c/backyard-living-and-patios

Used to fire up a cheap charcoal grill for every steak, now I just use a cast iron pan on the patio burner

For years I was that guy hauling out the old rusty Weber kettle, waiting 45 minutes for the coals to ash over, only to end up with uneven sear marks. Then my neighbor Dave in Orlando told me to try a lodge skillet right on the side burner of my gas grill - bed that fixed steak night quick. First time I did it I got a crust in 3 minutes flat and never looked back. Anyone else ditch their grill for a simple pan on the patio?

Gravel patio settled unevenly after 2 winters in Seattle

Tbh I put in a crushed gravel patio in my backyard last spring and it looked great at first. But after the freeze-thaw cycles this past winter, half of it sank about 2 inches compared to the other side. I used 3/4 minus gravel and compacted it with a hand tamper, but clearly that wasn't enough. Has anyone else dealt with this and found a fix that doesn't involve tearing the whole thing up?

Vent: My neighbor told me I was ruining my backyard with native plants

Last spring I tore out my entire lawn. Put in black eyed susans, milkweed, and little bluestem grass. Cost me about $400 total. My neighbor Harold walked over while I was planting and said "you're gonna regret that, it'll look like a vacant lot." Six months later his lawn is brown and mine has butterflies and birds all over it. He still walks past shaking his head. Why do people get so upset about grass alternatives around here?

Tried putting a shade sail over my patio and the neighbors complained

So I finally got tired of the sun blasting my patio every afternoon and bought a 12x16 shade sail off Amazon for like 45 bucks. I spent last Saturday afternoon figuring out how to anchor it to my house and two trees in the backyard. Looked pretty good honestly, gave me like 10 degrees of coolness back there. But then on Monday my neighbor from three houses down came over and said the glare from the white fabric was reflecting into her kitchen window. I felt kinda bad about it because she was nice about it, but I didn't even think about that happening. Has anyone else dealt with a shade sail causing reflection issues or did I just pick the wrong color material?

Hot take: People are planting their tomato cages upside down in Cincinnati right now

I was helping my neighbor set up his garden last weekend and noticed he had those cone-shaped cages with the wide rings on top and the narrow rings on the bottom. Thing is, the narrow end is supposed to go up so the plant gets more light inside. I counted 4 out of 6 houses on my street with them flipped wrong. Has anyone else spotted this or am I just being picky about garden gear?

I tried both gravel and crushed concrete for my patio base and crushed concrete won by a mile

My neighbor Steve finally talked me into putting in a paver patio instead of concrete

I was dead set on pouring a concrete slab in my backyard here in Denver. Been doing concrete work for a decade so I figured why mess with what I know. Then my neighbor Steve came over one Saturday and showed me his own paver job he did last summer. He said "just try one section first and see how you like it" and that made me stop and think. Six months later I did a 10x12 paver patio and honestly the drainage is way better than any slab I've ever poured. Has anyone else switched materials halfway through a project and been glad they did?

Found a trick for keeping patio furniture from blowing over in wind

Honestly, I live in Oklahoma where the wind never stops, and my cheap aluminum chairs kept tipping over and scratching up the concrete. I tried sandbags and those little plastic weights but nothing held them steady during a storm. Then out of desperation I grabbed some old carabiners and bungee cords from my work truck and clipped the chairs together in a little circle. It sounds dumb but linking them all together made the whole group heavy enough that they just wobble now instead of flying into the yard. Even when that big gust came through last week they stayed put and I didn't have to chase them down the block. Has anyone else tried linking furniture together or is there a better way I'm missing?

Serious question, is a concrete patio really better than pavers?

I was reading the National Concrete Masonry Association site and they claim concrete slabs last 30+ years while pavers need resetting every 10-15. But my neighbor's paver patio in Phoenix has been solid for 22 years with just some sand top ups. So which side are you on? Anyone have real numbers on cost or lifespan from their own yard?

My concrete patio vs stamped overlay - one was a total nightmare

I poured a plain concrete slab two years ago for $800, and last summer I added a $300 stamped overlay on top. The plain slab cracked within six months, but the overlay has held up perfect through snow and rain. Anyone tried the overlay route and seen better long-term results than me?

Rant: My cheap gazebo almost took out my neighbor's fence

Had a pop-up gazebo from Amazon set up for a BBQ last Saturday, then a gust of wind caught it and sent it flying into the side yard. Thank god nobody was standing there, but I'm tossing that thing and building something anchored with concrete instead. What's a solid DIY gazebo kit that won't fold like paper in a breeze?

Question about those cheap patio furniture covers on Amazon

I bought a 3 pack of patio furniture covers for $25 back in March. After two rainstorms they were cracked and torn, basically useless. The material felt like thin plastic garbage bags right out of the package. Did I just get unlucky or are all the budget covers this bad? Anyone found a decent one that lasts more than a season?

