Dear giant pit of mud right off the steps of my deck, I will not miss you one single solitary bit. Our backyard just got a massive makeover and we are spending more time out here than ever before.

Before

Well actually before.. we worked on expanding the deck while I was pregnant and moving the stair placement to centered.

Rough Sketch / Goal

Step 1: Build a shed

Probably our least favorite project to date but now that it’s done I’m glad we did it. It was a LONG process, especially with a 6 month old baby but we finished this entire project in time for her first birthday to explain how long this took us in our spare time.

We chose to place it closely to the house for convenience but also to create the feeling that it is an extension of the home. We’ll be adding a pergola / trellis to connect it completely but this felt the best way to make it feel intentional and create a “hallway” feeling walking into our back patio. I approach outside projects the same way I do interiors and try to view them as sections / rooms.

My poor husband. He would never say it out loud but I know he was cussing me for picking a roof so steep haha. I know it might seem silly, but little details like this really make a big difference in the design and overall aesthetic. It instantly adds that “old” cottage feel, rather than some prefab shed from a big box store. It also added so much overhead storage, so all in all worth it (I think.. Bob might answer differently.)

Step 2: Patio

In order to get Bobby on board with the pea gravel we researched and researched ways to make it more stable. He was worried about putting furniture, grills, etc on it and it moving too much. We landed on this gridding from Core Landscaping and it works so well. It’s so easy to install and even cut around rounded edges; and as for stablity - Bobby drives his tractor over it and the gravel doesn’t budge (so yes we really love it).

It’s definitely not “done” but we met our goal of completing this phase in time for our daughters first birthday and man what a long way we came from the original.