30' x 15' open area in backyard... ideas?

[gorcorps]

So, I used to have an oval above ground pool in this spot. Last year by neighbor paid to have it moved to his yard, and now I have this large leveled flat area in the middle of the yard. Looking for ideas on how to use this space. There's power here that was for the pool pump, if that matters.

View from back door

Closer view

Thoughts I've had:

• large fire pit w/ benches... maybe one half fire pit, other half patio table
• greenhouse (or some kind of garden, there's just rabbits and deer so it'd have to be protected somehow)
• take it all out and back to grass it goes (makes mowing easier)

Obviously even with these few generic ideas there's endless ways of making such things. I'm mostly curious if anybody's done anything like it with similar space, and how it turned out.

 

[Humpy]

Dance floor below with Mariachi's up on the deck?

 

[gorcorps]

Dance floor below with Mariachi's up on the deck?

As fun as that may be, keeping a mariachi band would be more work than keeping up the pool I removed

 

[mindless1]

Ferris Wheel for the win, though an outdoor-dwelling dog might help keep rabbits and deer away from a garden.

 

[TechBoyJK]

If you're not sure what to put there, I wouldn't put anything there. Don't put something there just because.

Grass it is at least until you are certain of what you want to use it for.

 

[mindless1]

^ Yeah but there's still the deck, the keep it or remove it issue. Build a tiny home duplex onto the deck and rent it to hipsters.

 

[DrPizza]

3 foot deep landscaped pond. Lots of field stone, etc. Get a bunch of koi. Stand on the deck and relax, watching the fish swim around below.

 

[bbhaag]

You could turn it into an observation deck to view wildlife. Maybe build a kidney shaped burm through the middle and then plant perennials and shrubs that attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Then put up some bird houses to attract nicer birds like bluebirds, woodpeckers, and wrens.

 

[MongGrel]

looks like I have a new backyard project.

Might be a bit of a fire hazard near the house there though

I liked the fire pit with some pavers or brick patio idea to begin with.

 

[DrPizza]

Something like this:

Maintenance is fairly trivial except for perhaps a few hours one day a year. Requires some sort of pump to keep water circulating a bit - don't want stagnant water. You can start with 500 feeder goldfish for about $50-$100, and add in a few really nice koi (takes a few years for them to get large.)

 

[bbhaag]

Maintenance on any type of backyard pond is not trivial and it will take a lot more work than just a few hours once a year.

 

[DrPizza]

Maintenance on any type of backyard pond is not trivial and it will take a lot more work than just a few hours once a year.

I've had two, 4 1/2 feet deep. Once a year, I cleaned out the bottom of the ponds. Of course, since I live in a northern area, certain plants were replaced annually, such as water hyacinths, but that's about it. 99% of the work was in building the pond.

edit: 3 counting the little 5 foot long plastic one my wife has in our small flower bed in the back yard. Since it's shallow, I toss a water heater in it in the fall, connected to an outdoor plug that turns on at 35 degrees and turns off at 45. So, if it's freezing out, the floating heater keeps it from completely freezing over. Other than that, I haven't touched it in 2 years, except to replenish water during the summer - something that would be avoidable if I redirected the water from the roof gutters.

 

[mizzou]

Sounds like you got great ideas. I would pick what you would use most often. For me, I like concealed patio space better then exposed deck areas. You already have a well built deck from your now non-existant above ground pool. You could easily turn that flat base area into a paver patio and maybe incorporate some sort of neat features with the existing structure.

 

[Drako]

Basketball hoop

 

[TechBoyJK]

stripper pole

 

[Zargon]

party deck with outdoor kitchen and bar, dug

and a stripper pole

 

[gorcorps]

If you're not sure what to put there, I wouldn't put anything there. Don't put something there just because.

Grass it is at least until you are certain of what you want to use it for.

Yeah this is pretty much what I've decided after going through several options. I'm gonna turn this whole area back to grass and then plan on just putting in a big paver patio off of the back of my house. It'll cut down on the landscaping needs which I really want to do. I'm also going to get rid of the stupid rock area on the left side of the first picture. The previous owners landscaped the shit out of this backyard which looked nice at first, but it's just too much to keep up with just to take away lawn space. My neighbor wants the wood from the deck and I'll just let him take it, and he'll help me when it comes time to build the patio.

You can't really see it from the first picture, but I'm standing on my current back patio which is just the 10'x10' concrete slab with some useless landscaping around it. I want to get rid of the slab and make a large paver patio. I might include a built in grill at that point, then run a NG line to that so I don't have to bother with propane tanks anymore. Oh the possibilities...

 

[shortylickens]

My vote is for a nice big deck with comfy chairs and umbrellas. If you need to use up more lawn space I'd suggest a shed for all your lawn stuff. I would love to have a utility shed. We got too much crap in the garage.


A green house always seems nice at first, but unless you are a little old lady with no job, you will probably get tired of playing with flowers. Eventually the green house will go into disuse and become an eye sore.

 

[TheGardener]

If it were me, I'd opt for the greenhouse idea or a bring in some clean fill for a flower and/or vegetable garden. If vegetables, you'd want to put up a deer fence from what you posted.

An alternative, is to put up a chainlink fence for your dogs to have a comfy and roomy place, while you are away from home. No dogs? Visit a local shelter.

 

[mindless1]

A green house always seems nice at first, but unless you are a little old lady with no job, you will probably get tired of playing with flowers. Eventually the green house will go into disuse and become an eye sore.

Don't we all hope to grow old and retire some day? Seems like some stereotyping going on here... then there are those of us who get into growing hot peppers and can double a seasonal yield by providing an addition month or two from a better controlled environment, because the good stuff takes a long time to ripen.

Then again I find it easier to just grow more plants and skip the expense and maintenance of a greenhouse, but pets scare wild animals away around here, I don't see severe rain and wind either, plus some people really get into that sort of private space for a hobby, thing.

 

[gorcorps]

My vote is for a nice big deck with comfy chairs and umbrellas. If you need to use up more lawn space I'd suggest a shed for all your lawn stuff. I would love to have a utility shed. We got too much crap in the garage.


A green house always seems nice at first, but unless you are a little old lady with no job, you will probably get tired of playing with flowers. Eventually the green house will go into disuse and become an eye sore.

Yeah I want a shed too, or at least a proper one. I have a small plastic shed that came with the house, but all that's really good for was holding the pool equipment. I don't think it's secure enough to put my mower and snowblower in there, so some day I'll replace it with a decent wood one and get some shit out of the garage.