Many readers (myself included) found the original exterior tour of our yard a little hard to follow. Our first house was straightforward: a clear front, back, and sides, illustrated with a simple sketch. That made describing the property easy. This house, however, is more complex. Although both lots are roughly the same size—almost an acre—this one is shorter and squarer rather than long and narrow, and it has a lot more quirks.
One of those quirks is a narrow alley between the original section of the house and a later addition at the back. There are also small sections of land that appear to sit outside our property line but actually belong to us, and a network of little brick paths that meander through the back and side yards. All those features make the layout less intuitive at first glance.
To make the whole layout easier to understand, I sketched our lot and scanned it, then colored it in digitally. The new sketch isn’t to the same scale as the one we made for our previous home—this house just feels a lot bigger—so consider the drawing more of a guide to flow and relationships than an exact map.
We also created a short walkthrough video that gives a sense of how the yard flows from one space to another. The video is useful for seeing sightlines, transitions between areas, and how the backyard connects to the house. (It works fine on mute if you just want to focus on the visuals; there’s some lively bird conversation in the audio.)
The backyard has changed dramatically since we moved in. The rear portion of the lot looked very brown and exposed at first, but over the last few months it has greened up noticeably. Grasses and trees have filled in, creating a softer, more private backdrop. It’s not completely secluded yet, but the difference is striking: where there used to be bare earth and visible neighbors, there is now a growing canopy of foliage and a more layered, textured landscape.
We plan to add some fast-growing evergreen trees in strategic spots to improve privacy where we still feel exposed. This house sits between two neighboring homes and one is clearly visible from our backyard, so a few targeted plantings will help create better screening. For now, the spring and summer growth has already given us much-needed seclusion and a more comfortable, intimate outdoor space.
Landscaping is a work in progress, and like our last house, we intend to take our time and let the yard evolve. Incremental improvements—choosing the right trees, planting grasses and shrubs, and defining outdoor rooms with paths and planting beds—will gradually shape the space. That approach suits us: it’s a hands-on process that’s equal parts planning, trial and error, and the satisfying ache of a day spent working in the dirt.
We’re still making decisions about hardscaping and outdoor living areas. One of my long-term goals is a proper deck for outdoor dining and entertaining. I’d also love to build an elaborate tree house for our child someday—something imaginative and sturdy that blends into the canopy. Those projects will come in time as we prioritize privacy, function, and the overall flow of the landscape.
Have you been tackling any outdoor projects lately? Whether it’s a small planting, a new pathway, or a dream build like a deck or play structure, outdoor work can be incredibly rewarding. If you have plans or ideas, I’d love to hear about them—there’s something reassuring about seeing how each yard reflects the people who shape it.