RE: small backyard idea

by Richard
(Tacoma, WA)

Hello,
My name is Richard from the rainy Tacoma, WA. We have a an approximately 500sq. feet backyard that we don't have a direct access to. The only time I spend back there is during summer time mowing the lawn. The builder of the home didn't do a great job putting a drain in that yard plus since Tacoma rains a lot and the area is not hit by the sun, moss overwhelms the grass there each year. My initial plan is to just eradicate the moss and the grass and just put 2 inches of bark so to make it very low maintenance.
Do you have any inexpensive idea as far as putting bark down there and perhaps put a little inexpensive design so that should we choose to sell our house someday, it will still be pleasing to the eyes of the buyer? Or if not, just to make it as low maintenance as possible.
I attached two photos of our backyard.

Thank you for your time.

Richard Chua
Tacoma, WA


Hi, Richard -
You might consider a couple of options. First, I think your idea of getting rid of the grass and moss is a good one. You can either dig it out by hand (be sure to get the roots) or rent a sod cutter for quicker results. If you decide on the bark, I'd recommend putting down a professional grade weed barrier first, to prevent weeds, grass, or mulch from taking root again.

Or, you could put down some small or pea sized gravel to help with the drainage and then cover it with a material of your choice.

If you're not moving soon, you might want to wait and consider your options before investing a lot of funds into this mostly unseen part of your yard.

Hope this is helpful!