Landscape in backyard almost complete (live, money, island)

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by Acevaz

JungleGeorge- We have 1 acre. To be honest all I want is to remove the mountain laurel, dead trees and have grass! I don't ask for much. The mountain laurel is suffocating my home and rocks hurts my dog's feet! Apparently, the builder only had to remove 20 ft around the home. Geesh for the amount of $ I was paying they could have cut a bit more. I am looking for a tree cutting service that will remove the dead trees and mountain laurel. One tree guy quoted us $2k to remove about 20 trees and some of the mountain laurel. I am first time home buyer so I am not sure if that is the right price. What you think?

If the trees are of decent size (more than 4-5" caliper...that is, trunk WIDTH not circumference measured a foot off the ground) that's actually a decent price!!

If the trees are smaller caliper & can be cut by hand, I'd rent a chainsaw & do it yourself!! Also, mountain laurel is not a deep-rooted plant (if my memory serves me correct), so you'ld save more money by digging it out yourself also!!

As to the rocks, it's tough up there 'cause with the freezing & thawing of the ground it seems they GROW where they weren't before, & will continue with each heaving of the soil!! As MermanMike & I said...if you can build up it will probably cost less, but eventually the rocks will still surface...but they can be used to line walkways or build up retaining walls also...)

If you DO decide to install any trees afterwards, be careful what type, 'cause as I said, some are a lot more expensive than others!! Down here we have 3 types of date palms that they use to front a lot of home developments. They are extremely slow-growing & the retail price is $1000.00 to $1500.00 PER FOOT of trunk!! That realizes to 18-25,000.00 PER TREE!!! I've seen some northern conifers that rival those prices in nurseries up there!!

As with anything, the internet is a wealth of information, so you may want to do some searching online to see different ways to deal with your yard problems, but if there's any info I can help on, don't be afraid to PM me & I'll try my darnedest!!

[Acevaz]

I am going to have to build up cuz there is no way I can remove all of the rocks. Thanks for the info. Do you own a landscaping co.?

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by Acevaz

I am going to have to build up cuz there is no way I can remove all of the rocks. Thanks for the info. Do you own a landscaping co.?

No I don't, but used to work for one here & have dealt with landscapers & growers & arborists here so I know some "ins" & "outs"....

If you build up, try not to use old railroad ties 'cause they're full of toxins that leach into your ground water. The new ones (as far as I know) don't use formaldehyde or creosote so are "safer".

[Acevaz]

JungleGeorge- I am confused... Build up for me consist of throwing dirt on top of my clay dirt. What do you mean railroad ties.... Where are railroad ties supposed to go? As you can see I am totally unaware of all these...

[poconoproud]

It's hard to tell, but this is what we did..we used our home as the back drop of garden, and the timber we used to build the shell. In pic 1 you can see how they come together at the corner.

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by Acevaz

JungleGeorge- I am confused... Build up for me consist of throwing dirt on top of my clay dirt. What do you mean railroad ties.... Where are railroad ties supposed to go? As you can see I am totally unaware of all these...

Thank you PoconoProud for the pix!! A lotta folks up north used railroad ties to "form" raised beds or different elevations in their yard (like a wall "so-to-speak"). Depending on where you would "throw the dirt" you might need a "retention" type wall so that the dirt doesn't wash away in heavy rain or snow-melt. It all depends on how deep you're gonna make the new dirt on top.

We just had a thunderstorm, it stopped & I went out to take some pix of my jungle paths....

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by Acevaz

JungleGeorge- I am confused... Build up for me consist of throwing dirt on top of my clay dirt. What do you mean railroad ties.... Where are railroad ties supposed to go? As you can see I am totally unaware of all these...

Figured I'd stick in the 2 "critters" I saw too....

[Acevaz]

I'm totally clueless... I am going to have to pick up landscaping for Dummies..

[Acevaz]

Jungle George- Your garden looks like it too time to create...But it looks so interesting..

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by Acevaz

Jungle George- Your garden looks like it too time to create...But it looks so interesting..

Thanks Acevaz!! It took 7 years & a lotta money, sweat, time & blood to do!! (and some tears everytime a hurricane blew through!!)

I love it 'cause no matter what time of year, there's always something blooming or sprouting!!