The Yard
Our house had been sitting vacant for a few months before we took possession, and the yards were overgrown. This was the obvious starting point for our home projects, and while there is still a lot of work to be done, the transformation is already incredible.
The Backyard
Our neighbours had been staring at a 3-foot tall sea of weeds in our backyard all summer, so it was important to us that we clear that out for their sake and ours. The transformation happened over a weekend, and we’d thankfully had a lot of rain in the week prior. Weeds, as abundant as they were, weren’t too reluctant to come out of the ground. We filled probably 12 yard bags with weeds from the backyard alone, but things are looking a lot better back there. We’ve since removed the (extremely sketchy) picnic table and discovered a set of solid concrete steps under the existing back porch. Currently, we’re just continuing to maintain but have big plans (You can find them at the bottom of this post).
The Front Yard
The front yard didn’t look as bad as the back - just an overgrown Japanese Maple and some grass that needed mowing. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to discover that a previous owner had inexplicably laid down a sheet of black garbage bags before pouring soil and grass seed on top. I’m not sure that there was a good way to do it, but their way was definitely not it; We tried to mow the grass, hoping to not have to overhaul the front yard ASAP, but the ground was so uneven that we wound up catching the garbage bags and making the situation worse. In the end, we did the most and pulled up the grass in our front yard to begin work on a garden that wouldn’t need to be mowed at all.
We uncovered a number of garden stones while pulling up the layers of grass, soil, and garbage bags, which we used to frame an area where most of our plants will live. We’re focusing mostly on hostas, ferns, grasses, and incorporating some ground cover and flowering bushes, too. Everything is looking small in these photos, but we’ve since added a few more hostas and three Annabelle hydrangeas. We’re hoping that the garden sees a lot of new growth next Spring.
The To-Do List
The number of things to do at the house seems to be getting bigger every day (whoops!), and many of the outdoor “facelift” items will fall to Mike and I… so, here’s what we plan to do, and make absolutely no promises on timeline:
☑️ Replace the Front Steps and Railing
☑️ Strip Paint from the Front Porch and Repaint/Stain
We’ll see what’s under the paint once we start this process. I would absolutely love to have the ceiling in the porch be stained wood, but think that we are likely to start stripping it, find out it takes way way way too long, and then just add a fresh coat of paint.
☑️ Install a Mailbox on a Post
To prevent our dog from hearing the mail carrier drop the post off, and consequentially lose his mind.
☑️ Make Storm Windows and Screens for the Front Windows
The whole house has aluminum storms, which function well but are ugly and not in keeping with the style of the home. Wish me luck. This one is a bit crazy for a DIY, I know, but I am going to give it a shot and we’ll see how it goes.
☑️ Tear Down the Covered Porch Structure at Back of House
I can’t imagine that it was constructed to satisfy building code - it is sketchy, doesn’t have enough head room for anyone taller than 6’, and reduces back yard privacy because it’s raised up off the ground. Instead, we’ll…
☑️ Add Pergola, Stone Patio in Backyard
☑️ New Fence in Backyard
☑️ New Shed in Backyard