"New" Patio Light

Back in the beginning of summer one of the garage lights got hit with a basketball and needed a replacement shade.  Rather than purchasing a new shade,  I bought a new set so I could replace my dinky patio light with the remaining intact light.

If you remember this was my current patio light.

And here is my "new" light.  Before installing I applied a light coat of satin black exterior paint for a fresh new look.

Here is the before and after!

I love that the light is more substantial and compliments our new outdoor space!

Patio Reveal

The patio is finished!  Matt worked super hard to get this project finished so we could enjoy our new space this summer.  The kids and I usually eat lunch every day at the newly painted picnic table and we are really loving the new umbrella!  I picked up the candle centerpiece at Kohls for $2.66 (it was on sale and I used some Kohl's Cash).  We already had a little accident and broke four of the candle holders. Luckily, Hobby Lobby sells similar replacements for .99.  Yes, I spent more on replacements than the whole thing!  These are totally staged pictures! I threw the pink lawn mower, hula hoops, and purple princess bouncy ball out in the yard and the two other stacking chairs that we own. Speaking of chairs,  I love these chairs from Target  We picked up the first two three years ago and they have withstood the Indiana weather unprotected, so when they went on sale I grabbed two more.  I like them because they are easy to stack, take up little space, and do not need replacement cushions that cost a fortune!  I do not have a total cost on the patio yet, but we did save money by buying all the laying materials in bulk, and we borrowed a neighbor's truck.  That was a back saver! Matt was able to drive the truck into the back yard to unload the multiple loads of base and sand.  We made a slight adjustment to the original layout to avoid cutting.  This resulted in a jut out for the fire bowl off centered as opposed to the original centered plan.   This works to our advantage for the picnic table, which is a beast at six feet by five feet. Overall, we are loving the new space and additional square footage! 

And, Matt's new grill!  Happy Father's Day!

And just a reminder with what we started with three years ago:

Picnic Table Makeover & Patio Update

Matt built a picnic table back in 2011.  It has been a great addition to our back yard and even though we re-stained it in 2012 it was showing a lot of wear from our Indiana weather.  We love this table and it works well with our family so we decided to spruce it up with some paint rather than stain.  

I was inspired by these pretty picnic tables!

Sources:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

We followed our usual steps:  clean, sand, prime, and paint, but this time I had some help!

I chose a rich brown color and applied two coats.  Matt made a hole in the center for an umbrella that is arriving any day!  

The patio is coming along!  Here is what it looked like after Matt used a sod cutter to remove a four inch layer of grass and dirt.  That stuff is HEAVY!  

Here is the first layer of paver base.  Can you visualize the addition a bit better than my toy markings?

Patio Planning

I love Spring and it gets me in the mood to spruce up the outdoors. One of my home goals was to expand the patio area and create an outdoor space that we could enjoy for three seasons, although here in Indiana it sometime feels as though we only have two seasons.  We have a 10x12 slab and wanted to add an addition like this:

Here is my crude mock up.  Originally I wanted a fire pit that was made out of pavers, but that is out of the budget right now.  We may add it in the future.  This is to scale, one square equals one square foot. 

I wanted to see how the drawing would translate in real life so I did this outside.  I am so glad that my kids have enough toys to use as markers (read in sarcastic tone).  I am sure that they neighbors think that I am nuts!  

After I figured out the layout I calculated how many pavers we needed and added an extra 10% just in case.  You are looking are 630 pavers.  Wyatt was confused why the workers did not lay the patio.  He does not know that he is one of the "workers"!  Hopefully we will get this started soon so we can enjoy the extra space.

Patio Light Before and After

Last week I removed this weather worn light fixture on the back of our house and gave it a makeover. Since I tackled the porch light I decided I could save some dough and paint this one and

Last week I removed this weather worn light fixture on the back of our house and gave it a makeover. Since I tackled the porch light. I decided I could save some dough and paint this one. I already had the paint so this project was practically free! I did this on my own including removing and installing the fixture.  I was just a little proud, can't you tell?  I also replaced the light bulb with a CFL bulb.  That is an improvement in itself!