From Concept to Completion: How to Navigate a Major Structural Backyard Redesign
A backyard renovation of any size involves a number of work stages that often overlap or are at least intertwined, notes Brisbane, Australia-based Landscapes White director Colin Sarjeant. “Get the order right, and one can achieve not only a far truer finish but also significant savings.”
Major structural redesigns are rarely a collection of separate jobs. Excavation, drainage, utilities, pool construction, paving, and planting all affect one another, so decisions made early can determine whether later work proceeds smoothly or has to be redone.
Planning the sequence before work begins helps protect finished surfaces, maintain access for machinery, and allow enough time for the ground to settle. Structural and underground work should come first, followed by hardscaping and, finally, planting.
Landscaping From the Bottom Up
Most people will begin their backyard renovation by looking at paving samples and plants; it’s only natural as these things represent the finished work areas. Unfortunately, this decision-making will result in unsightly cracks in concrete, waterlogged pavers, and expensive redo’s not long after the work is completed.
The correct approach is to start from the bottom up and then finish work on the ground surface. Subgrade, drainage, utilities, and the pool shell’s placement must be done before laying out pavers or setting plants. Everything that one chooses to do before addressing these items stands a good chance of needing adjustment later.
It is not that this approach is particularly conservative; it simply reflects the realities of work on the ground. One cannot install a paver patio or plant a bed before removing the topsoil for an excavation and backfilling it later.
Why the Shell is First
The most significant single mistake made during backyard remodeling is the attempt to separate the work on the pool and the rest of the yard. They are not independent undertakings but are rather two parts of a joint project, with the shell being the critical component. Excavation and bond beam installation require heavy equipment, and this machine must gain access to the site.
A concrete truck is necessary to finish the bond beam, the structural element around the pool’s perimeter that supports the coping and is the basis for the patio. It is vital to complete the bond beam and finish the structural components before laying out the patio, pouring a slab, or putting in a garden bed.
These finished areas will be among the first to be damaged when the excavator arrives if one decides to place pavers before the shell is complete. It is hard to overstate the damage that will be done to one’s carefully prepared floral arrangements by the machinery needed to complete the shell. One is simply not in control of such operations, and these large machines will not be able to avoid piling up one’s carefully placed stones.
It is necessary to follow this order because it is the only way to complete the task.
Settling – The Step Most People Forget
Once the shell is placed, the excavated material has been returned and rammed into place around the pool’s perimeter, most people are eager to begin paving. It is understandable; this is when the chaos and mess begin to come to an end.
One should not be so eager, however, as the backfilled subgrade must settle before any slab or pavers can be laid. It may take several months for the replaced subgrade to settle and stiffen to the point where it will not fail under the weight of a concrete truck. One will only cause expensive headaches for oneself by attempting to lay new concrete on top of it.
Instead, it is necessary to wait before doing anything that might stress the new ground. Mechanical compaction will help the process along, but it cannot replace the time.
A competent builder will be able to check the density of the subgrade before paving begins, so one should ask about such a procedure if one has doubts.
Drainage – Design Before Pouring
Drainage is one of the most critical aspects of building a patio, but it is also one of the most overlooked. Water must be kept away from the house foundation, and dirty water should not be allowed to enter the pool. As such, the surface must have a slope that leads the water to a particular area, a drainage point, where it will exit the yard.
There are several considerations that must be made before laying the patio surface itself. The fact is that it is much easier to incorporate the necessary features during the base preparation than to attempt to alter an already finished surface. It may be necessary to break up an existing patio to allow for the creation of the necessary channels. Channel drains, agricultural pipes, and gravel-lined trenches are the preferred options for surface drainage. Sloped areas require retaining walls, but these structures must also have weep holes and proper drainage so that they do not turn into reservoirs during wet weather.
It is essential not to build on the existing topography without considering these items and to make sure to include them in the plans.
Rough-Ins and Conduits – Before Paving
All of the necessary services must be put in before the base for the patio is prepared. This rule applies broadly, but it seems particularly important in residential construction.
