When we completed the screened deck last fall I mentioned that we had plans for additional yard improvements. After consulting with a landscape company over the winter we finally started on some infrastructural changes to the backyard to improve drainage around the house and create a new path to the deck. This month we’ve finally started on that project.

the old brick patio leading up to the new deck

Day 1, everything must go

Day 2- new pathway going down over gravel

The new walkway

All the bricks from the old patio were re-used along with some new bricks mixed in. We buried conduit pipe under the new walkway for the cable and satellite lines, plus enough room for other wires if needed in the future; they will be re-run shortly. Although a little hard to see in the photo, the earthen mulched berm on the left pushes water to a small catch basin and drain system that routes around the garage. Our grill will now go under the kitchen window on the small brick area to the right. We also plan on building planter boxes in the rock area by the deck for our Japanese maples and some other plants. So far we’re quite happy with the changes, and quite glad we contracted this portion out!