Backyard & Patio Updates!

Things have been fast and furious at the new house over the last few months that we’ve lived here.  We’re pretty much unpacked, but we still have some pictures to hang. Today, I’m going to show you some backyard and patio updates that we completed right away after moving in.

The Backyard & Patio Before

Our entire lot was a mess. It had been neglected for a very long time.  

When we moved in (March), it looked like this:

From overgrown vines on the iron fence, yard debris from the December Ice Storm, weeds and poison ivy in the yard, nasty pool, it was just bad.  I’m pretty sure no one had done any actual pruning or maintenance to the yard (or pool) in years.  Maybe over a decade.  The pool deck flowerbeds were lined/topped in bricks – like mulch – either to extend the deck or as weed control, because the bricks surrounded bushes on all sides.  Like right up to the base of the shrub.  It was strange, to say the least.

Pool Safety Fence

One of the patio updates we did right when we got the keys in February – before we moved in – we had the mesh pool fence installed. We had this company install a similar pool fence at our old home, and we really liked it. This time, we went with a gate for ease of use.

Yard Clean Up

The best Housewarming Gift that we received was my Dad hiring his yard clearing crew to come help us clear all of the debris and remove the vines and bushes!  It was so awesome!  There were about 7 guys here for 6 hours.  Doug rented a 12′ trailer to attach to his pickup truck, and they made 3 trips to the dump (to compost/turn into mulch) with that thing!  Plus, there were about 15 lawn & leaf bags for the City to pick up for composting.  It was nuts!  That would have taken us about a year to finish.

The crew also stacked up the bricks for me (you can see my stacks on the left that alternate sides, and their stack on the right with all of the bricks facing the same way.  That’s a ton of bricks!), and I sold those on Craigslist for about $350!  Sweet!  

There were some limestones and flagstone pavers that I’ve set aside for other projects, and we found 4 cinder blocks that we reused in the master bathroom shower for the new bench.  I’m trying to avoid taking stuff to the dump, by selling, donating, or reusing as much as possible.

New Landscaping

The crew only cleared the land for us, so in March, things started trying to grow back.  Doug and I started hand-tilling the ground around the pool and regrading.  I planted a few Elephant Ear bulbs that I got on sale at a local nursery, and we picked up some drought-tolerant and native plants like lantana, red yucca, liriopie, pentas, and vincas. 

Eventually, we’d like to extend the patio cover, redo and extend the pool deck, and maybe build a fireplace. So we don’t want to spend too much on landscaping that will be temporary, but we want it to look nice in the meantime for Phase 1.

Backyard & Patio Updates – Phase 1

So, here’s what it looks like after 3 months of living here!

Pool Remodel

We had the pool resurfaced & retiled, repaired, and a bunch of equipment replaced.  (That’s a lot of re’s!)  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen the progress in real time.  Check out this post for the details on the pool remodel project. 

Patio Decor

All of the Patio Furniture was stuff we already owned.  Its Hanamint, and while it’s not exactly my taste anymore (we’ve had it for 12 years, and it was really expensive), it will do for now.  Some of the patio updates we did decor-wise include an umbrella, stand and 3 outdoor poufs from Target that I found on sale earlier this summer. The new blue pots we got at HomeGoods.  I also picked up two Toucan Floral Doormats from World Market, which you can see a little further down the page.

I’m still looking for a few things (hose basket, thermometer/clock, lights, side table/colorful stool of the lounge chairs), but the yard is pretty nice for now.  We figured out how to hook up the existing patio speakers (there was a split/broken wire) to an old stereo, so we’ve been spending a ton of time out here.

The Backyard

In the back part of the back yard, we need to get the retaining wall fixed, since it wasn’t built with an expansion joint.  Over the years, the wall has made it’s own expansion joints.  It doesn’t look very good.  The fence is trash.  It’s rusted and rotted through.  The gates don’t have latches.  It’s just bad.  

We’d love to take it down (scrap it) and install one around the whole yard back to the creek.  We feel like having it up by the pool makes the yard feel separated and tight  Our lot is (incorrectly) zoned in a flood plane, so we can’t put a fence by the creek until we get out of the flood plane.  There are also other zoning issues with the fence that we need to research before we can move it.

