yard crasher wanted

I stopped by our soon-to-be new house yesterday morning before work to take some measurements and deal with a few other things.  I finally got a chance to take a good look (and some pics) of the yard now that all of the snow has melted, the sun was out, we weren't pressed for time, and we weren't pre-occupied with dealings inside of the house.  What did I find?  I found that it's going to need a lot of love. 

There's a huge above-ground pool that we knew we wanted to get rid of from the first day we saw the house.  There's also a pool-deck attached (?) to the eyesore that joins to the regular deck-deck.  I'm not an above-ground pool expert but it looks like its fairly new and in good condition, as is the pool deck.  We don't want to deal with the maintenance and safety issues that go along with having a pool.  I'd probably be able to deal if it was an in-ground, lagoon style pool with natural stone and landscaping around it but, it's far from that.  Don't get me wrong, it's nice - we just feel that having that much more lawn space for our family to run around would be a better use of space.  I've heard from numerous sources that we can post it on craigslist for free and someone will quickly come and claim it...but we've also been advised that we can get some loot for it.  Know anyone that needs a pool and wants to come disassemble and take off our hands???  Here's a crappy picture of half the pool and a part of the adjoining deck.  I think that gas-tank-looking thing has something to do with the water filter.  I'm not sure what that post in the foreground is but I'm sure I can unearth that and find a constructive use for it.

As you might notice from the picture, the pool sits a bit lower than the rest of the yard, sunken in, if you will.  I'm not sure what we will find underneath the pool but I'm guessing it won't be heaps of cash and jewels.  Our initial thought was to extend that brick path and/or make a stone walkway from the deck that leads to a stone patio area, firepit and all that jazz - some place other than the deck to sit and enjoy the privacy and silence of our backyard.  I've all but got those plans drawn up in my head already so it won't be long before Joe's beautiful hands will be caked in dirt and covered in callouses.  I'm pretty sure I'll be busy taking care of James and cooking dinner during that project.

The next eyesore might need our attention before the pool.  I don't know much anything about plants.  We have noticed tons of this crap as we've driven through the area and it looks similar to my hair in the morning (and most of the day): a tangled shit show.  There is some behind the stone wall at my parents' house and, as my Mum will attest, once you try to trim it back, it just grows twice as fast.  You can't really tell from the picture but it has weaved its way up that huge tree and is probably suffocating the poor thing.  We're gonna need to rip those suckers up from the roots so they have no chance of survival.  I might even help Joe with that project just for the pure gratification that will come along with seeing that mess go.  Like the pool, we won't know what will be left once we clear this area out.  Maybe we will count on hitting the lottery and being able to level the entire backyard or bumping into Ahmed Hassan during one of our trips to the hardware store.

There are mature trees surrounding the entire property but to clearly identify our property's perimeter, I was thinking of planting big green things to act as a fence - mainly on the left side of the house where the property line isn't so clear.  I figured that would look nicer, softer and more natural than a true fence.

Aside from a little cleaning up, the frontyard shouldn't suck up to much of our money or Joe's time.  Like I said, I know nothing about plants but those bushes shrubs trees things appear to be in good condition.  At the very least, it doesn't seem as though these plants will strangle and murder the surrounding plant life.  I'll probably be forced to clean up the stuff lining the driveway since I'll see it everyday and the fact that there are still fall leaves mixed in will drive me insane.

Even with the pool, there is a decent amount of grass space that will need to be mowed.  Once the pool finds a better home, Joe will probably get his wish for a riding mower.  Oh, and since the house is set back from the road and the driveway is pretty long, a standard snow-blower probably wouldn't be too efficient.  If Joe behaves himself, he can get a riding mower AND plow attachment.  If you're looking to give one those away for free, you know where to reach me.

(Note:  If you know of anyone that wants the pool let me know!  Feel free to post tips and realistic suggestions as well!)