Hi. I just joined the forum. Did the formal intro over on the Intro page. Looking for some pointers on my backyard grass plan. The backyard was in need of a complete make-over. It was a foreclosure that wasn’t maintained for years. Here in east county San Diego, that means all vegetation died. I removed all of the dead vegetation, built a retaining wall, removed 3 ficus root invading trees, and am currently installing the sprinkler system. Next step is to put in grass. After weighing the options I am leaning toward sod.
Trenching –I have seen some lawns with a small 1-2†trench at the edge of the lawn. My limited internet research is that this is for easy maintenance. I am thinking of trenching the lawn against the privacy fence and retaining wall, but not against the patio or walkway concrete. What are the thoughts about this mini trench?
Grass Height – Trying to determine at which height I want to have my lawn. I will have to do some grading and remove at least 2 inches of dirt in preparation. My question is to understand what the proper design height should be in relation to the patio concrete? Do I want the top of the blades to be even or ½†over the concrete height when cut? I have seen some neighbors that have their front lawn much higher than the concrete and I don't think it looks correct. What is the proper height?
Thanks in advance for the input!