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Outer Avenue Backyards

The westside of San Francisco was rolling sand dunes for as far as the eyes could see not much more than 100 years ago.  Since then houses have been built in every corner from the Richmond District through the Sunset.  These houses typically have pretty sizable and very usable backyards.  In fact many of the lots in the Outer Avenues are 100 or even 120 feet deep.

There are plenty of foggy days making an afternoon spent in the backyard a somewhat unpleasant experience, and many backyards in the Avenues are not used very much.  Many look a lot like our backyard did.

Original Backyard

 

To be fair there were a few weeks a year when the wild flowers would bloom and there was a beauty to the existing yard.

Sunny Days in the Outer Avenues

 

There are so many nice days in the Avenues and having a nice yard on those days is a true pleasure.

After living in our house for a few years I decided it was time to tackle our unmanageable backyard.  Over the years so much debris had been deposited back there by a previous resident that something needed to be done.  Broken glass, weeds, buried garbage and so much more filled the space.  I decided everything had to go, and I wanted to start with a new slate.

Clearing Out the Backyard

 

 

I knew the West side of San Francisco had been sand dunes but I didn’t really understand everything was built on sand.  I began to understand once I started pulling out all the old plants, brick, and concrete.

A Small Piece of OuterLands

 

Our backyard was 100% sand, maybe even worse than sand because the sand breaks down all the organic material like sandpaper on wood creating a super fine dust that got on everything.

I wanted a space where we could have a table and some chairs.  I decided to put a rather large low deck in the rear of the yard.

New Fence and Deck

 

We started using the deck right away even getting furniture so we could start hanging out.

 

 

Our boy Jasper preferred to play in the sand than on the deck, and as I mentioned the sand isn’t just sand but a fine dirty dust as well.  We decided to add some “grass”.

 

Flowers and Grass

 

The grass is one of the best things we added.  It drains well, the kids love playing on it, and it takes close to zero upkeep.

If you are thinking about upgrading your backyard I’d be happy to speak with you.  I have great referrals for contractors as well.

Take a look at our post about the Outer Avenues!

Would you like a cool Outer Avenues Beach Bag?

 

Click here and let us know where to send it:  Outer Avenues Beach Bag

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