Rhode Island Nesties
asf619
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Hiccup in the landscaping redesign
One section of the newly cleared section of my property is a lot steeper than they'd suspected. Even with grading the area, there's a good chance that we'll have to deal with erosion, and a challenging slope to have to navigate when mowing. They were having trouble with their bobcat going back and forth on that section. So, now we have to consider whether to deal with these challenges, or put in a partial retaining wall. If we go the retaining wall route, it makes sense to do it now before the lawn is established. What to do? What to do?
Why can't these things ever be straight-forward?!
Off to look at retaining wall designs for inspiration 
Re: Hiccup in the landscaping redesign
Oh no!
I think I'd opt to put in the retaining wall now. Our lawn is obnoxiously sloped, and it's so annoying that nothing is even close to level. I'd rather have it split up into two areas with a wall in between.
Where in relation to the house, play areas, etc would the wall be? Is there a way to plant a garden bed along the wall, to sort of separate the areas and draw your attention away from the wall itself?
The wall would basically be where we had a line of trees before. And, we'd likely only have to do a wall on about half of this stretch, so it could still be open to each other, and easily accessible with a lawn mower (or, in another year or so, a riding mower). I can email you with a picture of the plans I drew up. I'd rather not post that picture here.
There is already a privacy fence up to that point along the side of our property, and we were thinking of extending the fence (probably not the full panel privacy fence, but something more open like a ranch-style open fence) to the road to mirror what we have on the other side of the property.
Before this redesign we already had a sizable play area near the house, and the wall wouldn't be obstructive. I just don't want to say "yes" without having fully discussed it with DH first. We're going to have a lot to talk about tonight!
Our walkways are stamped concrete (the Ashler Slate design from this page -- http://www.stampcrete.com/stamps5.htm). The retaining wall that is already on our property is stacked blocks, and we'd likely mirror that for the new retaining wall. I can already picture it.
And, good news. DH isn't balking the idea. His initial reaction was that we should have them do it right the first time! Now to hear what they're proposing, and how large of a wall we're really talking, and add it to our bill. Ouch. But, at least it'll all be worth it in the end to have had it done right from the beginning!
I hope it all works out! I agree it makes sense to get it all done at once. Think of how nice everything will look with it done and all the lawn grown in (and how much it was stink to have to see the grass ripped up again if they had to build the wall in the future!).
It took 5 failed IUIs and a failed IVF, but our FET worked!
My pregnancy after Infertility Blog
Our baby girl was born on April 27, 2011!