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Young House Love » Our Second House » Outdoor Updates & A Tour

| By Sherry Petersik | May 24, 2011 | 154 Comments

Outdoor Updates & A Tour

Ok, so lots of people (me included) found this original exterior tour of our yard a bit hard to follow. Our first house was nice and simple. We could describe the back and the front and the sides and call it a day with this ol’ post of yore, which even included this little sketch:

Young House Love Exterior L

But this house is just waaay more complicated. Even though both lots are about the same size (almost an acre) this one is a lot less long and narrow than the last one. It’s more fat and square-ish. And it has a lot more quirks like this little alley between the original part of the house and the addition in the back (more on that here)…

Alley Pic1

There are also areas that don’t look like our property (like this slice of land on the left, which looks like it’s outside the bounds of our house but is actually ours)…

Outdoor New Side Pic

… and little brick paths that meander around the back and side yards…

Outside Backyard Wide 1

So in an attempt to make sense of it all (or confuse everyone more, you decide) I did my best little sketch of our lot for you (and then scanned it and had fun coloring it in with Photoshop). Oh and obviously it’s not to the same scale as the first sketch since this house looks ten times bigger. Oops.

Sketch Of Lot

And we thought that the be-all-end-all explanation would be this video that will hopefully help you grasp the whole flow of our lot’s mojo (which is work-friendly if you play it on mute- but also funny not on mute thanks to some very excited birds in the background):

And on the subject of our backyard, dude it has CHANGED (!!!) in the last few months. We’ve loved watching it green up and were so surprised that the back portion of the lot which looked very very brown when we moved in…

Outside Wild Backyard

… now looks oh so green and lush and a lot more private thanks to lots of trees and grasses filling in. Not all the way, but we’ll take it:

Outdoor New Back Pic

We still have to plant some fast growing evergreens in some strategic spots to add to the privacy-factor (since this house not only has a house on each side of it, but one that can be seen from the back) but it’s already feeling a lot less exposed now that lots and lots (and lots) of trees have greened up and created some pretty great leafy screens between us and the outside world. We definitely have a lot to do out there, but just like our last house, we’re planning to take our time and see where we end up. Should be fun in that dirt-under-the-nails kind of sore-but-satisfied way.

Have you guys been up to any outdoor stuff? Any dream outdoor features that you’d love to add someday? Mine would be a deck for outdoor dining and some sort of elaborate tree house for the bean. Someday…

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Filed Under: Our Second House, Outside, Videos

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Comments

  1. peg says

    May 24, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    Thanks for doing the walking tour paired with the map. It helped so much!

    I have a question, and it may make me sound stupid as I’ve never lived in a suburban area: Why is your mailbox down by the side of your house and not up next to the road? Doesn’t the mailperson have to get out of his or her car and walk back there? Is this common?

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 5:22 pm

      Our mailbox is up by the street (not pictured in the video since it has our addy on it). Maybe you’re seeing a bird house or something on the side or in the back? The old owners left some of those around (we actually get some amazing birds- which you could hear in that video- haha).

      xo,
      s

    • Lindsay says

      May 24, 2011 at 7:26 pm

      I think maybe she was thinking the tank shown behind the fence at 2:29 in the video was the mailbox??? I thought so too for a second when I was watching! Hahahaha

    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 8:39 pm

      John thought so too! Funny. Just our oil tank and air conditioner back there. Haha. And some weeds!

      xo,
      s

    • peg says

      May 26, 2011 at 10:52 am

      …duh! its the oil tank.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 26, 2011 at 10:53 am

      Hoooray! Mystery solved!!!

      xo,
      s

  2. Karyn says

    May 24, 2011 at 5:08 pm

    Hi!! In all honesty and I know you guys are DIYers, but this may be a great opportunity to partner with HGTV and get Jamie Durie from Outdoor Room to make over your yard!! Best of luck.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 5:15 pm

      Haha, I think Jamie is a genius. But we’re kind of looking forward to taking our time and feeling our way through it. Sometimes I think makeovers that happen overnight aren’t as thought out as long term ones, and I’m a control freak like that so I like thinking things out forever. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  3. Ryan says

    May 24, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    Love the video tour. Property looks awesome.

    Reply
  4. Ellen says

    May 24, 2011 at 5:25 pm

    We’ve done a lot of work on our front yard since moving in – including removing vinca and adding grass and planting some flowers… (http://www.kellyandellen.org/house/front-lawn/) but our backyard, well, it’s scary. It’s jungle scary. Apparently a few owners ago the eccentric elderly lady who lived there had a collection of “found art” (i.e. junk) in the back yard.

    Here are a few pics from when we moved in: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lnboz/4057484257/in/set-72157622694434956 and http://www.flickr.com/photos/lnboz/4057484855/in/set-72157622694434956/ and it’s even worse right now since everything has grown up. Those pics were taken in November, when things were just about to die off for the winter.

