Backyard Living

One of the best things about our home is our awesome neighborhood and yard. Our backyard is big and we back up to a large 3 acre lot owned by the water district. So we have our own little field to play in which is awesome! Unfortunately, the only way to access our great backyard was through the back door which was through the garage. Not exactly convenient. The house also had a quaint back patio with a nice rock wall in the shade. Before Collin was here Joe and I enjoyed sitting back there with the chiminea and having some cocktails, and we always dreamed of a nice big deck or patio off of the kitchen. Well – our dreams came true in the fall of 08.

Here is the view from the backyard before the door. Existing patio and back door on the right.

The work:

My dad gave us a sliding door when we moved in that was leftover from a house he had built and it has sat in the garage for ages. One day while I was toiling away working at a conference our dads , Joe, and Joe’s uncle tore out the big window and replaced it with the sliding door! A few months after this we had a large patio poured just in time for Collin’s first birthday party. This large 16x20 patio has become an outdoor living space for us. It’s awesome to have the patio right off of our kitchen where we can easily bring dinner outside or have our morning coffee while Collin plays outside. A great addition to our home!

This photo is mid-way through the process. Joe had yet to build the step or trim out the door. We also hadn’t arranged any furniture or landscaped:

Here we are with the patio as it is now. The Adirondack chairs have become my favorite place to sit. Joe and his dad, Tim, added two porch lights and an outdoor outlet so that we can plug in our ourdoor fridge or radio. A sound system is on the wish list!

We have a sidewalk that joins the old patio and new patio.

And here is Collin's favorite area!

Joe's aunt and uncle gave us their playground once their kids outgrew it. We put a fresh coat of stain on it and I made new fabric canopies for the little towers using some outdoor fabric from Joanns. Pretty cute!