Finishing Touches...For Now.

While still basking in our post-patio installation glow, the hubby and I realized there were a couple things that needed to be accomplished ASAP to give the area a more completed look.

The first thing was small, but annoying.  We had cable wires, splitters and telephone lines that were stapled to our siding, starting from the front of the garage and going all the way around the house to the fireplace.  It was never a cute look, but it also wasn’t super obvious because, well, the rest of our backyard was in such disarray that you didn’t have time to notice it. ;)  That all changed when our awesome patio was finished.  When you looked at the area, you couldn't help but notice the now-staring-you-in-the-face-eyesore…and so it was ripped down ASAP. 

The hubby and my dad took care of removing the wires and staples, and with a little touch up paint, it was like they were never there.  {We never used the old cable and telephone lines.  Instead of traditional cable and phone service, we had Verizon come and install Fios, so we knew it was a-okay to tear down the old lines.}

The second thing was a much bigger deal than just a few wires, although it was crossed off the list on the same day…building a new, NON-rotting, set of steps to access the backyard from our screened-in porch.  Our patio guy scheduled some of his workers, who are also carpenters, to come by and put together something much more safe and substantial.  The project took quite a few hours and it was well worth it when we saw the finished product.  {The stairs have been sanded and stained since these pics…update coming soon!}

And finally, the last thing that really transformed the area into a done-deal was when hubby and his dad spent an entire day putting lattice up on the bottom of our porch.  It was a heck of a project, but the results are 100% worth it.  Hubby even took it a step further by painting the wood strips used to secure the lattice and he continued our mulch and flagstone path that wraps around the fireplace side of our house.  I used to despise that area, and now it’s one of my favorites!!

Of course, just because we crossed all of the above off our list doesn’t mean these spaces are anywhere near complete.  We still need to grow grass in the backyard…and the hubs is working diligently at it.  He’s done a great job, going in small sections.  Raking…seeding…raking…watering…watering…watering…watering.  So far, we’ve been pretty successful!  Grass is popping up in the two areas he started on.  He just did area #3 yesterday, and we are keeping our fingers crossed it takes like the first two did.

Both the screened-in porch and patio need to be “decorated” too.  This is definitely not in the budget this year, and quite honestly, it might not be in the budget for a few years.  Outdoor furniture is crazy expensive, and so we are using what we’ve got!  My parents found an amazing end-of-season deal on some chairs from Lowe’s last year, and purchased 6 for us {the green and white ones in the pictures}.  Then they found 3 great little side tables from Walmart this year {little oil-rubbed bronze ones in the porch}.  I found a sweet deal on two zero gravity lounge chairs {from The Foundary} and purchased those to lay in the sun {the dark chairs in the porch}.  And best of all, I got a dining table and 5 chairs from my boss, for FREE, because his family was putting their old set to the curb.  Oh, and the previous owners happened to leave an old lounge chair at the house when they moved out. {Both of those things are sitting on our patio in the pictures.}

Does any of this furniture match?  No.  Is every piece what we’d “want”?  Not necessarily.  But is it all functional and does it give us the ability to enjoy the awesome space we have?  Yes!!  And that is what matters.  We are so blessed to even have what we have...and that includes our new outdoor space that has become a favorite hangout space for us.

Don’t get me wrong…knowing our budget is nonexistent doesn’t stop me from daydreaming about the furniture I’d like one day, or how I might spray paint some pieces to match, or what type of stripe or stencil would look perfect on the porch floor, or how we mightttt be able to stretch our budget to purchase the lights we want to hang from our porch ceiling.  It’s so much fun to dream and get the creative mind going, but it never distracts me from recognizing just how lucky we are to have what we have, and who we have, and to be right where we are. :)