The past month or so my husband and I have been busy getting our backyard ready for summer. Besides gardening and the usual cleanup, we seriously improved the space with a few projects that were long overdue. Now that we got everything checked off the list, we can finally enjoy the summer and relax. Something we are not used to. Lets just say I am very excited.

The first project on the list was to make the area where our garbage cans sit a little nicer to look at. At the time it was just dirt and I hated how it looked. On top of that, when it rained it was muddy and not fun to walk on. So, I thought of a simple solution. With the help of Craigslist, I found someone about 30 minutes away that was getting rid of tons of pebbles and stones on their property for free. You bet Dan and I were there that weekend shoveling as much as we could get our hands on. Once we got home, we sectioned off that side of the house and filled it with all our free goods. Much, much better!

The second project was to create a stone path from the side fence to the back patio. We bought the stones from Lowes and some white pebbles to fill in the spaces. Then, just grass seed to finally bring some green to the space. I was very happy with the result. Especially, after the grass was all grown.

After that was checked off the list, we had to tackle the fence situation. Our neighbors to the right is a nursery, which is awesome. But there is an ugly chain link fence in between us that allows no privacy at all. Since we don’t have the funds to have a new fence installed professionally, we chose to put up lattice. I saw this somewhere and thought it looked really good so we tried it and love the results. And with the overgrowth we have from the trees, it looks even better! We do plan to stain it to match the fence but whenever we get around to it is fine with me.

I also had a little project of my own, which my mother helped me with. Along the fence, its so hard to plant anything because the roots from the trees are crazy. So I used 3 old crates as planter boxes and created a small garden by the fence with hydrangeas and hostas. I thought it came out really cute.

The next big project was all done Memorial Day weekend, thanks to my husband. I wanted to create a small side patio with the same stones from the path so we have another seating area. To do this, he had to break up all the old cement that was there, which was a job all in itself. After he was done, we laid down 16 inch stones and filled in the spaces with the same white rocks. Then, laid down grass seed. The grass isn’t fully grown yet, but what a little space its turning out to be. I been looking at water fountains for sale online and visualizing what it would bring to our yard.

Then, it was finally time to conquer our back patio. We had planned to build a deck but after thinking about it more we decided to just resurface the concrete as best we can to save some money. It was a difference of $750 and a lot of work on our part since we were going to do it ourselves. This plan seemed better for us at the moment. So for $250 we bought all the supplies and concrete we needed, along with the stain to paint it with, and got to work. Although its not perfect, I have to say it came out pretty good considering I did all of it by hand. My husband mixed and poured, while I did the spreading. It was hard work but it got done. And what an improvement!

I also gave our back porch a makeover to freshen it up a bit. I stained the stairs to match the new color of the patio, painted the rails a nice black to pop, and added some art and plants to bring some style to the space. I also made a quick skirt with leftover fabric to hang under my potting bench so no one can see all the not so pretty stuff underneath. I am currently looking for a few more items but I am loving it so far. We are also hoping to purchase a new back door this summer, which will really add a nice touch.

And as far as the garden, it is doing the best it has ever been. Peonies are blooming, the bushes are full of flowers, the hydrangeas are growing super fast, and the rose bushes are showing their beauty with glee. I planted a few new things but everything that was already there is growing full force and smiling under the sun.

We are loving our backyard even more now. All our hard work has paid off for sure and we are so excited to share this peaceful space with our family and friends this summer. DIY all the way!