Home Improvement: A New Terrace

For this Mother's Day Jennifer got a new backyard terrace.  Actually, it was planned back in February but, due to a very rainy spring among other obstacles, construction was delayed until recently.  The original terrace was made at the time the house was built back in 1993.  (I accidentally ran over the ties with my - then - new mower back in 2008.  Not my finest hour but it gives the reader a good look at the original terrace.)  The cross-ties were all rotting, of course.  It was time for an upgrade.

What transpired was about two weeks of semi-chaos, with the ripping up of the original feature and a great deal of high-impact activity by heavy equipment.  Our gravel driveway was more or less destroyed, but was put back together again in the end.  For a few days the whole project was a great annoyance.  Usually I freak out during such intrusive occurrences on my property.  But this was tolerable because I knew it wouldn't last long.

The end result thrilled Jennifer.  I think it is a great improvement as well.  So happy Mother's Day. I hope this is the last time something of this magnitude happens on the otherwise tranquil property we call 'Twin Oaks.'

Here are photos of the progress from start to finish.

The original terrace as seen out the den window before construction started.
Initially, things looked like a bomb went off.
Then the equipment arrived and the heavy landscaping began. 
Despite the high-impact of the construction, the workers were very considerate of the space and limited their footprint as much as possible, though it was still substantial.  You can compare this angle with a photo take in the 2008 link above.
The foundation for the first rock wall is laid.  This is facing south.
At the other end facing north.
By the second week things were starting to take shape.
Fresh top soil and soil amendments were brought in to improve the red clay of the original terrace. 
Ta-Da!
The initial wave of new plants are in place and new grass was seeded where the equipment took its toll.
I really like the curve of the front wall, which actually gives more room for grass outside the den windows, affording a more spacious feel that helps offset the 'heaviness' of the big rocks.

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