The Big Fill | Tools In Action

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Aug 16, 2015 9:59 PM CT

Up in the Northeast were famous for the “The Big Dig” a huge construction project that went over budget (190%) and over schedule (9 years) and a commuter death directly related to poor construction. My project is going to be called “The Big Fill” and hopefully I come in under budget, on time and nobody will perish during the process.

A little about the project. The main portion of my lot is relatively narrow at 60′ wide however it’s very deep (250′). The lot has a very dramatic drop on the right hand side of the garage which is also the main backyard. The slope is approximately 24″ over 36 feet. It also drops 12″ from right to left. This area of the yard has always been a challenge due to the conditions. This is going to change, were filling it in.

The project is going to be as follows.

Phase 1

1. Removal of existing landscaping

2. Removal of existing 6′ stockade PT fence

3. Removal of daughters playscape

3. Digging of trench

4. Construction of retaining wall and deadmen.

5. Backfilling of yard – calculations comes to 37 cubic yards.

6. 3″ of top soil

7. Seeding

Winter Break Let everything compact and settle

Phase 2 – Spring

1. Installation of 6′ Vinyl Privacy Fence – 130′. (This is going to be expensive)

2. Creation of fire pit and seating area in the middle of the yard.

3. New above ground pool – Jury is still out on this one.

Today we started the demo, which was the most rewarding. Essentially get all of the site prep down so I can start on digging the trench for the base of the retaining wall. I’ll be on vacation next week, so I’ll be out there early in the morning doing some digging before it get’s too hot.

Pics from today.

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hathatylMember since Sep 2013Aug 17, 2015 11:06 AM CT

Dang looks like you got your work cut our for you 99, good luck!

NordrawMember since Dec 2012Aug 17, 2015 11:47 AM CT

Looks like you will be busy for a while. Busy is good. Have fun with it.

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Aug 22, 2015 6:50 PM CT

Started the day with picking up the landscape timbers and crushed stone for the base. I then drove some stakes in the ground and marked everything off. Spent the morning digging the trench and getting everything level.

Once that was done, I drilled the base for some 1/2″ x 4′ rebar to pin it to the ground. Filled the trench with crushed stone and the set the base level and flat (This was the biggest challenge). Managed to get all of the base in and most of the 1st course before my body gave out.

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99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Aug 24, 2015 4:18 PM CT

Continued with the build today. Manged to do 3 courses before I ran out of material. I’ll be heading out to the yard in the morning to pick up everything to finish it on Tuesday.

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99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Aug 25, 2015 8:15 PM CT

Finished off the wall today. I still need to put the cross beams on the deadmen though. The back filling will occur more than likely on Labor day weekend, Just need to line up a couple of resources and a couple of other things.

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BigmikezMember since Jun 2013Aug 25, 2015 8:19 PM CT

Looking good man and congrats on the keter table!!

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Aug 25, 2015 8:50 PM CT

Bigmikez wrote:
Looking good man and congrats on the keter table!!

Thanks – I could have used it for this project to use it as a cutting station. 🙂

DR99Member since Nov 2012Aug 27, 2015 9:35 PM CT

Looks great 99_XC600!! The worst part if yet to come moving and grading all the fill dirt and top soil your going to add!!

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Aug 28, 2015 6:40 AM CT

Jasonc wrote:
Looks great 99_XC600!! The worst part if yet to come moving and grading all the fill dirt and top soil your going to add!!

Thanks!

I’m going to try to make this as easy as possible, A good friend has access to a dump truck and my father has a Ford Diesel tractor with a 5′ bucket on it. I’ll be running the tractor as my buddy is going to the supply yard to get the fill. Doing it like this we should be able to fill it in 2″-3″ layers at a time instead of a huge massive pile of material.

Should be starting this in a couple of weeks, Just need to coordinate everyone.

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Sep 11, 2015 8:42 PM CT

Took delivery of 25 yards of fill today. Going to level everything and compact everything on Saturday morning and grab some more material.

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krutonMember since Jun 2015Sep 11, 2015 8:52 PM CT

It’s starting to take shape man. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

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99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Sep 12, 2015 8:05 PM CT

Got up bright and early to start spreading the fill. My Dad delivered the tractor in a roll-off. 🙂 The day went pretty well, I only buried the tractor once. Used the Jeep and some chains to pull it out. We ended up using 46 cubic yard of fill and I still have to cap it off with top soil

During the course of the day, we found a couple of toads and a salamander in the fill. My daughter rescued them and set them free.

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krutonMember since Jun 2015Sep 12, 2015 8:35 PM CT

Looks good man. Are you going to compact it or let it sit and settle out on its own?

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99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Sep 13, 2015 3:11 PM CT

Good question.

