A new view

So after living in our home for 3 years, we finally decided to landscape the front yard. It had not been landscaped since the home was built back in 2006. And since the prior owners had foreclosed on the home, it was vacant for almost 1 year and the grass was in terrible condition when we moved in. Some of the sections of the lawn were dead, and we were unable to revive them. Back in the beginning of the year, we chopped down the medium-sized tree that was in our front yard. We didn't really have any choice but to get rid of the tree. The roots were growing too close to the surface and the roots had already caused 2 cracks in our driveway. We didn't want it to get worse. So the tree came down months ago, but the stump and roots remained.

What we had in mind for our new yard was more than 1 full-time working husband could do. So we got several bids from local landscaping companies, and then bit the bullet and went ahead with the work. The work was completed the week of my birthday in mid June. It took a 2-man crew almost 3 full days to complete the job. The guys were really nice and Lilah and I would say hi and chat with them while heading to and from the pool. It was quite hot that week, so I always made sure they had enough water to drink.

Now that the work is complete, we are very satisfied with our front yard. It will look even better once the flowers and plants grow a bit more and bloom. And our new crepe myrtle tree should be blooming soon too. I don't know what color the blooms will be yet, so I'm looking forward to the surprise! But we are loving the way it looks now and we're looking forward to landscaping the backyard next...but probably not until next year.

Here are some photos of the before, during and after!

BEFORE:




You can see the roots of the tree extending out to the edge of the driveway.


The old front yard, before any work had been done. Well, the landscaper had sprayed the grass to kill it, but it hadn't really started turning brown yet. Unfortunately, I didn't capture the grass in its completely brown and dead state due to my camera issues at that time.

DURING:








Taken during the middle of the project. The stump and roots had been removed. Some other preliminary work had been done as well.

DURING THE NEXT PHASE:












The plants and tree are in, but now the sod and bark still need to be laid.


AND NOW, THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!




A crepe myrtle tree, carpet roses, boxwoods, and azaleas.








Hydrangeas on the far side of the driveway near the small patch of grass. Love them!