we can have a pool and landscape just like this!
Tell me – did you jump in to the pool?! I would have!
Christy,
We haven’t been able to jump in yet because the chemicals are still being adjusted for the new water, but I CANNOT WAIT!!!! It’s just begging for someone to swim in it. :)
Yay, I’m so glad everyone is digging the new backyard!! It’s been so fun to see the transformation – it’s just crazy!
~ Liz
Wow!!! I always get so ga-ga over palm trees. When I lived in San Diego they were everywhere and I was always just so enchanted by them. But this looks fantastic, I am completely speechless.
Let Jared know that I have a back yard and whole front yard that can be first on his client list! I’m serious! I’m so sick of landscapers that either never show up or do a crap job.
Very nice transformation. I do particularly enjoy the palms and the pool water. I would never spend a lot of money on landscaping and a pool to sell, though, spend it to enjoy it and you can’t go wrong. Spend as an investment and you may not get your money back.
stumbled upon your blog, love love love it~ we have a 1956 Ranch and we are constantly making improvements! great inspiration here!
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