Backyard Landscaping

Well friends, with the weather warming up it is time for us to finish our backyard so our house will be complete.  The front yard is already done and the house is finished (including the basement!)  So now we have to come up with a plan for the backyard, submit it to the HOA and then get the work done.  We are wanting to finish it in May/June.  I have tons of ideas going through my head and I just wish we had the $ to fund them all.  Ha.  Budget is the work that keeps going through my mind. 

So, here is our dirt yard right now. 

The fence line goes along the front of the house.  There are retaining walls around the side and back of our lot because of the hill and how our house sits, with the basement, etc....  We will not be putting up a fence this year.  We like it open and don't have neighbors yet on all sides of us.

So we know that we will be putting in a sprinkler system, sod, and a patio area.  There are tons of other things that we want to do, but because of that budget, we can add them in later.  I am sure it will still turn out nice and anything is better than dirt, right?! 

If you have any ideas, or want to help them let me know or come on over!  Let the next adventure with home ownership begin!  I will post updates and pictures as all of this falls into place.