Small Yard, Big Dreams: How to Reclaim Dead Space and Fit It All In

The Dilemma

A homeowner recently asked:

We just bought a house with a weird privacy fence from a chicken coop. I want to tear it down to fit a lawn, BBQ, pizza oven, and herb garden, but I'm a total beginner and worried about the labor.

The GardenOwl Diagnosis

The Assessment

You have just bought your first home, and you have inherited a backyard that is suffering from an identity crisis. The previous owners built a 'privacy fence' inside the actual property line to pen in chickens, leaving you with a weird, dead zone of dirt in the back and a claustrophobic feel in the front, significantly damaging your curb appeal and leading to The Recessed Boundary Syndrome. You have big dreams: a lawn, a BBQ, a pizza oven, and an herb garden. But you are also a beginner, and you are staring at concrete-anchored fence posts wondering if you have bitten off more than you can chew.

The Trap

There are two traps here: one physical, one conceptual.

The Physical Trap: Beginners look at a fence post and think, "I'll just dig that out." Two hours later, you are three feet deep, sweating through your shirt, and the concrete plug hasn't budged. This is how you hurt your back before the renovation even starts.

The Conceptual Trap: I call this the "Estate List in a Courtyard." You want the amenities of a half-acre lot (lawn, orchard, outdoor kitchen) in a space the size of a large rug. If you try to cram a lawn, a pizza oven, and a dining area into this tight footprint without strict planning, you end up with a "furniture showroom" effect—too much stuff, no room to walk, and a lawn mower you have to drag through the living room to cut a 10x10 patch of grass.

The Solution (Deep Dive)

Here is how we turn this chicken coop into a human retreat without breaking your back or your budget.

1. Smarter Demolition

Do not dig those posts out by hand. You have two options that save your spine:

• The Lever Method: If you need the concrete gone (because you plan to plant exactly there), rent a Farm Jack or build a lever. Wrap a chain around the post base, put a spare cinder block next to it as a fulcrum, and use a long 4x4 beam to pop the plug vertically out of the ground. Gravity is free; use it.
• The Cut-and-Cover: If you aren't planting a tree in that exact spot, just cut the wood post off 6 inches below the soil line and bury the concrete. The worms don't care, and you save hours of labor.

2. The Hardscape Foundation

Reusing your existing pavers is a smart budget move, but you cannot just lay them on the dirt. If you put a heavy pizza oven on pavers sitting on soft soil, it will tilt like the Tower of Pisa after one heavy rain. You need to excavate down, install 4-6 inches of crusher run (compacted gravel), and then a layer of sand. This is the difference between a patio that lasts 20 years and one that becomes a trip hazard in six months. For a deeper dive on why this matters, read about building a base that won't wash away.

3. Save the 'Acoma'

That Crepe Myrtle is your best asset. It provides scale and eventually shade. However, when you are leveling the ground after removing that fence, do not bury the trunk. The point where the trunk widens into roots (the root flare) must remain visible. If you pile even 3 inches of dirt against the bark, it will rot, and your nice tree will be dead in three years. See our guide on buried trunks and grading issues to understand why this is critical.

4. Rethink the Lawn

I know you want grass, but in a space this small with a growing shade tree, turf is often a mistake. It requires a mower, water, and fertilizer, and it will likely struggle in the shade of the Myrtle and fences. Consider high-quality artificial turf (if you just want the look) or, even better, a shade-tolerant ground cover like Mondo Grass or creeping thyme between steppers. This gives you the "green" without the maintenance nightmare.

Visualizing the Result

In a yard this size, inches matter. If your pizza oven is 24 inches deep, do you have enough clearance to open the door without backing into the herb garden? This is where GardenDream becomes your safety net.

Before you rent the jackhammer, upload your photo to GardenDream. You can digitally place the pizza oven, the pavers, and the planting beds to see if the flow works. It allows you to spot "pinch points"—areas where movement gets blocked—before you spend a dime on materials. It transforms a guessing game into a solid plan.

If you want to spot hidden opportunities in your own yard, upload a photo to get an instant diagnosis and visualize the transformation using our Exterior Design App.