The Ultimate Yard

Michelle Ryan, editor

 

Before the Ultimate Yard Makeover Team and Haase Landscaping could get to work on the yard of Denise Collins in Spokane, Wash., the crab apple and birch tree that flowered in the front yard were removed.

In Spokane, Wash., an Ultimate Yard Makeover Team that consisted of KXLY, a local television station, Haase Landscaping and volunteer contractors were hard at work recently completing construction on the yard of Denise Collins.

Clyde Haase, of Haase Landscaping had a mere three weeks to develop a plan to transform a yard consisting of a dilapidated porch, an overgrowth of vegetation and a toppling fence into a paradise for the Collins?EUR??,,????'???. The Ultimate Yard Makeover is a promotional and volunteer effort coordinated by Washington State ABC-TV affiliates.

Day One

Construction of the new yard was completed in only 37 hours when the Collins?EUR??,,????'??? were away at a local hotel and turned the house into a home for the family. Starting at five in the morning on day one, with the help of Bobcat equipment, one of many sponsors of the event, the demolition process began. Dozens of contractors turned out for the event where a flowering crab apple and birch tree were first removed from the front yard before the crews began to conquer what remained of the backyard. The goal of the project was not only to enhance the value of the property but also to make the yard itself more efficient. The donations poured in from the food for the crew to the large, 1,200-pound blocks that made up the four raised planters and a barrage of other building supplies.

R&D Construction began replacing the home?EUR??,,????'???s windows, even adding a water table to prevent water from resting on the sills. Meanwhile, Randy Wahl Masonry added stone veneer to the entire fireplace and lower portion of the house. Haase Landscaping started the heavy machinery and ripped up sod, dug down to the water line, added hose for a sprinkler system, and started to level out both the front and back yard.

Members of the Landscape Turf Management Program from Spokane Community College came out to assist the team in the finished product, which took a mere 37 hours to complete and featured new sod, plants, trees and flowers, a new patio, irrigation system, serenity area, water feature and much more.

Day Two

Wilbert Precast Inc., yet another sponsor, spent hours moving in blocks and slabs of concrete to help in the completion of project and on day two, help was needed to lay the turf, only after the irrigation system was installed. The blocks, then maneuvered into place in the backyard, created new flowerbeds and a serenity area that needed to be backfilled with soil and the irrigation lines ran.

Source: Haase Landscaping, KXLY-TV

While Wilbert Precast Inc., moved in blocks and slabs of concrete, Concrete Works completed a water feature consisting of a freestanding bubbler surrounded by water, boulders and rocks that helped accomplish the overall goal of adding value to the property.