Project backyard…yard fixin’s

The backyard is coming along nicely. I am in LOVE with our new space and I am LOVING that kids don’t spend hours inside! On weekends, they are up and begging to swim by 8:30am!

It is NO where NEAR done but what a difference in our family life! We have a lot of work to do but we are doing it at our pace. It’s not a snail’s pace, but until I’m done with school…we don’t have an endless supply of money to go on these shopping sprees.

We have some major things that need work – and really – we can’t have any type of party until we fix some of these issues.

The first order of business in the yard was the grass. With all the machines coming in and out every day for 4 weeks…we lost a lot of grass. That meant a lot of dirt and sand surrounded the pool. It made vacuuming the pool a twice a day adventure, thankfully, both girls enjoyed helping with that!

This past Friday, we received our FIRST delivery of sod. Personal side note: I’m in the wrong business. These people wanted $350 PER PALLET to install the sod. You lay it down and unroll it….really $350???? NOPE! That meant more elbow grease for the grown-ups. Of course, it was the week that the oldest (male) child was on vacation!! So it was me and Kris! Thankfully, it was not too horrible and we did have a friend come help. (I’m really grateful for this person’s help because I was fading toward the end! He came in and provided the muscle that I no longer had!)

The second fix was where to put the grill equipment – it was in the way just about everywhere it went.

But like every project lately – there is more than one reason to do it!

Another project was what to do with the existing patio or screened in porch. Kris took down the screens and it made a WORLD of difference. It was a much more inviting space. Honestly, it feels like the next room in the house now. Crazy how screens can make us feel.

When we were looking at the patio and a pool deck, it was a world wind of possibilities. We both had ideas in our head….guess what? Neither of them came true. When I finished the teak furniture, we decided it belonged right there. A lounge area. That meant we went back to the drawing board for outdoor eating and cooking space.

When we built the house (5 years ago – WOW – that seems so long), we had the builder open a gas line to the outside. The idea was we would put an outdoor kitchen in one day. This actually helped us decide where to go next. Since it was the perfect place, half the equipment was already there, and we had a dirt mound for a yard….let’s add the concrete pad for the kitchen now!

We added the concrete slab next to the existing one. And moved all the outdoor cooking necessities out there! I have to tell you, my grill master husband was like a little kid that day. Cleaning off all his toys, putting them in their rightful places, and covering them with the special covers he bought. We have a lot more work to do but we are enjoying this for now!

So now we have our lounging area, cooking area, and swimming area. We are almost ready for a party….just need an eating area. Maybe a bar? Some chairs? I could go on…..but that money thing….jeesh!

2 projects down – 100’s more to go!

Stay tuned for the next adventure in our backyard project!

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