One of the big disadvantages of living in the San Francisco Bay area is that land is at a premium. Multi-acre house lots are a rarity (especially in the sub-million dollar price range) and frequently, as in the case of our house, the square footage of a home is actually greater than the square footage of the lot the house is built on.
Exhibit A: A photo of my ENTIRE back yard:
I am standing with my back against the fence, my house is on the right. The entire yard is approximately 30 feet long by 20 feet wide. 600 whopping square feet. My master bedroom is larger.
Yes, it is small, but there is a lot about it that we love.
When we were house hunting, one of our must have items was "grass." Many many yards are completely paved over since many people consider upkeep of a tiny patch of grass more hassle than it is worth. In our case, we wanted grass (at least a little of it) since we have kids.
For example, here are the girls hunting easter eggs this spring.
It just wouldn't be the same if they were searching a concrete patio.
On the other side of the fence is lined with giant redwood trees which provides a ton of privacy and so even though it is tiny, it is still a little oasis. Plus the fact we can cut "the lawn" (with a push mower) in less than 5 minutes is a nice perk.
We do have a large enough patio area to house a table and there is a pergola over the back door covered with wisteria which provides a lot of shade in the summer.
Finally, we love the fact that along the fences there are raised beds in which the previous owner planted roses and a fruit tree:
So even in our postage stamp back yard, we almost constantly have fresh cut flowers gracing the kitchen table:
This year I also decided to plant a vegetable container garden. Tomatoes, beans, peppers, herbs.. the girls have been having a great time 'farming' in the back yard.
I guess the moral of this post is: good things can come in small packages!
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