    It’s going to take a lot of work to get our backyard looking respectable and able to use, but we’ve got grand plans…

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 5:28 pm

      I love that last sentence. I looked at those pictures and I squinted and I could picture something amazing. Cheers to grand plans!

      xo,
      s

  5. Heather W says

    May 24, 2011 at 5:35 pm

    Love the outside plan, so cute.

    This is totally off topic but today in a magazine I saw a homemade pinata that looked a lot like the one you made. It was yellow with the same “scallop” detail and then they glued bees on it to look like a beehive. Sooooo cute. I have seen how much you like bees. It would be very cute for a garden type party.

    =)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 5:41 pm

      Oh yes I loved that!! Already pinned it for next year’s party. Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • Sara says

      May 25, 2011 at 10:35 am

      I just saw that in my Country Living magazine that arrived yesterday. I instantly thought of you guys with your pinata making skills and love for bees!

  6. Michelle Kersey says

    May 24, 2011 at 6:49 pm

    Wow, that has greened up!!! We just put two “scoops” of rock under our second floor deck… it looks a million times better and only cost under $60.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 7:11 pm

      I love quick fixes like that! Although it might not have felt quick when you were moving all that rock. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  7. Victoria says

    May 24, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    Love the sketches! I invite you to know Itika Ámbar, it has the best of furniture and accessories.
    http://www.webshop.itikaambar.com.mx

    Reply
  8. Terry Bartel says

    May 24, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    That just looks like a tremendous amount of yard maintenance to me. But it is beautiful! Enjoy your new surroundings.

    Reply
  9. Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says

    May 24, 2011 at 7:39 pm

    WHOA! I had nooooo idea how big your back yard is! It’s so whimsical with all those meandering paths, woodsy areas, and set-back hammock!

    Reply
  10. Bethesda Locavore says

    May 24, 2011 at 8:42 pm

    LOVE the tour. I’m so jealous of all that space. I don’t know if you guys have looked into planting natives yet (saw the previous comment recommending NWF’s Backyard Habitat program – you guys could totally do that – and you get a cool sign for your yard!) but I highly recommend reading Doug Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home – makes you look at your suburban yard in a totally different way. And planting with wildlife in mind is soooo great for kids who learn SO much just from playing out there and observing.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 8:44 pm

      Thanks so much for the recommendation!

      xo,
      s

  11. Amanda says

    May 24, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    We are in the planning stages of a new front porch. It will be amazing, and I can’t wait! We are also in the saving money stage, which is building anticipation, but I am so not a patient person!

    Reply
  12. Carolyn says

    May 24, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    Ah-ha! Now I know how to pronounce liriope! I’m pretty sure I was calling it lilirope before. : )

    Reply
  13. Jamie B. says

    May 24, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    It’s really nice, there’s so much you could do with it, including leaving things “natural”, which I am a fan of, in spite of my next comment: my dad sold equipment for maintaining golf courses when I was young so as you can expect we had an immaculate lawn. I want to take an electric trimmer to all that grass growing over your nice brick pathways soooooo badly, haha!

    Reply
  14. Kath says

    May 24, 2011 at 10:24 pm

    Hi! I love, love, love your blog!! This is my first comment ever on any blog (I know, To shy to leave a comment?? Such a weirdo I am!!) We are in NJ and have been doing ALOT of work to our yard…garden, landscaping, flowerbeds etc..we also needed evergreens for privacy because our yard backs up to a commercial building…which the owners painted bright blue!! We talked to some landscapers and did some research and there are many, many types but I just wanted to tell you guys the two we heard the most and were said to be the best. The first one is called a Leyland Cypress, they are reasonable, hardy and are very very fast growing…2-4 ft a year!! The second one is the Green Giant Arborvitae, again reasonable priced, hardy and fast growing also. One landscaper said the Green Giant hold their natural conical shape much better then the Leyland, and without much pruning. Hope this helps!! You both inspire me so much!! Thanks!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 11:10 pm

      Thanks so much! We’ve heard a lot about the Leyland Cypress but nothing about the Green Giant Arborvitae! We’ll have to check those out!

      xo,
      s

  15. beth says

    May 24, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    My dog (a corgi) was really into the birds chirping through the living room while I was watching that video! She was growling up a storm and trying to figure out why she didn’t see any real birds out the window! So funny!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 11:08 pm

      Hilarious! For some reason Burger didn’t react at all. He’s usually such a bird lover hunter.

      xo,
      s

  16. karen says

    May 24, 2011 at 11:16 pm

    It must be tricky to cut your grass with the paths and lilirope. How long does it take you guys?

