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It has been quite an adjustment moving from a 2900 sq foot suburban home with 2.5 car garage, fenced backyard with a dog run, outdoor kitchen and sports court to 930 sq ft self built cabin. The things I miss? GARAGE! Holy Moly, I have forgotten how much nice it was to have a simple garage. Also, miss a guest bedroom, fenced yard, and my favorite Chinese take out.
Well, one problem solved!
Having 3 Great Pyrenees, it is quite a chore to walk them 4 times a day. Rain, sleet, or snow, they need to exercise and do their business. And their ‘business’ can really pile up!
So the requirements:
Goal 1: Safe and Secure, Always, Always.
Goal 2: Low/No maintenance.
Goal 3: Self Service.
Goal 3: Ascetically pleasing and fitting in with the rustic theme.
I have always been in awe of AstroTurf dog runs. But the cost of 13$ a foot plus installation was way beyond my budget / benefit balance. I did my research and made a lot of phone calls and finally found my answer. Reclaimed Turf. For about 0.75 cents a foot (delivered), I bought turf that was salvaged from the University of Missouri Western State’s football field.
So after 3 trips to Kansas City, we finally had all the turf. So now what?? Very long story short, after wrestling with a 30 ft 2000 lb anaconda, I finally got it down. Woot! (Sorry, Juan).
Next step, build the ramp from the deck to the yard. I called in my trusty carpenter and his sidekick and in 2 days we had the ramp in and it was all down hill. Or, maybe too downhill??!? What??
The next week we had 3 days of torrential downpour. And, with the 12 percent grade and the circular drive sloping toward the back yard, the water tunneled under the turf and cut a gorge under the turf. When I un-seamed the turf, it looked like the Colorado river cutting through the desert of Arizona.
So, I bought some more 5/8ths base rock and had a friend regrade the driveway and put in a small diversion ditch to channel the water away from the the back yard. I filled in the Grand Canyon and seamed up the turf.
The final product: