Yard Be Gone!

Our Journey To Use Less Water

We live in California, and if you haven’t heard, there’s a drought here.
Heck, even in good years it doesn’t rain very much.
So what’s with all the lawns?

When we bought our house, there were lawns in the front yard and back yard.
A little green, some brown, some dirt.
And the dirt was always getting tracked in the house.
The soil near the house was also causing drainage problems and was not good for the foundation in the long term.
Plus, we were using a lot of water to keep lawns that neither of us really wanted.

Here’s our solution in pictures (with a bit of description) – enjoy!

(click for larger image)

Ripped out all the grass. Removed the beds by the house.
Graded the land to drain properly. Moved sprinklers to new areas.
Replaced old spray sprinklers with drip feeds.
Added concrete pads, planters, and rock.
Topped off by a fountain by the driveway.

Our concrete planters provide some privacy for our side porch area, and cool off the house.
The front one has citrus trees, and the back ones have succulents and bamboo.

A fountain adds a welcoming accent to the driveway and path to the front door.

… and our side porch got new tile and a better view with our planters adding shade.

In case you’re wondering, we did the back yard last year – here’s a few shots of that:

We’re really happy with our new grass-free yards… plus, it keeps the kids off of ’em!

Have you made some changes to your house or yard to help the environment?

Post your comments below…

Cheers,
Joe

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com