Eventually, we’d like to get some grass in the back. We’re fighting the Poison Ivy and trying to clear the area.  We had the large trees pruned, so it’s getting some sun. We’re under Stage 3 Water Restrictions, and we’re not allowed to re-sod.  That’s not stopping some of our neighbors, though, but we’re going to wait and see what happens next year. We resodded the grass in 2015.

There is some St. Augustine back there already, and it’s spreading, but it won’t spread fast enough.  It would be nice to get a “free” yard back there!  I keep telling Doug to get some fertilizer and feed it!  LOL!  Just in the last two weeks, I think there’s more grass there than what’s shown in this picture.  We also have no sprinklers on that part of the yard, so we’d have to get that installed as well. We did that in 2015 too.

Shade Garden Area

There’s a little area off the Office Window, near the pool equipment, that currently has pea gravel everywhere.  I’m eventually planning some sort of raised bed and foot path with the old flagstone, a pretty walkway, and maybe some grass.  That’s probably a next year project.  We do want to remove the little gate and fence that separates this area from the pool, so we’ll probably DIY that when the weather cools off.

More Backyard & Patio Update Photos

Here are some more Backyard & Patio Updates – After Photos!

The Patio Updates Budget

We’ve done so many patio updates, and there’s still a ton to do, but it looks so much better!  Not including the cost of the pool work, we probably spent a few hundred dollars on plants and various decor.  I think we spent about $500 on plants, and $100 on an extra dump trip to get rid of yard debris (we get 2 free trips per month), but then I sold all of those bricks for $350.  

The stuff I bought at HomeGoods, World Market, and Target probably cost about $150 total (umbrella, stand 3 poufs, 2 pots and 2 door mats).  We saved a ton of money by doing the tilling/planting and some of the repairs ourselves.  It took us several weekends to accomplish.  Oh, and the $500 or so for tree pruning.  That’s how much it costs to prune your trees (& remove a 20 ft stump) when you haven’t trimmed your trees…ever.

What’s Left To Do

So the backyard is pretty much done for now, or at least the first makeover is.  Here’s what’s done and what’s left for the next (and final) makeover:

• Pool Resurface and Repair
• Remove Overgrown Landscaping & Bricks in Backyard
• Plant New Landscaping in Back Yard
• Trim Trees
• Remove Poison Ivy
• Fix Retaining Wall – completed 2016
• Re-Sod Yard – Completed 2015, but we probably should do the backyard again. :/
• Install Sprinklers in Back – completed 2016
• Remove Small Gate & Fence Leading to the Pool Equipment – completed 2016
• New Fence – completed 2016
• Walkway in Side Yard – completed 2016
• New Raised Bed by Guest Room Window – completed 2016
• Extend Pool Deck
• Build Fireplace
• New/Additional Patio Furniture/Cushions?
• Extend Patio Cover
• Ceiling Fans? Outdoor TV?
• New Light Fixtures – Completed 2018
• Paint Trim & Doors – Doors painted 2019
• Veggie Garden – Completed 2015
• Storage?

That’s a long list of backyard & patio updates left to do, and it’s a total dream list, but we can do it a little at a time.  There’s nothing on that list that’s pressing or that will be done this year, except maybe free things that we can DIY.  Like removing the little gate.  Everything else is a want and not a need.  The stuff that we did do looks like just a few items, but they made a HUGE impact!

What do you think?  I guess after seeing these “after” photos, you now realize why it’s taken me so long to do new House Remodel Posts!  Haha!  We’ve been spending a lot of time relaxing/swimming/drinking/fighting mosquitos in the back yard!

Do you have any ideas for the yard or patio updates that we could incorporate?  I’m always looking for suggestions!  I’m sort of undecided about a lot of future things at the moment.  Have you ever done a total yard makeover?  What is your dream backyard?  Tell us about in the comments!

Check out all of the Stacy’s Savings Total Home Makeover posts here!