Best Yard Before and Afters 2012

Who: Mike K.
Where: Pennsburg, PA

There's nothing better than relaxing on the patio on a warm summer's night knowing that I planned and executed everything myself—with the help of family and friends. I have never carried out a plan of quite this scale and complexity. I received the slate for free on the stipulation that I needed to remove it myself, and that helped out my budget tremendously. The slate alone would have cost thousands of dollars. I achieved consistency in the design and contrasted the gray slate by staining both fences, finial toppers, raised beds and Adirondack chairs the same color.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $1,000 to $5,000