Backyard Landscaping: Demolition is Step 1

We have officially broken ground on the yard and the pool!!

We have our plans fairly finalized with the landscaper and so far, it's going great.

We are completing our backyard project in 2 stages. The play area/hang out area will be done in the next 2 weeks and the pool will break ground in the spring, just in time for use next summer.

Step 1 of the play area was demolition. For the pool. That requires some explanation. Our electrical is on the opposite side of the house from our side yard where the pool is going. All of the electrical needed to be wired for the pool before the play area went in because if we waited until spring when stage 2 starts, the play area would have to be dug up and we would have to pay for labor costs and been out a backyard during the entirety of the pool digging. That would have been sad because we hear that fall and spring in Vegas are gorgeous. Thank goodness, because the weather isn't giving us high hopes thus far.

So while all of the mess with the bathroom fixing is going on, the landscaping company shows up, with a GIANT backhoe. I was like, "oh no." There were 5 people working at the house. 1 doing drywall, 2 doing outdoor stucco siding, and 2 operating the big backhoe for the yard. I was like, I did not sign up to be a construction manager. It was SO loud. And it was almost Avery's nap time when the jackhammer started to dig under the fence in the side yard for the electrical for the pool. RIGHT under her bedroom. Of course.

So here is the progress so far:

The area above where the backhoe is sitting is where the artificial turf is going. The area where the covered porch sits is getting doubled in length (extending straight out) towards the back fence with pavers. The pavers will cover the existing patio and extend straight out so that half is covered that the other half is in the sun. The pool is going on the side yard to the left of the patio. We are having the safety gate (required by law in the state of Nevada) installed now to keep Avery and Optimus out of the "unfinished" portion of the yard.

Here is the giant trench dug all the way around the house by the backhoe for the electrical.

The whole back fence is getting 1/2 inch gravel in "copper rose" color all the way around the edges of the yard. The whole backyard will be framed with about a 3 foot border. Like a picture frame with the gravel being the frame and the turf/pool/patio all in the middle. We also have to be strategic about plants and flowers because Optimus likes to kill everything will his kryptonite urine. We are going ceramic pot shopping and potting everything and running irrigation into the pots. So those will become a permanent fixture of the house.

This is another view of the trench. They filled it all back in after they laid the electrical. The electrical is for the pool pump going next to the air conditioning units, which we plan to fence in (they will be right next to the pool deck).

We are supposed to start actual landscaping on October 1st. We are already approved through the HOA, so that's a relief. They are saying that the play area should only take about 4 days. I am hoping by my birthday we will be done :) BBQ in the back yard!!! WOOO HOOOO!