c/backyard-diy

My neighbor in Sacramento showed me how to fix a wobbly fence post with just gravel

I was about to buy a whole new concrete bag to reset a loose post on my back fence. My neighbor Mark saw me and said, 'Hold on, try dry tamped gravel first.' He helped me dig around the base, pack in about two inches of small gravel, and tamp it down hard with a 2x4. The post is solid now and it cost me nothing. Has anyone else fixed a fence this way, or is concrete always better?

Saw a really smart fire pit setup in a park in Bend, Oregon

They used a circle of those big concrete blocks you can get at any hardware store, but they set them on a bed of crushed gravel about six inches deep. The whole thing was sunk into the ground a bit, so the seating area around it felt really built-in and safe. Has anyone tried a sunken design like that, and did you have to worry about drainage?

My old brick patio was a real trip hazard until I tried a simple fix

The bricks had settled unevenly over the years, and I was worried I'd have to pull the whole thing up. I saw a video where someone used a bag of sand and a garden hose to level them. I washed a 50-pound bag of play sand into the gaps between the bricks, and it actually lifted and locked them back into place. It saved me a huge weekend of work. Has anyone else tried this method on an old walkway?

I was totally against using old pallets for a garden bed until my neighbor showed me his

For years I thought pallet wood was just junk, full of chemicals and splinters. Then Frank, the guy two doors down, built a raised bed from three pallets he got free from a local feed store. He spent a weekend breaking them down, sanding the wood smooth, and lining the inside with heavy plastic. He told me, 'The trick is to only use ones stamped with HT, for heat treated, not MB for chemical.' I saw it last spring and it looked great, and this year his tomatoes are huge. It made me realize I was just being snobby about buying new cedar. Now I'm looking for HT pallets to make a compost bin. Has anyone else built something from pallets that actually lasted more than a season or two?

My old method for setting fence posts was a full day of digging and mixing concrete by hand.

Now I rent a power auger and use those quick-set post mix bags, which cut the job down to a few hours. What's your go-to method for getting posts solid without the backache?

Vent: My 'quick fix' gravel path turned into a $300 mud pit

So I decided to put in a little walkway from my deck to the shed last spring. Thought I'd save cash and time by just dumping a few bags of gravel over the dirt. Didn't bother with any weed barrier or digging down. Big mistake. After a couple rainy weeks, the gravel just sank into the mud and weeds shot right up through it. Ended up with this lumpy, messy swamp trail. Had to dig the whole thing out, put down proper landscape fabric, and re-buy all the gravel. Wasted about $300 and a whole weekend. Anyone have a better method for a simple path that actually lasts?

Just found out my new deck boards are way too wet to use

I was reading the label on the bundle of pressure-treated pine I bought from the big box store. It said the moisture content should be under 19% before you build with it. I borrowed a friend's moisture meter and checked my boards. They're reading at 28%! No wonder they felt so heavy. Has anyone else had this happen and how long did you have to let your lumber dry out?

Serious question, my old pressure-treated raised bed finally gave out after 15 years in the Houston humidity.

The corner post rotted right through last weekend, so I had to tear the whole 8-foot section down and rebuild it with cedar, which cost me about $200 more than I planned.

Cleaning out the shed and found my first cordless drill from 2008, a Ryobi that's still kicking.

It hit me that I've been doing this backyard stuff for over 15 years now, which is wild because I still feel like I'm just figuring it out (and I still have that drill, even if the battery is shot).

Thought my new deck stain was dry after 8 hours... a bird proved me wrong.

My new fire pit started sinking after one heavy rain

I built a simple circle fire pit in my backyard using those interlocking blocks from the hardware store. I dug down about six inches, filled it with gravel, and thought it was solid. Then we got that big storm last Thursday, and the whole thing tilted to one side like a sinking ship. I pulled it apart and found the gravel had washed out from underneath, leaving a big hole. My neighbor, who used to do landscaping, said I should have put a concrete pad under it first. Now I'm looking at having to dig it all out again and start over with a better base. Has anyone else had this happen with a gravel base, or is there a simpler fix I'm missing?