The services in question include gas lines for heaters, electrical wiring for lights and equipment, and conduits for possible connections in the future, such as for an outdoor kitchen, a spa, or additional lighting. It is much more expensive and less aesthetically pleasing to trench through an existing surface and patch up the broken-up patio rather than to simply put these conduits in before patio base preparation begins. The technical term for this stage is “rough-in.” It is necessary to carry it out simultaneously with the pool construction in accordance with the general design rather than afterward, as many people mistakenly believe. Firms such as Pacific Pools specialize in structural pool installation and have no problem integrating a rough-in plan during initial construction.
It is essential to take photos of all trenches dug and record the routes of any conduits. They may come in handy later when digging is necessary.
Coping – The Bridge From the Pool to the Patio
Pool coping generally refers to the material along the edges of the pool, such as stone, concrete, or pavers. It may seem that this element is purely decorative, but that is not the case; it has a critical function. The coping is level with the final grade of the patio, with no visible transitions between the two surfaces.
Thus, it is necessary to match the grade of the coping to the bond beam with absolute precision during installation. If the bond beam was installed out of level, the coping installation will have to compensate for this error before the patio is built.
Expansion joints between the coping and the patio slab cannot be avoided, as both structures are subject to expansion caused by temperature changes. Although such expansion is rarely noticeable, it is enough for the two surfaces to shift relative to each other, crack the coping, and ruin the patio if the two elements are joined too rigidly.
Economics of Access
The order of operations is not chosen only on technical grounds; it also reflects the financial side. The excavation machinery that can enter the site through a standard driveway opening is much more productive and affordable than smaller equipment whose operator has to work on a site surrounded by a finished patio and a fence.
A standard excavator can easily enter the site and perform all necessary tasks; a small Bobcat working on a landscaped backyard has to work at a much slower pace and is much more expensive. It is critical to complete all tasks requiring such equipment before the permanent access to the jobsite is closed by the gate. Such details as the location of the gate and the width of the side passage should be considered before the fence is built.
Planting Comes Last – Always
Planting always comes at the end of any construction project. It is much simpler to prepare the site for planting after all the heavy lifting has been done, the last few nails have been driven in, and the construction debris has been removed.
It is also essential to remember that plant leaves are not designed to withstand the conditions of a construction site. Plant leaves can wither in the harsh conditions around fresh concrete, and direct contact with concrete can damage them. It is not just the pressure on the root system that matters, either; the treading of people and the movement of large machinery destroy the integrity of the soil, leaving few places for a given plant to establish itself, even for hardy species.
It may be necessary to relocate some plants several times during the final stages of the project if one is not careful. One’s soft landscaping will be at the mercy of the construction if it is put in before the large equipment leaves the site. It should be installed after all the concrete work is done and the clean-up crews have arrived.
Budgeting and Contingencies
Any large-scale backyard upgrade involving pools, patios, retaining walls, drainage, and landscaping is bound to be expensive. It is always helpful to think about the big picture when trying to understand what one is getting into, however. According to the ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects), one should plan to spend between ten and twenty percent of one’s house value on a complete redesign. The most significant expenses are dictated by the structures, such as pools or retaining walls.
It is helpful to think about the project in terms of phases. Each stage should have an allocated budget that reflects the importance and timing of the task. A considerable portion of the total should be allocated to excavation and pool construction. A large part of the remaining funds should be allocated to utilities and drainage. Finally, the budget for building patios and/or retaining walls should be considered a third phase, with planting left to the end, as a fourth stage.
Fifteen to twenty percent of the total should be allocated as a contingency to deal with any unforeseen expenses. Encountering solid rock during excavation will certainly slow down the process and increase the cost of the project, as do variations in the water table. Such occurrences are entirely expected and must be taken into account.
Getting the Order Right
Renovating one’s backyard is a complex process that involves a number of considerations. The most critical factor that determines the success of such a project is the order of operations, not the materials or the people one chooses. It makes little sense to do the right things in the wrong order; it is better to put the right details in place before the work on the project begins. It is best to do the underground work before it is buried, to put the paver patio on settled ground, and plant the garden after the concrete has already been poured.
Many of the headaches that backyard renovation can bring can simply be avoided if one chooses the right order of operations.
