After a recent remodel, part of the back yard was hydro seeded.  The "layering of soils" left a squishy footing.  I literally sank to my ankles on my initial visits.  We brought in a truck and trailer load of sand and roto-tilled the sand with the "topsoil" and the native soil to eliminate the perched water table.  The lawn was leveled and seeded with turf-type perennial rye.

The contractors had left the deck steps too low.  The homeowner wanted the soil level brought up, but it was realized that over time that the soil would rot the steps.  It was decided to make a "transition" from turf to hardscape.  This also created a convenient path from the living area of the covered patio to the hot tub (not seen in the foreground).

The homeowners were golfers and wanted a putting green.  The green was placed in the biggest drainage "problem" area.  The gravel and sand base solved the drainage problem and made an unusable part of the yard the "favored" part.

An attempt to cover the hot tub conduit and neaten up this area.  It softens the blank wall and is now easier to maintain.

Curbing, pavers and gravel were used to create a convenient path from the covered patio to the hot tub.  Notice the nice transition from turf to deck.

The back of the hot tub created a large blank wall.  A beautiful Japanese Maple was placed in the corner between the wall and the house.  Blue Italian Cypress and Barberry help break up the blank space.  The barberry will grow quickly and can be easily shaped.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After