I was back blading with the tractor quite a bit. Once we spread out the initial 25 yards, the remaining 21 yards I was able to add in layers of 2-3 inches, It actually compacted pretty well to the point I was able drive the tractor on it and not make a huge depression.

We had some rain last night and I went ahead and inspected it and I saw some settling bu no huge craters. I’m going to try to top it off with the top soil next weekend. I need to check the weather first though.

My biggest decision right now is go with sod or seed. If I go with seed, I don’t know if I’m going to have enough time to get the lawn established before the cold weather comes in. I essentially have about 7 weeks at this point. where as if I was go with sod, I think 7 weeks to get it grow it would be ok..

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Sep 19, 2015 1:01 PM CT

Had 17 yards of top soil delivered this morning and I’m still about 2-3 yards short. I’m still low by the side of the garage and towards the front. Making steady progress though.

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BigmikezMember since Jun 2013Sep 19, 2015 3:55 PM CT

Looking good man!!!

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Sep 19, 2015 6:37 PM CT

Thanks Mike.

I’ve got some high spots I need to deal with. The only problem is these areas are now compacted from the tractor so flattening them out is going to require some manual labor. 🙂

krutonMember since Jun 2015Sep 19, 2015 7:09 PM CT

Looking good man. Now all that’s left is to turn it green!

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Poisonfangs85Member since Feb 2015Sep 19, 2015 7:59 PM CT

That is turning out awesome! Tons of work for sure but well worth it I can see. I need to raise the back corner of my yard about 10′ to gain some level ground. Not any time soon.

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Sep 27, 2015 4:34 PM CT

Finally finished the final grading of the backyard. Ordered another 3 yards of top soil and spent the morning filling in all of the low spots and dragging everything flat and level.

My wife and I made the decision to strip all of the remaining grass in the backyard and reseed everything. I’m going to take this Friday off and rent a sod cutter to remove what’s left off the grass and then hydroseed on Saturday.

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99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Oct 1, 2015 6:30 PM CT

Took the day off to finish the prep of the backyard. We’re trying to get it hydroseeded this Saturday and it’s scheduled to rain on Friday so I needed to get this done today. Started early this morning by renting a sod cutter from Home Depot. This machine is must have for doing this type of work. I had everything cut in about 15 minutes. I then spend the next 3 hours picking everything up and raking the soil out.

I’m so glad that this is the last of the heavy work with this phase of the project, my body is really starting to let me know that it’s had just about enough. 🙂

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99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Oct 1, 2015 6:41 PM CT

Some may wonder why I’m going through all this effort for my backyard. The last picture pretty much explains it. The backyard is right against my neighbors rental property and my family has no privacy when were sitting outside on the patio or doing something in the yard.

Over the past 5 years, we’ve had some great neighbors and as well as inconsiderate deadbeats. Due to the instability of the neighboring population. We’ve decided to level off the backyard and put up a privacy fence that comes off the house and runs all the way back to the retaining wall where it will make a turn and terminate back on the garage. The fence will be phase 2 and will be put up in the spring.

Poisonfangs85Member since Feb 2015Oct 1, 2015 7:13 PM CT

A lot of work but it looks all worth it. Great job! It is going to look so good with a privacy fence. It will be an extension of your home and feel like a getaway.

krutonMember since Jun 2015Oct 1, 2015 8:08 PM CT

You have a nice looking place man. It’s gonna look really sharp when that grass gets established.

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99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Oct 3, 2015 11:55 AM CT

Had an exciting day. The hydroseed crew showed up and sprayed the entire area in about 15 minutes! It was money well spent.

Were so happy that this phase of the project is coming to a close. With the colder weather coming in, I can now focus on finishing up on the replacement windows on the second floor of the house.

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BigmikezMember since Jun 2013Oct 3, 2015 12:23 PM CT

Man I can’t wait to c It after its all done man I know it’s gonna look awesome! This was a big project bro great job!

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Oct 3, 2015 4:48 PM CT

Thanks Mike!

After working on this project for the last 7 weeks. If I don’t pick up a shovel or a rake anytime soon will be perfectly fine with me. 🙂

regopitMember since Feb 2013Oct 4, 2015 8:24 PM CT

Awesome work 99 ! You are going to have one killer back yard when it’s done.

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Oct 5, 2015 7:38 PM CT

regopit wrote:
Awesome work 99 ! You are going to have one killer back yard when it’s done.

Thanks!

It’s been a project that my wife and I have talked about for years. We finally just decided one day to do it and get it over with. When it’s done, I think were going to wonder why we waited so long to do it,

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Oct 24, 2015 9:25 AM CT

It’s been 3 weeks since the hydroseeding and it’s really starting to take off. A week after it was sprayed we had a heavy rain that came through and some of the seed was washed away. But overall it’s looking pretty good.

The area up by the patio is really starting to fill in well. The lower area is about a week behind due to the amount of sun it gets but everything has germinated at this point.

