Today I’m sharing all the photos of our updated narrow backyard! For years I’ve known that I wanted to update this space, and this summer we finally took the plunge and got it done. After debating between asphalt, poured concrete pavers, and pre-made pavers, we decided to go with option number three. This hex pavers backyard looks so good, especially compared to where we started!
We live on a corner lot, and our yard is wider than it is deep. At 9′ wide/deep, there is not a lot of room in our backyard, and it resembles more of a side yard.
Even so, there is access from our basement to this area, and it’s how we get to the main yard where our gardens are, and the garage. For years, this space has been an eyesore!
Once I took out the big things (aka the kids’ little house and random plastic kid’s patio furniture), we were left with a mostly blank slate.
Well, a blank slate filled with a LOT of weeds. The main issue (other than the weeds) was that it was a random assortment of pavers and stones. We added the red pavers in the back (top of the photo above) a few years ago, but everything else is how it was when we moved in.
I mean, there was also a pile of junk here when we moved in, but we got a lot of the big things cleared out when we built our garage.
Every. single. year. I would pull the weeds in the backyard, spray round up, move the small pebbles around – but still the weeds persisted. The Husband was not bothered by these and said that this whole backyard paver situation was an expensive project for nothing… But trust me – the weeds have been a yearly/hourly pain every single summer.
Deciding on Hex Pavers
We had our driveway paved this summer, and I suggested just asphalting back here too. The Husband thought that was dumb, and we started looking at the cost of doing poured concrete pavers. (Aka the moulds that you put down, pour concrete into, then move).
But then I found pre-made hex shaped pavers, and knew it would be the best look!
Every time we went to the city, we picked up a skid of pavers. I drew up the dimensions for our backyard and added the pavers to estimate how much we would need. By my calculations, we needed 256 full-sized hex pavers, and 37 half sizes, and I got four extra of each just in case.
Also funny story. I started shoveling out the extra dirt/rocks, but then my wheelbarrow wheel deflated and it was stuck there for like a month.
And yes, we moved these thousands of pounds of pavers from the truck to the backyard, ha. The plan was also to do the work of laying them in, but with summer running out (and me prioritizing the kid’s bedroom), we decided to hire it out.
Plus the fact that a professional crew would have the tools/muscles/equipment that we did not. What would take us weeks working around our schedules took them a couple of days.
Years ago, I shared some ideas for this space (involving a built pergola). But I realized that what we really needed was access to the side yard through a gate.
I also took the time to chop this tree down (again).
That section of fence was literally hanging on by one nail, and a good push knocked it down. While the crew was working on laying the pavers, they had it open to bring in their little excavator. Then, they built the fence and gate when they were done.
(See how the tree started sprouting new leaves in the photo above? I’m trying to kill it over the winter, so I’ll report back.)
New Hex Pavers Backyard
Ready to see what the other side of the fence looks like!?
NO MORE WEEDS!
Ha, I took all these photos a few days after they finished – and it’s been over a month now since it’s been done.
Right before we had the pavers put in, I stained this section of fence. That was another project on my yard to-do list, and I knew it would be easier to do before the pavers were in (so I didn’t have to worry about staining them).
Still need to do a second coat, but I’ll worry about that in the spring :)
Honestly, the backyard looks a gazillion times better than it did before. We still have to move our BBQ back, but so far, it’s a blank slate.
The kid’s mini house has found a new permanent home behind the garage, so we’re leaving this area blank for now. Snow should be coming any day now, (seriously, I saw flurries on Sunday).
Oh! I did finish staining one coat on allllll the fence, so the photo above isn’t completely accurate. For the area in between the pavers and the fence, they just put more of the polymeric sand – and I anticipate there may be some weeds that come up because it’s not completely set.
The kids have also dug up some spots with the wheels of their car, but no big deal for now. By comparison, the crew that put the pavers in had some black rectangular pavers that they used for the edge between the house and the hex pavers.
My original idea was that the pavers would have more of a gap in between (like 3/4″) with sand filled in. They would have spread out more across, but then there would be more chances for the weeds to get in.
Plus, we only had five bags of the sand, and it worked out this way better. (PS: I bought the black polymeric sand which is not even available in Canada and is $$$ – but I don’t even know if you can tell that it’s black).
On the other side, there is a step up to other pavers. They added other blocks so that it would close the gap nicely, so we’ll see how it goes next year. In the past, there was a railroad tie/piece of wood there – but it had rot.
Ideally, we’d get another big stone step to go up to the grass area (where the extra pavers are in the photo above) – but that will probably be a next summer project.
Either way, the hex pavers backyard has been a dramatic improvement over the weedy-uneven-mixed surface space we had before. The kids have enjoyed playing back here a lot more, and I think that it will be easier to move the BBQ around now that the ground is smooth and level.
Plus, the snow can be shoveled around a lot easier!
I’ll keep you updated on how the hex pavers work to keep the weeds at bay… and I can’t wait to use the new gate wayyyy more often next year when we have to water our front walkway garden. (As opposed to all the other years when I’ve had to throw the hose over the fence and walk around the other way – or through the house – to water the front yard).
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