We have GRASS!!

The only thing left to finish was the front yard - or as we liked to call it, the giant patch of dirt.  But that all changed this week when we had new sod installed in the front yard and the easement.  We now have a lush front yard of soft Zoysia sod, and a thick easement of Bahia sod!  Check it out!!

The Finished Product!

The backyard is DONE!!!  Here are some pictures of the finished product :)

 

We finished landscaping the back bed and filled it with cypress mulch.  Dan built two more long benches which are portable so we can move them around to anywhere on the deck.

 

 

We purchased a couple more chairs for the firepit area

 

 

And the arbor has new lighting that illuminates the yard at night.

 

Finishing Touches!

Wow, so much progress in only a few weeks, I have A LOT of photos to post...

Dan worked long and hard to create this incredible arbor for the deck, and it turned out amazing!  And David helped with a lot of the heavy lifting - he's been getting his work outs during the landscaping renovations for sure!

 

 

 

 

Next it was time to move the two Queen Palm trees to their new homes at the corners of the deck...

 

Then we leveled out the side of the back yard (AGAIN), laid landscaping fabric, and created a stone paver pattern.  We filled the open space with crushed salt & pepper marble.

 

 

Dan built us some amazing benches with the leftover wood from the deck; perfect for extra seating for all of the parties we like to have!

 

 

 

Then we had a few final details, like this new house bib! (yay)...

 

 

And this awesome old whiskey barrel we are turning into a table near the firepit seating...

 

 

Plus this new vintage-style porch light...

 

 

And these new front path lights...

 

 

It's all coming together!!  We are working on getting the sod for the front yard in the coming weeks.  And soon we will be unveiling the new yard to our friends in a Backyard BBQ & Beer Tasting!

 

The landscaping project continues...

Lots of progress recently despite all the rain!  Dan finished our deck and it looks awesome, and huge!!  Starting on the arbor now...

We began transplanting some of the plants from the front flower bed to other areas of the yard to create little patches of color.  First I pulled out the Ty plants and put them under the grapefruit tree.  We finished the area by putting a protective cover of landscaping fabric ($10 for 150ft = about 16 feet used here), a plastic edging surrounding the bed ($20 for 20ft), and a layer of pine mulch (3 bags at $1.30/each).  Looks pretty good for appx. $25!!

We also transplanted some of the tall lily grass around the corner of the yard as a little wall to mask the fire hydrant.  $0 cost to transplant these from the flower bed.

Next we planted some gold duranta along the front of the house = only $6 each at Home Depot (normally $10)!!  We'll added the protective cover of landscaping fabric and will edge and mulch next, but the rain interrupted our work today.

 

 

I purchased two clay pedastol pots from Olde Time Pottery to go at the end of our sidewalk.  We filled them with the transplanted purple shield that used to be around our great oak tree, and also threw in some wild elephant ear and groundcover we found growing by the tree as well.  We had one extra lily grass plant that we split between the two pots.  Looks pretty good.  The pots were only $25/each so not a bad investment for these statement pieces.  Next we will fill the ground around the base of the pots with natural pebbles and rocks and then use edging around the area.

 

Landscaping the Back Yard

We have decided it's time to revamp the back yard.  Considering all the social gatherings we like to host, it's time we have some great outdoor space!  Our landscaping-guru friend Friedel has helped us come up with a very cool plan for the space, and after a few tweeks, we've begun the process!

Here's a little reminder of the yard's condition when we moved into the house:

Naturally, the chain link fence had to go!  We also decided to build a new, larger, deck.  But to save a little money, we pulled up all the boards of the existing deck which would be repurposed as supports for the new expanded deck.

(new fence)

(new extended deck starts to take form)

(making sure everything is level)

(hammering all the joist supports)

(starting to lay the top deck boards)

Besides the deck project, we needed to transform the side of the back yard which will become a stone patio.  This meant we had to pry up all of the square pavers in the current "fire pit" area.  Each weighs around 80 pounds!  Then we had to shovel-and-wheelbarrow loads of dirt that we dug out for the deck to now fill in this sunken part of the yard. 

(before picture: notice the sunken pavers)

(after picture: nice and level)

Next week we will add the pavers BACK into the side of the yard, then fill in with crushed granite to create the stone patio...  More to come!

The Final Reveal!!

We are all moved in and the house is SPECTACULAR!!  It is seriously more amazing than I imagined and I love it!  I am forever indebted to everyone who helped make this dream a reality.  A special big thank you to my Mom and Dan who put their blood, sweat and tears into this place, literally!! :)

Here's the final product, sprinkled in with some before pictures so you can really appreciate the transformation...

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Hall Before

Hall After

Office Before

Office After

Guestroom Before

Guestroom After

Hall Bath Before

Hall Bath After

Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom After

Master Bathroom Before

Master Bathroom After