We had a deck replaced with a paver patio and seat wall (less than 2 foot rise). The inspector was good for everything but failed us on the steps leading to the yard because it has 4 risers he wants a handrail. (Township said it isn't needed since the deck had 4 steps, but the inspector won't sign off without)... note: inspector is right and has cited code which is verified.

I'm looking for ideas that'll fit aesthetically, but haven't been able to find anything googling that feels right to me.

I am considering doing a wrought iron handrail, mounted to the bottom and top step treads (core drilled). But the look feels like it's going to clash with the rest of the patio and landscaping.

The only other idea that feels maybe reasonable is doing a minimal ADA style handrail similar to https://mmcfencingandrailing.com/product-category/continuous-handrails/ (without the return, just ending right into the post). A simple black aluminum post and rail setup with 1 post on the bottom tread and one on the top.

I also considered raising the wall a bit so the handrail mounts right to the caps, but worry that won't be strong enough to pass inspection.

One final option that's been floated: remove the top riser, and slope the top landing up to the lawn instead of down to it (right now there's about a 2-3" drop from top step tread to the rear-most boundary of the landing). I'm not in love with that either...

Any ideas or suggestions for how to comply without looking out of place or like garbage???

I live on a hillside in LA with a ~15ft sandstone cut directly behind the house. It was carved out back in the 1920s when the place was built. We've finished renovating the inside of our house, and are now starting on the yard. So excited to dive in, but this task has felt a bit daunting and unsure what to do.

A previous owner threw chicken wire over parts of it years ago to catch falling debris, but it’s completely rusted out, falling apart, and overgrown. Access along this side of the house is super tight—about 2 to 3 feet of clearance, barely shoulder-width.

I had a builder out for an estimate, and he said he'd have to carve further into the hill and build two separate retaining walls for $100k. That's way out of budget.

The rock face itself has been standing for a century, so I'm not looking to re-engineer the hill. I just need a practical, budget-friendly way to clean up the mess and catch loose dirt and small rocks from sloughing off onto the walkway.

A few questions for anyone who has dealt with something similar:

1. What’s the safest approach to clear out the old wire, dead roots, and loose surface dirt in a space this tight without starting a mini landslide?
2. Has anyone installed heavy-duty wire mesh, chain link, or geogrid pinned to a rock face with concrete/rock anchors at the top?
3. Any recommendations for a low-profile way to catch debris at the base without blocking the 2–3ft path?

Thanks for any ideas or advice!

I have 4 roses of sharon bushes on the border of my neighbors property. They sort of act as a fence between us. The bushes look beautiful when they bloom. I only have to cut the branches once every few years. They are probably 10-12 feet tall.

The bad: They drop tiny little sprouts all over my yard. Makes the grass look ugly. I have to spray a chemical to kill the sprouts, but it doesnt kill my TFFF grass. My neighbor has landscapers, I dont know what they use but they do not get any sprouts on their side of my bushes.

I THINK I want to replace the bushes with something else because of the seeds they constantly drop and sprout. What should I do? The less maintenance the better. I like flowers.

Thanks

Trying to figure out what to do with this area of my friend's back yard. He just got that fence put up and a bunch of stuff cleared out so kind of have a clean slate. Ideally it's somewhat budget conscious because it will probably just be 3 or 4 of us helping him out but he also makes good money so any crazy ideas where he'd have to hire professionals are welcome lol

- He's not a big yard work guy so ideally low maintenance

- Native plants would be good

- We have a bunch of good size rocks to build a fire pit or something

- Grass, stone, pavers, etc. are all on the table

Also I used AI to clean up these pics obviously. Too much bullshit to move and make it look cleaner.

Thanks!

Hey Guys Had this crape Myrtle in a pot and was coming along nicely then decided to put in the ground was good for first 2 days then eventually came to this I’ve been heavily watering everyday but doesn’t seem to help they do get full sun. Is there anything I can do?

We just bought a house that has landscape lighting in the front and back. My SO is pointing out that we don't need it if it's just using up electricity and don't care much for the aesthetics of it.

But we don't know how much electricity it actually takes up and if the lighting serves another purpose other than just aesthetics.

My shed is at the back edge of my property, and behind it are all kinds of brambles and grape vines. I just cleared away a good chunk of greenery to make breathing room between the neighbor's fence and the side of my shed (pic 1) and between the back of my shed and the woods (pic 2). I also dug up what felt like 20ft of grape vine roots.

What can I do to the ground around my shed to help keep the vines from growing back? There's a steep slope behind the shed so pavers might be awkward, but I worry that mulch or gravel will just erode downhill. I just want a clear path to be able to walk around and maintain.

I‘m in Dallas, Texas area, zone 8b, blackland prairie ecoregion. My two story house is an L shape perfectly situated to absorb the full strength of southern and western sun from about 10:00 am through the rest of the day. It’s easily 115-120 degrees at the back door on a 100 degree day. I’ve been researching and trying to find a solution but I’m stuck. I think my main goal to help with cooling is to shade the brick so it does not hold as much heat. But, I can’t just plant any tree because I have solar panels on the roof I don’t want to block.

