[JohnnyGunn]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and before I go and post a really long message with pictures, questions, and a whole slew of details, I thought I'd ask if this is the appropriate place to get some tips?

My wife and I want to plan our front yard and we have a question about some hardscaping (stone retaining walls/stone planters placement).

Is this the place we can post pictures of our yard and ask a few questions about what we should do with it? If not, could you point me in the right direction of another site that is more suited for that kind of thing?

Thanks for any and all help guys!

jon.

[jshilan]

Welcome

You can post it under hardscaping but really you should click on the link below to start you thread in the homeowner section. Either way "let's see what you got"!

Homeowner Help - Ground Trades Xchange - a landscaping forum

[Stonehenge]

No sweat - I move them here as soon as I notice them.

[JohnnyGunn]

Hey guys! Thanks for the help already! haha!! I hope you can lend your expertise to a young couple that need help with their small yard!

Here is my question (extremely general...but we want as many opinions as possible!): what would you do as far as hardcaping with this yard?

[IMG][/IMG]

Just to give you some idea, our house faces north-north-west. The front steps lay 23" from our grass line and the bottom of the two front windows are 45" from the grass line. Our fence (on the left hand side) is 20' from the steps and 9.5' from the house As far as the other measurements go, I've also included a measured drawing of our house:

[IMG][/IMG]

And finally a side view of our house:

[IMG][/IMG]

Now, we do have grass, these pictures were taken before our yard was graded. Our final grade comes to the green line on the foundation of the first picture (left side of house).

We were thinking some sort of stone planters, maybe two of them on the left side, but as far as the design and dimensions go, we have no idea. This is where we need the real help. Also, if you have any suggestions for any other ideas you may have, they are more than welcome. Consider this a blank canvas and let your genius flow!! hahaha!! Maybe a little too over the top, but you get my drift!

I hope this post doesn't come across as a jumble of ideas that make no sense, and if I'm missing any information...just tell me and I'll post it!

Thanks everyone for any and all help!

jon.

[JohnnyGunn]

No ideas?

I don't want a full landscape design...just some ideas on types/size/layout of some planters.

Thanks.

jon.

[papercutter]

Originally Posted by JohnnyGunn

No ideas?

I don't want a full landscape design...just some ideas on types/size/layout of some planters.

Thanks.

jon.

In my opinion, anything as permanent as stone planters MUST be part of a comprehensive design. There's too much of a chance that you'll limit your future options by making them too big or too small, or in the wrong place.

Take a step back and think about why you want stone planters. Do they solve a problem? Or is it strictly an aesthetic issue?

Take one MORE step back and think really, really hard about how you're going to live in the space and move through the space. Define your living space and circulation first- that way, you'll know that your planters aren't hurting function.

If it were my house? It's small, it's simple, and it's actually kind of evocative of the old houses that you see in old, old cities in the eastern US. Personally, I'd do a lot with interesting plantings and maybe some light carpentry, but put my dollars in the back- pretty much what they did in the 1700s, too.