A couple monster pines and a lot of dead oaks were removed from the back corner of my yard, perhaps a 40'x40' mound. The kid down the road pulled some stumps and we are left with an open unfinished area. Add to that the maple we just took down, and the backyard is a mess but ripe with opportunity for ???? The high spot of the mound to the grass area is an easy 4.5'. For those with a better "vision" than me; what would you do in this area? I was thinking above ground pool using the high area as a patio but the area doesn't get enough sun. Another vision is some leveling, hill shaping, retaining wall with some steps and a nice outdoor fire pit area. There is too much earth, I have a good 10 yards piled in the way back corner, and have started shuffling to fill in closer to the back line also near the mound. I am trying to do this all with the baby 'bota (box blade and FEL only.) It is slow going for sure. I may be more eager if I could "see" the vision a bit better.
Something with natural looking stone for wall with a whole area in higher elevation for stacking wood/future wood shed. While keeping a section wide enough all the way to left side or right side to still have an earthen ramp with a crushed stone top surface to higher elevation for going to and from with tractor/4-wheeler for wood moving, etc. Oh. Definitely a fire pit in the lower section if that is where you will spend most of the time with a nice fire pit. Usually closer to the house is better for running for beer/bathroom/kids needs, etc. LOL
Progress but plenty of earth moving to go and then the finish work. Plan is still evolving in my mind, wife is fixated on a pool
I would have left the hill, put a nice gazebo there, gardens around the gazebo with shade loving plants, some hostas, and some longer blooming shade flowers like inpatients that come in a multitude of colours. However, too late for that now.
There's plenty of hill left up there. Hard to tell from pics, but that huge piles of brush is an easy 15' deep and probably 25' to the fence. Also, hostas are just deer food, but I do like your thinking! Kind of an out door living area up there, clean it up, make it nice. That's what I see, with NO pool!
Easiest way is to grade it to a gentle slope, Retaining walls are OK, but need upkeep. Ground cover and low shrubs on the areas to steep to walk on. Day lilies and Hosta will give a good cover and good looks. Pools= lots of work and will dig deep into your time and savings. There is no good realestate value to owning a pool
I do like the idea of low maintenance. I was set on a very long retaining wall thinking we would have to move so much material I would need steep faces in order to reclaim any yard. The "walls" are very high and steep, but with easily half of it done to my liking I think grading them not so steep is a better idea. My back likes the idea of no retaining wall.
Supercross track? Keep it simple. Use the elevation to your advantage if you can....block out noise. .wind...or make a little shade by planting something on it. If none of those work out...plant some perinial grass and wildflowers for something nice to look at that's low maintenence.
