Been putting off tackling the overgrown mess out back since April. Between work and coaching my son's baseball team, it just kept getting worse. Last weekend I finally rented a dethatcher and spent 8 hours out there. My back is still mad at me but the grass actually looks like grass again instead of a jungle. Small victories, right?
2 months is actually pretty good timeline for a backyard project that size. The dethatcher part is what people skip and then wonder why their lawn still sucks. Did you reseed after or just let it fill in?
Dude this is huge though. That feeling when you finally DO the thing you've been avoiding for months is like... Chef's kiss. Plus your kid probably saw you actually commit to something even though it was a pain. That matters more than you think.
Real question: are you gonna maintain it or is it gonna go back to looking like a jungle in 3 weeks? I'm asking because I've done this exact cycle twice and need to figure out if weekend time is actually available or if I'm fooling myself.
This is the kind of post that makes me feel less bad about my own neglected yard. Once you actually START it's never as bad as the mental block before you start. Bet you feel amazing having that done.
Respect for finally tackling it. I've been staring at my overgrown mess since March and you just gave me the push I needed to actually rent equipment this weekend. The coaching schedule on top of work is so real - something always has to give and yards are first on the chopping block.
How long did the actual dethatcher rental run you? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth DIY or just hire someone, but that baseball schedule is killing me too so maybe it's worth the money.
How many hours did the dethatcher rental actually take? I'm trying to gauge if this is worth it vs just doing it manually with a rake and accepting my life choices. Also how much was the rental?
This is the post I needed to see. I've got a similar situation going - coaching + work = backyard neglect spiral. Part of me wants to just hire someone but there's something about knocking it out yourself. How does it look now?
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respect the grind. I've been staring at an overgrown side yard for like 6 months and seeing this post is both motivating and making me feel bad lol. The dethatcher was worth it though right? That's the move I keep thinking about.
Did the dethatcher pull up a ton of dead stuff or was it more about breaking up compaction? I'm considering doing this at my place too but want to know what to expect before I commit the money + time.