Brownstoner Garden: Revised Plan

garden
We like the fact that the guy doing the heavy lifting on our garden is flexible and open to last minute changes. After watching the space evolve over the first few days, we have abandoned our initial plan, which had the bluestone dining area on the raised portion at the back, in favor of a new plan, above, that places the patio section in the middle of the yard where it will be surrounded by grass. Flower beds will still run along the sides with room for larger plantings in the back corners. The retaining wall is being built out of wood, with a couple of old pieces of bluestone used to make steps that will lead to a grassy area on top with a bench along the center of the rear trellised wall.
Previously: Garden Day 5 [Brownstoner]

Comments

Beautiful plan- and the yard still looks very roomy, even with the dining area moved to the center. Lovely to eat in the middle of all that greenery, instead of off to the side. Ten thumbs up!

Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2006 10:31 AM

DOWN WITH SYMMETRY!

Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2006 10:37 AM

thanks for sharing! agreed with the change...will make for a fabulous dining experience!
i'm enjoying following your progress. my husband and i are considering a brownstone for purchase that would require a COMPLETE demo and design of the garden. may i ask, ball park, what we should budget for? any advice greatly appreciated!

Posted by: bun at May 17, 2006 10:44 AM

It'll be between $6,000 and $7,000.

Posted by: Brownstoner at May 17, 2006 10:45 AM

thanks so much! how long do you anticipate the whole project taking? please let me know if you would recommend the team that you used.

Posted by: bun at May 17, 2006 10:47 AM

brownstoner, i think that your amount for the cost of the garden is wrong. i think that the actual amount is more like 10-12K. particularly if you are getting a custom made fence versus a factory made one. also, the price increases based on the type of plantings that you choose. oh yes and whether you actually are using bluestone that is already there or rather purchasing it.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2006 10:56 AM

Looks great!

Not that you asked for any input, but--since you seem to have a very amenable contractor maybe he could build two long rectangular wood planters for each side of your retaining wall. You could fill them with trailing-type plants that will spill over the front, which will be nice from the patio and add a greater sense of privacy if you're in the back garden...

Good luck!

Posted by: tinarina at May 17, 2006 12:54 PM

new design looks mucho nicer than the previous plan!

Gardeners beware: We had our garden completely gutted and redone with bluestone patio surrounded by flower beds and granite retaining wall. What started out as a $15K project ballooned into about $25K all-in, including design, plants/flowers, new custom fencing, custom-made pergola.

Fortunately (as bstoner demonstrates) there are lots of ways to cut corners. But, I was astounded to see that even with the amount we spent, there were still some wish list things we had to compromise on to avoid needing a 2nd mortgage. For example, a carved-stone fountain or statue can run upwards of $5000 (or only $500 for the fiberglass model).

Yet another lesson that the sky is the limit on any kind of home improvement project.

Posted by: Bstone Gardener at May 17, 2006 2:06 PM

The fence is off-the-rack cedar

Posted by: Brownstoner at May 17, 2006 2:12 PM

I love that line! Off-the-rack cedar. Thanks for the smiley

Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2006 4:04 PM

I dig Plan B. Looks really nice. I can't wait to tear down the lame 10/20 shed in my backyard and do something nice out there.

Posted by: OMB at May 17, 2006 4:22 PM

to me it looks like either a giant #1 or a giant bottle of absolute. absolute brownstoner. also reminds me of an old fashioned telephone. please enjoy!

Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2006 10:58 PM

I don't see the backboard for basketball, or is this to be an adults-only space?
In a similar sized backyard I installed 100 feet of six-foot high perimeter fencing (some customized), 40 feet of three-foot high 250 patio blocks with sand footing, AND the backboard (rebuilt three times due to heavy usage) for under $1K. I did all the work myself. Sweat equity is not only for tenants.
I got my materials from Pergament and Home Depot piecemeal whenever they had a sale.

Posted by: tom at May 18, 2006 11:56 AM

May I recommend that the beddings along wither side NOT have straight borders but undulating ones?

Brooklyn is full of straight lines everywhere you look - adding some curves would surprise the eye. It's incredibly easy to do as well. You get this flexible metal (avoid the cheap plastic) edging that's held in with spikes. Takes mere minutes to install.

Posted by: Peter at May 18, 2006 2:20 PM

Um, that post above from "Tom"? I wrote it and I'm not Tom. I'm Peter. I have no idea who he is. Methinks gremlins are at work.

Posted by: Peter at May 18, 2006 2:21 PM

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May 17, 2006

Brownstoner Garden: Revised Plan

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