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jbw55Member since Jul 2015Oct 24, 2015 9:42 AM CT

Looking good……I see one of these in your future 😀

dg1127Member since Jun 2015Oct 24, 2015 8:04 PM CT

Looks good Hydroseeding is a beautiful thing

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Poisonfangs85Member since Feb 2015Oct 24, 2015 8:53 PM CT

That’s awesome, 3 weeks and you already have some really nice turf.

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015Nov 8, 2015 7:32 AM CT

It’s slowly getting there. The stretch of 70 degree days this past week has really helped it out a lot!

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015May 8, 2016 6:12 AM CT

Update

After a long winter and cold spring, the lawn finally kicked in and began to really get established in the past 2 weeks. I broke out the mower on Saturday and mowed it for the 1st time. Felt pretty good.

Next phase will be installing the fence. Target day is Memorial Day Weekend. Hoping for good weather,

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JimboS1iceMember since Sep 2015May 8, 2016 6:23 AM CT

That lawn came in real nice and green, keep up with fertilization to keep it that way and dandelion free!

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015May 8, 2016 6:33 AM CT

JimboS1ice wrote:

10 minutes ago, JimboS1ice said:

That lawn came in real nice and green, keep up with fertilization to keep it that way and dandelion free!

Thanks!

I put down some starter fertilizer and a treatment of Milorganite a couple of weeks ago and with a straight week of rain has really helped to jump start it.

I’ve had a couple of dandelions. I quickly dug them up and sent them packing. 🙂

krutonMember since Jun 2015May 8, 2016 6:34 AM CT

Yeah man that looks great.

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MikeyBMember since Dec 2014May 8, 2016 8:59 AM CT

Looks awesome, I have never heard of Hydroseeding before, but it looks like it was money well spent!

FazzmanMember since Apr 2014May 8, 2016 10:54 AM CT

That came out totally bitchin’ brother. Having privacy is nice,I dont understand why they dont build fences back east much.

The front of our property is enclosed in with a wall of bushes and large trees,I love seeing a sea of green when i go outside.

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015May 8, 2016 11:11 AM CT

MikeyB wrote:

8 hours ago, MikeyB said:

Looks awesome, I have never heard of Hydroseeding before, but it looks like it was money well spent!

Hands down it’s money well spent. You get consistent coverage and no need to worry about birds eating the seed because of the mulch and binding agent.

We love the results so much we’ve decided to strip the grass around the front and sides of the house in the fall.

It currently looks like a salad bar. Lol

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015May 8, 2016 11:21 AM CT

Fazzman wrote:

26 minutes ago, Fazzman said:

That came out totally bitchin’ brother. Having privacy is nice,I dont understand why they dont build fences back east much.

The front of our property is enclosed in with a wall of bushes and large trees,I love seeing a sea of green when i go outside.

Thanks!

My brother has the same type of greenery walls over at his house in the backyard. It’s nice.

We’ve been hesitant to put up a fence, but the last 2 tenants in the rental house have changed our minds.

Luckily it’s been vacant since December, so it’s been a welcome relief.

tonylandinMember since Dec 2015May 8, 2016 11:57 AM CT

Looks great

From a fan of tools with lots of assistance from Siri #TIACREW

JimboS1iceMember since Sep 2015May 8, 2016 11:59 AM CT

99_XC600 wrote:
Thanks!

I put down some starter fertilizer and a treatment of Milorganite a couple of weeks ago and with a straight week of rain has really helped to jump start it.

I’ve had a couple of dandelions. I quickly dug them up and sent them packing. [emoji4]

I use Scott’s fertilizer throughout the year and the different blends they have workout real nice

FazzmanMember since Apr 2014May 8, 2016 12:57 PM CT

Scotts is great stuff,well worth the money imo.

The drought here has really hammered my yard bad. I wanna till everything under one day and start it fresh with some nice soil.

BMack37Member since Sep 2015May 8, 2016 1:55 PM CT

How did I miss this? That was a fantastic project and came out absolutely gorgeous man! Killer job!

JimboS1iceMember since Sep 2015May 8, 2016 2:03 PM CT

Fazzman wrote:
Scotts is great stuff,well worth the money imo.
The drought here has really hammered my yard bad. I wanna till everything under one day and start it fresh with some nice soil.

Yea the way they blend the pellets all in one where your cheaper brands will have individual chemical pellets mixed s the Scott’s will equally disperse the fertilizer.

99_XC600Member since Jun 2015May 8, 2016 4:56 PM CT

BMack37 wrote:

3 hours ago, BMack37 said:

How did I miss this? That was a fantastic project and came out absolutely gorgeous man! Killer job!

Thanks Slacker! 🙂

JimboS1iceMember since Sep 2015May 8, 2016 4:59 PM CT

Don’t forget to thatch every few years too!

Jimbo

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