Remembering the week I built a brick fire pit with my dad

It was about fifteen years ago, and we spent three full days in the yard, just the two of us. He taught me how to mix mortar by hand in a wheelbarrow and lay the first course level, which took us most of the first day. We used about 80 bricks from an old pile behind his shed, and I remember my hands being raw from the rough edges. What made it stand out was how quiet it was, just the sound of the trowel scraping and him giving simple tips. We finished it on a Friday evening and sat by it that same night. Has anyone else had a project that just felt really simple and good like that?

PSA: I stopped using treated wood for my raised beds after a soil test

For a long time, I built all my garden boxes with that green pressure-treated lumber from the big box store, thinking it would last forever. Last spring, I did a soil test on my 3-year-old bed and the copper levels were way higher than they should be for growing food. I switched to using plain cedar for the new ones, even though it costs about 30% more. Has anyone else found a good, safe wood that holds up well?

Spent $300 on a fancy drip edge for my patio roof and it was a total waste.

Everyone online says you need that special aluminum flashing to prevent water damage. My basic galvanized steel from the lumberyard for $50 has been fine for 5 years through Midwest winters. Is this just an upsell or does it actually matter for a simple lean-to structure?

Just realized I've spent over 300 hours building my backyard patio and fire pit area.

My dad saw my new composite deck and asked where the character went

We were having a beer on the deck I built last month, the one with the perfect, uniform boards. He ran his hand over the smooth rail and said, 'Looks nice, but your old pine one told a story with every knot and scratch.' That got me thinking about all the pressure-treated wood I used to wrestle with, the splinters and the weathering. Now I'm wondering if the 'perfect' look is worth losing that rough, lived-in feel a backyard project used to have. Anyone else find themselves missing the old, imperfect materials?

Am I the only one who thought a rain barrel was a waste of space?

I always figured collecting water was more hassle than it was worth, but my partner insisted we try one last spring. After a single dry month, we had enough saved to keep the vegetable patch alive without touching the hose. Has anyone else had a simple setup actually save their plants?

Rant: My new patio stones are already sinking after one heavy rain

I spent three weekends leveling and laying a 10x12 foot paver patio with a proper gravel base, and we got that big storm Tuesday night. Now the whole center section has a puddle you could drown a small dog in because the ground just gave way. What's the trick to keeping a base from washing out on a slight slope?

Shoutout to my neighbor for saving my patio project from a huge mistake

I was laying the first few pavers for a small patio in my backyard here in Phoenix last weekend, and I realized I had completely forgotten to account for drainage. I had just dumped a bunch of sand on the dirt and started leveling. My neighbor, Frank, who was out watering his plants, walked over and just said, 'Hey, you putting in a channel drain or something?' I froze. I had spent about $200 on materials already and was about to lock myself into a swampy mess. I stopped right there, scraped up the sand, and spent the rest of the afternoon digging a gentle slope away from the house and adding a gravel base. It set me back a whole day, but it saved the whole project. Has anyone else had a last-minute save from a backyard oversight like that?

Hot take: I built two raised beds with different liners and one is already failing

I put in two 4x8 beds last spring, one lined with standard weed fabric from the big box store and the other with a heavy-duty woven polypropylene liner my neighbor gave me. After one winter in Michigan, the cheap fabric is tearing and weeds are pushing through, but the polypropylene one looks brand new. The difference in material thickness and weave is huge. What's a good liner you've used that lasts more than a single season?

My neighbor's comment about my raised beds made me rethink everything

I was out back last fall, putting in my third set of cedar raised beds, when my neighbor Frank leaned over the fence. He watched me for a minute, then said, 'You know, you're building a garden for your back, not your plants.' I asked what he meant. He pointed out that all my beds were the standard 12 inches high, and at 6'2", I was bending over way too much. He said his wife has back trouble, so he built theirs 24 inches high with a little lip to sit on. It never crossed my mind to change the height for comfort. I finished those beds at 12 inches, but my back was sore for a week. For the next set I'm planning, I'm definitely going taller. Has anyone else built raised beds at a non-standard height for ergonomics, and did it help?

Best place to buy a heavy-duty vinyl shed?

Getting ready to tackle some backyard organization and I desperately need a big shed. The local big box stores seem to have really limited inventory for the sizes I need (looking for at least 10x10). Where do you guys order your sheds online?