Extreme Makeover - Back Yard Edition

I've been promising pics of our project from last weekend. I wish I had done a better job taking promised photos, but I did get a few and you'll get the gist. When we moved into the house we dubbed our backyard the "Arizona backyard". It was completely covered in patio block and loose rock. The previous owners, who put it in, did such a crappy job. They didn't level the ground, lay any webbing, gravel or sand underneath the block, and used mismatching blocks wherever they saw fit. The blocks have not handled these nasty Northern winters well. Most were broken and some pulverized into rubble. The worst problem was the massive amount of weeds that flourished in between all the blocks. Gross, gross, gross. But we dealt with it - until we had kids. The babes needed a grassy backyard. It was almost impossible for them to play on the patio block. So this past weekend we pulled out all the block and rock, leveled out the yard, spread some black dirt and laid sod. It was completed it just about 24 hours. I LOVE IT! It's so green and fluffy looking! Every time I walked by the back patio doors the new grass would take me by surprise. I told Allen I feel like I'm living on a golf course!

Just for an idea of what the block looked like...

All block pulled up. Soil & weeds.

Day 1 Crew - Chad, Allen & Chad

Day 2 - Laying the Sod

TAH-DAH! The finished product!

I have to say that we have the greatest friends and family in the world and this wouldn't have happened, nor been half as fun, without them. Love, love, love! Next project for the summer is to strip and stain our deck. Can't wait! And I promise, better photos!