Switched to rubber mulch after fighting with wood chips washing away for 3 years near my patio in Raleigh

I tried everything from landscape fabric to edging stones but it took one $40 bag of rubber mulch to finally solve the mud problem after every rain storm and now I don't have to re-spread anything has anyone else made the switch and noticed it stays put better?

Walked through a display garden in Austin that had a tiny patio with a full size pizza oven

I was visiting a botanic garden in Austin last weekend and they had this model backyard setup that was totally wild. The whole patio was maybe 10 feet by 12 feet, but they crammed in a pizza oven that looked like it could crank out a 16 inch pie. There were also these tiny little bistro chairs that barely fit two people, and a fire pit the size of a dinner plate. Made me laugh because it felt like they were trying to show off every trend at once, no room to move. Has anyone else seen those overstuffed display gardens that just don't feel realistic?

Finally got my little patio pond up to 200 gallons

I've been slowly expanding this pond in my corner backyard for about 8 months now. Originally it was just a 50 gallon preformed thing with a few goldfish, but I kept adding sections and plants. Yesterday I measured it out and it hit exactly 200 gallons, which felt huge for me. I didn't even plan for that number, it just happened as I added more rocks and a small bog filter. Has anyone else had their backyard project grow way bigger than they first imagined?

My patio umbrellas kept getting wrecked after one season, so I switched to a cantilever style last spring

The difference was night and day after just one summer of storms and wind here in Phoenix, the $180 offset one held up perfectly while my old $50 center pole ones would snap after a single monsoon.

My new composite deck started warping after just 3 months

I bought Trex or whatever the expensive stuff is from Lowes in April. Thought I was doing the right thing spending $2,800 on materials instead of wood. By July, three boards near the grill area had buckled up like a speed bump. I called the store and they said it was heat exposure and not covered. Am I crazy for thinking this stuff should handle a summer in St. Louis? Has anyone else had composites fail faster than they expected?

That time my old patio umbrella took flight in a thunderstorm

Just last spring a surprise gust caught my 10 foot umbrella during a cookout, sent it sailing into the neighbors fence and snapped the pole clean in half. Ended up drilling the new one's base into a heavy concrete planter, has anyone else had to anchor theirs down after a bad gust?

Tried pea gravel first, then switched to decomposed granite for my patio base

When I started building out my 12x16 patio in the backyard last month, I went with pea gravel because it was cheaper and looked nice in the pictures. After about two weeks, every time I walked on it the stones would shift and slide under my feet. Plus my dog kept kicking it all over the yard. I finally got fed up and hauled out about 400 pounds of it, then put down decomposed granite instead. The difference is night and day. It compacts down solid like concrete almost, drains way better, and my chairs don't wobble anymore. Has anyone else dealt with this same switch or found something else that works for a stable patio surface?

Showerthought: Why does everyone insist on string lights in their backyard

Was at my buddy's place in Austin last weekend for his annual barbecue and he had this whole elaborate lighting setup with those Edison bulb string lights crisscrossing his patio. Everyone was raving about how cozy it looked but man... I couldn't enjoy it. Those things are terrible for actually seeing what you're eating or who you're talking to. I get that they look cute in photos but when you're trying to play cards or just have a conversation after dark it's like sitting in a dimly lit cave. His wife asked if I wanted some citronella candles too and I said no thanks, I'd rather just see my food. Am I the only one who thinks string lights are more about Instagram than actually being useful for a backyard hangout? What do you use for real lighting back there?

My patio umbrella snapped in half during a storm yesterday

I mean, I knew it was old, but I didn't think a gust of wind would just fold it like paper. Now I'm stuck in the sun trying to figure out if I should get a cantilever one or just give up on shade. Anyone have a brand that didn't break on them after one season?

Hit 12 straight Sundays with string trimmer work before the neighbor finally waved

Been trimming ditch lines along our fence every Sunday for 3 months. Finally on Sunday number 12 the old guy next door gave me a thumbs up. Anyone else have a neighbor that took forever to acknowledge your yard work?

Hit 500 hours of patio time this summer... didn't even notice

I was adding up some outdoor time last night for a project I'm doing and realized I've spent over 500 hours just sitting on my back patio since May. That's like 20 full days of just hanging out back there, grilling, reading, or watching the kids play. I keep a little log for gardening notes and didn't think it'd add up that fast. Has anyone else kept track of their patio use and been surprised by the number?

My neighbor laughed at me for power washing my patio by hand

He said I was wasting my time and showed me his $200 Ryobi surface cleaner attachment, 3 hours later my patio was done and he was still fighting swirl marks - has anyone else found those attachments leave weird streaks on concrete?

Realized I was planting flowers way too deep for two years

I was out back last week digging up some dead petunias from a raised bed I put in last spring, and the soil line on the roots was like two inches below where they should have been. My neighbor came over and pointed out that I'd been burying the whole root ball instead of just covering the roots, and that's why everything kept rotting. I guess I figured deeper roots meant stronger plants, but turns out I was basically drowning them. Has anyone else made this dumb mistake or have another planting tip I'm missing?