And for trading off some kitchen space, we got a bigger yard then the one we lost in our former home that's fenced with beautiful trees whose leaves I can rake in the fall.
I admit it..I'm a yard work geek. I love it and we are all looking forward to having the trampoline in the backyard again and fenced space for the dog to chase all sorts of small animals that invade her territory.
The yards not shabby here..it's a large shared piece of land and more rural, but we really miss having our own space and a deck. And we get all that back, with actually more square footage overall in the house too and no connecting walls(so thankful for that with an autistic son who can have fits at times).