Every house has one and almost nobody uses it. It is also where most drainage complaints start.
Sort the water first
Side yards collect runoff from two roofs and two walls. Downspout extensions and a proper grade, or a drain if grade cannot do it, come before anything else.
Give it a surface
Grass does not grow in a metre-wide shaded corridor. Pavers, flagstone stepping stones or clean gravel over a proper base solve it permanently.
Make it a route
If it connects the driveway to the rear yard, it should be wide enough to carry a wheelbarrow, bike or bin without scraping the wall.
Use the walls
Screening, storage, firewood, a hose reel, shade-tolerant planting in a narrow bed. Vertical space is the only space a side yard has.
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ReadHow to phase a landscape project without wasting money
Splitting a build across two seasons works — if you split it along the right line.
ReadFree estimate
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