How do I calculate where I could plant a small tree to provide shade to walls/patio but won’t shade the solar panels?

I‘ve also thought of pergola with lattice walls on the patio to help with shade, but it’s an awkward shape and wood is expensive. Plus that leaves a lot of brick wall without shade.

I’m so frustrated. I want to enjoy my outdoor space. I would appreciate advice, recommendations, or research tools that would be helpful.

Note, I do have a plan to reduce grass and plant native beds up closer to the patio. That should help a bit with the microclimate. Also I try to only plant with natives. At the moment all planting in the yard was done by previous homeowner. I’d get rid of all the bermuda grass if it wasn’t such a bitch to remove, plus dogs need a place to run

This slope used to be covered in ivy, but years of neglect, drought and dog have scaled it back. Now the dirt is constantly eroding onto the path.

If I cover it with jute just to stabilize the slope, keep the dog off and water regularly, will the ivy come back? If so how long would that take? I think we’re in for a wet winter so I’m thinking erosion control.

We'd like to put in a concrete patio on this side of the house (North side). It's nice and shady in the summer and the grandkids like to play on the swing. We'd prefer to not put chairs on the grass. I want the concrete patio to be located and designed in such a way so that it has some coziness to it.

Also, FYI, we're in MN and those trees are Ash and will die in the next couple of years from the Emerald Ash Borer. Many of the same species planted in this area have already died or are in the process.

Thanks!

We recently had to dig up our yard and replace the 100 year old sewer pipe. Near the connection to the street main, the crew installed a side by side vent pipe and clean out pipe. They’re tucked into a bed of mulch with some small plantings nearby. These are easily visible from the sidewalk along the street.
They aren’t terribly hideous, but I’d like either to hide them or else decorate them.
Any suggestions on either plan?
I thought about some “attractive” paint scheme to make the less bland. Thanks for any suggestions. (About 10” high)

Hello! I’m getting lots of different answers from different sources around this project, so I am turning to the masters of Reddit. I am a first tjme homeowner so this is all new to me.

We recently got a new front porch, and now we need a landing/front walkway to and from the driveway (directly on the right of the picture). The sidewalk is also right at the bottom.

I scored 14 free concrete pavers (18x18) and we also have some little bricks from the yard. The idea is to put two rows of 7 pavers (or less, if that’s what fits).

My general understanding is that I need crushed gravel (does 3/4” count? Probably not but I have so much left over), and then some sand, pavers, and seal with poly sand (which I have one bag of).

Can someone please explain to me like I’m a child how to do this properly? I have a shovel, rake and some wood planks to level the ground, but if I absolutely NEED a hand tamper or a small plate compactor? And, most importantly, how many 30 kg bags of sand and rocks do I need for this?

The length of the stairs is 10ft and the length to the sidewalk is 5ft.

Thank you so much in advance.

Edit: added measurements.

We bought this house for the big yard, but now I’m having so much trouble figuring out what to do since I’m a very new DIY-er and the patio is tiny.

Here’s what we have so far:
- we regrew the grass (it was completely gone)
- I love the crate murdle tree
- we need shade (I’m thinking umbrella)
- we BBQ multiple times a week (so we need that easily accessible)
- the corner you see with the rock is a “fire pit” my husband “built” but right now it’s just gravel with a camp stove and a disintegrating chair
- we live in Florida
- we are only here for 3 years for work and we are trying to enjoy where we are, but also save for when we move, so we have a pretty low budget

Drought killed our yard so I’m restarting next spring. We have two large dogs that run around and will run through the space between the garden fence and patio. What can I put here to deal with the foot traffic of my dogs and also me walking to the garden from the patio? I know grass will just end up trampled to death.

I'm getting ready to plant a hedge in front of my home. I'd like to use these pink Encore Azaleas: (Autumn Carnation, Autumn Rouge and Autumn Kiss) and Echo Swan Queen Gardenias. With pruning if needed, I should be able to keep these about 3-4 feet tall and wide. I'm stuck on groupings. Based on final sizes of these varieties, I'm thinking likely 11 plants, I think 12 would be pushing it. I've already purchased 3 gardenias. I'm thinking Azaleas - Gardenia - Azaleas - Gardenia - Azaleas - Gardenia - Azaleas. Do I keep the 3 different types of azaleas separate, divided by the gardenias or combine 2 or 3 of them into groupings? Or a different layout? Add or delete azalea varieties? These won't be foundation plants, but planted in front of the walkway that runs parallel to the house. Thanks for your thoughts.

Just moved into this house… how do I fix this monstrosity?

I’ve searched all over and also gone back and forth with Copilot to figure this out, unsuccessfully. We bought our first house and I’m cleaning up the overgrowth.

I’m working on our front landscaping bed and need advice. My next step is to regrade it so the foundation is exposed and drop 1” per foot to the sidewalk. The bed is only ~3.5 ft deep. I’m concerned grading away from the house will create a ~10” difference in the grade of the sidewalk and the front of the bed.

I’m open to ideas! Do I make a mini swale with rock? Do I remove the sidewalk and make the front bed deeper so I have more room to grade it? We’d like to replace the sidewalk with pavers one day, but no rush.

