Projects: the yard work this guide covers and where to read about each

This page is a map of the backyard work this guide covers: patios and walkways, stone walls, decks, lawns, tree and shrub moves, pruning and snow season. Each kind of work has one page that answers the question a reader brings to it first.

Seven kinds of yard work, one question each

The yard jobs this guide covers sort into seven groups. I keep them apart on purpose, because a patio and a lawn are decided by different things: the base and drainage under a patio, the season and the soil under a lawn. Mixing them up is how a reader ends up on the wrong page for the decision in front of them.

Patios and walkways. Is the base deep and drained enough for the traffic it will carry? For interlocking pavers on well-drained soil, the industry construction guide sets a compacted base of at least 4 inches, and I check that before anything else. Base and drainage are on the planning page.
Stone walls. Does the wall sit on native soil, or does it need a foundation below the frost line? A dry-laid wall can sit directly on native soil, while mortared stonework needs a concrete foundation below the frost line. Walls are settled on the planning page before the face is chosen.
Decks. Is the deck small and low enough to skip a building permit? In Massachusetts a deck is exempt only if it is 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, and not attached to a dwelling. Guardrails and loads are on the safety page.
Pool areas. Is the barrier high enough, and do the gates close and latch on their own? A residential pool needs a fence or wall at least 48 inches high, with self-closing, self-latching gates whose latches sit at least 54 inches above ground. I would confirm those numbers with the local building department before building. Pool safety is on the safety page.
Lawns. Is this the right window to seed, and has the soil been tested first? UMass Extension says late summer, August 15 to September 15, generally gives the best results for renovating or seeding a cool-season lawn, and a soil test three to four weeks ahead lets lime and fertilizer follow the results. Lawn timing is on the seasonal projects page.
Tree and shrub care. Is the job a planting, a transplant or a pruning cut, and is the season right for it? Trees and shrubs planted from mid-August to mid-October establish well, established deciduous shrubs move best in early spring or after leaf drop, and pruning stops after mid-August. The recurring cuts are on the seasonal checklist.
Snow plowing. Will the plow push the snow onto my own property, and not onto the street or sidewalk? Needham tells residents to make sure the contractor does that, because pushing it onto the street or sidewalk breaks the town bylaw and can draw a $50 fine for each offense. Winter snow work is covered on the safety page.

A map of yard work is only useful if it tells you which question to ask first.

A grey stacked stone wall with ivy-covered hedge growing behind it — A stacked stone wall with a hedge behind it. Walls are covered on the planning page, where the base is settled before the face is chosen.

Hard surfaces and walls

Patios, walkways and stone walls are decided by the base and the drainage before the surface is chosen. The order of that work is on the planning page, and the finish details that a good job shows, such as joints and edges, are on the work page.

Which page answers which kind of work

Read the page named for the decision you are making, not the one named for the material. The split below is how I would send a reader on, and it is the same split the rest of the guide follows.

Money and starting points have their own pages too. How to spread a budget across seasons is on the budgeting page, why two quotes for the same job differ is on the cost guide, and what to observe in a yard before buying anything is on the beginners guide.

Lawns, trees, decks and snow

Lawn timing and tree or shrub moves are on the seasonal projects page. Recurring upkeep, pruning included, is on the seasonal checklist. Deck guardrails and loads, along with winter snow work, are on the safety page.

Why these seven made the cut and others did not

I chose these seven because each one comes with a clear question a reader can answer from a page, and each depends on something a reader can check in their own yard: the base, the season, the slope and the trees already there. Topics that are really about hiring a crew, pricing a job or picking a material either have their own page or come after the decision they depend on.

Hiring is covered on the cost guide. The material question comes near the end of the planning page, because a material picked before the base is settled is the choice that is hardest to undo.

Green shoots coming up in soil in a blue pot — Shoots coming up in soil are what the first weeks of a new lawn look like. That is why the seeding window on the seasonal projects page matters more than the choice of seed.

Services and lawn upkeep, in one short video

Before you book a lawn job, it helps to know whether you are buying a one-off service or ongoing upkeep. A short explainer on that difference, from the channel Tyler Shkwarok, is embedded below.