Yard question

[mollybrown]

Our house was a new build, and we still have plain old dirt in the back yard.  I had been planning to cover all of it with mulch until we know what we're doing as far as a hardscape.  We got a quote for mulch with a weed barrier, and it was pretty pricey ($1200 for around 1700 cubic ft).  The contractor suggested that an alternative is to just put down the weed barrier without the mulch.  That would cost about $400.  Any thoughts?  We have kids but no pets, and he says that it is sturdy enough for them to play on.  Has anyone done this?  The other alternative is putting down mulch without the barrier, but it turns out that you can't blend the dyed mulch into the soil the way we had planned when we're done with it.  We'd either have to go with ugly mulch or worry about hauling it out when we're ready to finish the yard.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?

[jhawks482]

So why do you want to put down mulch? Im not sure I understand. Why not just sod/seed?
By hardscape- do you mean large planting beds or patios? Either way I don't see why you can't put in grass until you come up with a plan. I don't think I've ever heard of a yard full of mulch.

[mollybrown]

We live in a drought prone, dry area, and are opposed to putting in grass in general. We especially don't want to put in grass for 6-18 months. I don't know that we'd even be able to grow grass from seed here. I've only seen sod used.

ETA:  We want to put something in back so that the yard isn't a muddy mess, and so that the kids can play back there.  And we plan to put in a patio/deck with plants/trees/rocks around the perimeter.

[jhawks482]

Ok, I gotcha. Hmmm, obviously I have no experience- but I'd probably just do the barrier, not the mulch- especially if it can't be incorporated into the ground. I just picture it blowing everywhere and being a huge mess- and then having to have it hauled off? nah. 

[hausfrau]

There are drought-tolerant grasses out there that might be an alternative, like Buffalograss. Otherwise, I would just skip the mulch right now.

[treedimensional]

DON'T put down "weed barrier". Huge waste of $. Landscape fabric serves one purpose: to stabilize paver base. Untreated weed barriers don't prevent weeds, and treated weed barriers are full of poison.
Don't ever buy DYED mulch. You might as well spray motor oil over your soil. More environmental poison.
I'm not sure what you mean by "ugly" mulch. Just because it's not impregnated with petroleum dyes? No. Use regular (organic) shredded mulch. It is not ugly, it looks the same as any other mulch, but doesn't look fake like dyed mulch, and doesn't poison the ground.
Does this contractor have any formal education? Like a degree in earth science/ biology/ horticulture, anything related to the natural sciences field? Because it doesn't sound like it. The recommendations sound worse than irresponsible.

[mrspez07]

I am guessing, based on your screen name, you are in Colorado. I am as well and have a background in landscape.
Try seeding a xeric grass or dry land seed mix, it will take water to establish in the first year, but will need very little after that. If you do that instead of sod, you will be battling weeds more, so weigh that trade off.
The fabric you speak of is somewhat durable but mostly under a heavy load like rock mulch. It will come to the surface under wood mulch and if you have a dog, they (as well as likely the kids) will put holes in it or catch the edges and pull it up. The fabric is meant to go in planting beds with no perennial or annual flowers, it is not a substitute for landscape.
Lastly, do you live in an HOA community? Most have requirements, even for back yards, to be landscaped within a certain timeframe of the home being built, and if they don't the city or county might. Good luck!

[mollybrown]

Hmmm...thanks everyone. I guess the solution here is as clear as mud

mrspez, I am in Colorado. Thanks for your feedback. I think our HOA is pretty lax about things like landscaping in the back. Our front yard is landscaped with low water plants, so I doubt they'll peak over the fence

And treedimension, by "ugly mulch," I mean wood colored mulch that doesn't blend in with the soil. I had no idea what was in dyed mulch, so it's something to consider since I'm sure there will be at least a little bit of mulch in the yard eventually. My DD likes to eat wood chips at the park, so I don't want anything potentially toxic in our own backyard.

I do plan to put in something like Buffalo grass eventually, but I don't want to waste time and money putting it in just to pull it out. Sadly, putting down sod temporarily seems like it might be the cheapest option, as irresponsible as I think it is in a dry state like mine. I don't really want to pull weeds from under the mulch, so that option looks less appealing unless I have a barrier under that's going to keep down the weeds. But I don't want a yard full of poison...

[tarheels]

I'm not trying to be a brat, but why not just DO the final hardscape now instead of some temporary solution? You said something about "until we figure out what we're doing," making it sound like it's a question of making up your mind. You've spent however many hours and brain cells thinking up this scheme, when you could have spent it researching the actual solution.

If it's a question of money, you can DIY a patio for the figures mentioned your OP. This is one of those situations where the temporary options are so poor, putting the real deal on a CC if you can't afford it does seem like the best route.

[mollybrown]

We expect the final hardscape to cost around $10,000-$15,000, and no, it isn't in the budget this year. We're not handy, and have no interest in DIY. Our yard isn't flat and will likely require retaining walls and the like, so we definitely want a professional to design it to be sure that it's done right and looks good. While I don't relish the thought of putting good money into a temporary solution, I also don't want to put in some compromised patio that isn't what we want and then having to spend money to redo it in 5 years anyway. This is our dream house, so we want to take our time and get it right.

Using a CC for this isn't even an option. We'll pay cash next year. But your point is taken...maybe we'll just live with dirt since putting 10% of the expected cost into a temp solution seems silly.