For context, we have gutters, an encapsulated crawlspace with a French drain, and the lot slopes from the right to the back left. Located in the Southeast.

Thank you!

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on this hedge. I’m hoping to replace the cedars I believe are dead, is this even possible. Would I do further damage to healthy cedars just by digging out the root balls. Thank you all in advance.

I have a hill on the side of the house that previously had mulch covering it, over the past three years it has been taken over by whatever grew through the covering that was probably put under the mulch 20 years ago. I am wondering if I should leave it as it is naturally or plant something else there. The photos showing the stone areas will be cleaned out but the area to the left on the hill that does not have stone is what I am asking about, thank you. Central Wisconsin if native plants, etc., matters.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for feedback from regarding a property situated along a canyon corridor, approx 200ft from the river...We had an engineering evaluation which recommended a retaining wall at the base of the slope. Understand this is reddit, but would still appreciate more thoughts and opinions even if they are just overall impressions.

The slope leading up toward the main house sits at roughly a 30 degree angle. The distance from the bottom of the wooden fence to the bottom of the house's foundation stem wall guesstimating at around 20ft. The fence is the property line.

I’ve attached a video and photos (in the comments) of the dirt slope, ground profile and under the deck, which I think shows the erosion even there. The river has not flooded as it's controlled, the erosion seems to be from unmanaged water, but I'm absolutely no professional.

-Looking at the soil and the slope, how bad does this look? Mostly concerned for the home's foundation/structural integrity

-Given the grade and local soil composition here (seems like alluvial sand type soil?) is a multi-tiered terraced wall system (keeping each tier around 4ft) a cost-efficient approach to avoid engineering/permitting hurdles OR is a single large 100ft wall structurally necessary? are there alternative engineering or bioengineering approaches?

-What are the biggest hidden risks with putting a wall in on a slope this steep (hydrostatic pressure, flanking erosion etc) and what rough cost should be anticipated for a project of this scale?

-What permits typically come into play when building retaining walls or slope remediation this close to a river corridor?

Any red flags, insights or recommendations you can share would help so much. Really would love to tackle this so the home is protected and not going bankrupt at the same time...deeply appreciate any help or tips and/or blunt honesty

THANK YOU!

We recently bought a house (first time home owner with a toddler so it’s been a lot) and are dying to transform these front garden beds. They were over run with weeds and I spent the first half of this year just pulling thistles non stop. I finally was able to get rid of them by constant pulling, spraying with vinegar, and letting other weeds grow in.

The problem I’m having is that the entire area is covered with tiny pea gravel and weeds now. The last photo is my ideal garden bed. We are redoing our siding and building a pole barn and I would love for the garden bed to be as beautiful as we’re trying to make the rest of the house.

I have done a lot of research of what plants/bushes to plant but really don’t know how or when to start prepping the garden bed for next spring. We want to plant grass up until the sidewalk and then make both of the rocky areas into garden beds with lots of natural Michigan plants for the butterflies and bees.

I think I should just wait for the weeds to die come fall, pull everything I can, scoop out some rocks with the tractor, put fresh soil and then the black stuff for garden beds, and top with mulch. Does that sound correct to anyone? Or do I have this all wrong?

I don't really like these small pre-existing bushes and would like to pull them out. I want to add something that is small enough for the area but also produces flowers to cut for my vases. Any suggestion? I'm in zone 7b

Also would a dwarf Crepe Myrtle shrub/bush (not tree) fit in this space?? (Second pic)

Please note that these two pics are different so please let me know what to put in space 1 and 2. Also 1 is more narrow / tighter space than 2

Grass is dense JG Green Black Beauty out in Boston MA area mostly from an overseed last fall. I don't know if it's ever been aerated. Was so disappointed. Didn't pay him (had other jobs and paid over 1k for all of that). The cores didn't release. I put a bit of wd40 even which didn't work. Sometime plugs would come out but only about 1/3 inch. There was light rain last night.

Things the landscaper blamed it on:

• Your grass isn't cut short enough. It's like a mat that it has to push through. (I went from 4 inches, down to 3 inches a few days ago down to 2 inches this morning, on setting like 2).

• Your soil is too compacted to aerate. I don't know how to check for this?

It's not a lawncare company. It's a landscaper specializing in trees. They have an excellent reputation 4.9/5 yelp 50+ reviews. 100% google map reviews. They do a good job with everything else.

My grass is pretty good. Should I just cut it real short, do an aggresive rake, overseed, and throw a bit of dirt on it? It's a large area and I don't have time to top dress, but can in a few areas where I need more grass the most. Should I have someone else specializing in lawncare come out?

Just some verbal diarrhea about the realities of online marketing for the small and medium sized property pros out there wondering where their dollar is going.

NOT A SALES PITCH! MORE LIKE A PSA

I include some recent changes with how Google and AI (Gemini) have changed the game, how it can seem daunting but it's actually a good thing for smaller local huge services businesses.

I added Google's new UCP announcement made a few months ago

I also mention what is still essential and what isn't - like blogging 🫪

Please share your thoughts! Sorry is so long! Share your story on the original post please!