Landscaping Project: The Before- part 1

When we purchased out home the interlocking pavers were at least 15 years old but in really great shape. The slope and water drainage was perfect and the retaining wall was perfectly straight. Tony and figured that this would save us a few thousands of dollars in landscaping. But for some funny(!?!) reason within the first year of home ownership the pavers and retaining wall started moving and sloping! As if it was just waiting for us to arrive to start falling apart.
Because of the cost, we just kept putting this work off. But finally, five years later, we decided to bite the bullet and get the landscaping done. The pooling of water (and freezing during the winter) around the foundation of the house is a no-no. We didn't want to end up with foundation problems- a common problem in Montreal.

Here are some pictures of the before:

The sloping retaining wall:

The wall gets worse after every winter due to freeze and thaw.


Walkway sloping towards the house:

The grey section at the bottom edge of the foundation wall on the left side of the image is where the pavers should be. They sloped approximately 2 1/2 inches.


The pavers are old but I actually don't mind the pattern. In addition, my driveway is paved with these pavers and it's in great condition. So in an effort to save some money I decided to reuse the existing pavers. The contractor tried to convince us to just change to new pavers, driveway included, but to no avail.

We also decided to complete the backyard by adding a paved pad near the spa- a perfect tanning location.

Old entrance into the backyard:

Here is the drawing I gave the contractor:
 

This is a photocopy of the house plans. I just drew in the paver section around the house and the backyard indicating the instructions relating to the size and which pavers to use.

The contractor laughed at me when I gave him the above sheet but at least he knew exactly what I wanted.

I'll post the after pictures very soon.

Smiles,
Nancy