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 24, 2011 at 11:18 pm

      It’s a little tricky but John is the man. The monkey grass that grows around the paths only gets trimmed back once a year, so he just cuts the regular grass, which takes around half an hour and then uses the weed wacker to edge some pats of the yard where rock borders get in the way of mowing (maybe another 15 mins?). The last house had more grass so it took about an hour to mow so it kind of feels like an upgrade. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  17. Alanna says

    May 24, 2011 at 11:33 pm

    i always seem to be working on something outdoors! my big project for this season has been experimenting with mixed vegetable container gardens (http://alanna-wendt-to-tennessee.blogspot.com/2011/05/mary-mary-quite-contrary.html). a couple years ago though the hubby and i tackled our dream outdoor project… a pergola over our back patio. what a huge difference it made in the overall feel of the space. the patio went from unusable to a space we enjoy pretty much daily!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 25, 2011 at 12:12 am

      Wow- a pergola is on my dream list too! You’re a lucky woman to have one to enjoy!

      xo,
      s

    • Alanna says

      May 25, 2011 at 8:58 am

      here’s a link to the plans we used.

      http://www.handymanclub.com/projects/articletype/articleview/articleid/5026/categoryid/2352/how-to-build-a-pergola

      there’s also a list of materials and step-by-step photos at the bottom of the page. one word of caution though… the measurements in the instructions don’t match up exactly with the measurements on the materials list, but it’s fairly close. we just used these plans as a starting point and did our own thing. and we are super pleased with the results!

      http://alanna-wendt-to-tennessee.blogspot.com/2011/05/outdoor-living.html

    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:35 am

      Wow- thanks so much! Love it.

      xo,
      s

  18. Heather says

    May 25, 2011 at 1:18 am

    I almost didn’t watch the video, but I am so glad that I did. The map was all I need to understand the house spatially, but the video taught me how to say liriope properly. Who knew it doesn’t rhyme with soap?

    Reply
  19. Orla says

    May 25, 2011 at 3:48 am

    I would like dog proof raised beds. Every time I plant, he thinks that I have buried things for him and digs them up. We currently have a 3 food chicken wire fence around it which he can jump over so have had to add a rail just above that. it looks like an obstacle course.
    I would also like some sort of a bench to sit on on our patio area. I am thinking of building my own from salvage wood. Some time. love your new patio!

    Reply
  20. Tiffany says

    May 25, 2011 at 9:14 am

    I didn’t read through all of the comments… But you should create a fairy garden for Clara in the wooded area! With a playhouse! Pinterest has tons of idea for them!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:34 am

      I love that idea! I’ve already gone pin crazy when it comes to treehouses and playhouses and sandboxes! Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • Tiffany says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:54 pm

      I know, I love your pins!!! I have a 2 year old daughter and I am looking forward to putting together a container size fairy garden for her….

  21. Blair says

    May 25, 2011 at 9:17 am

    I can’t wait to see what you plan to do with that strange little almost alley way between the new and old sections of the house. I would not even know where to begin with that! Good Luck!

    ~Blair

    Reply
  22. Erin J says

    May 25, 2011 at 10:21 am

    Our whole yard slopes down slightly from the house, so our doors are all about 3′ from ground level. We have a covered front porch and a screen porch up on stilts above the back yard, but I really, really, really want a ground-level patio off the side of the house where our current (unusable) slider patio door leads to a fantastic 3′ dropoff.

    I also want to build an adventurous tree house in our patch of woods for our little guy!

    Reply
  23. Danielle says

    May 25, 2011 at 11:07 am

    As John panned across the left side of the yard, was that a Bat Box I saw? At 2:37-2:40. It’s behind a round bush.

    What are all those bushes? Azaleas?

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 25, 2011 at 11:29 am

      I think that’s a birdhouse (the old owners left a lot of them and we get the coolest birds). As for the bushes I think the majority of them are boxwoods but we also have some azaleas and even some hydrangeas next to the patio. Those are going to bloom soon and I’m literally standing here tapping my foot with anticipation. Don’t even know what color they’ll be!

      xo,
      s

  24. Briel K. says

    May 25, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    The little sketches you do of your houses are super cute.

    I loved hearing the birds chirping in the video. Your backyard looks like a lovely place to hang out!

    Reply
  25. Jim says

    May 26, 2011 at 10:01 am

    In case you didn’t know…that little wall on the left side of your house is called a ‘haha wall’

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 26, 2011 at 10:02 am

      Really?! I loooooove it!!

      xo,
      s

  26. Stephanie says

    May 26, 2011 at 6:41 pm

    I’m a bit late on commenting BECAUSE I’ve been up to outdoor stuff! Even though we’ve been in our house for 2 years now, I’m still not quite done getting our gardens under control and we only live on a quarter acre! I can’t even begin to imagine taking care of almost an acre. :-P

    Reply
  27. Alana in Canada says

    May 27, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    Have you seen the post “Life is like a box of chocolates” from the blog “For the Love of a House?” The author there has a U shaped area similar to yours and the way she has decided to landscape it may provide some inspiration for you and your U shaped area.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 27, 2011 at 4:41 pm

      Thanks so much for the suggestion! I’d love to check it out. Off to google it…

      xo,
      s

  28. Lisa says

    May 29, 2011 at 7:23 am

    I strongly suggest *not* Leyland Cypress. They grow fast but are not good and strong for the long haul. Try Nellie Stevens hollies which will work very well in your wooded, natural setting and you will get berries and flowers too.

    Our new home, one month today, has so many landscaping needs I am not sure where to start so I’ve been gently pulling English ivy down from tree trunks. One ivy “stem” was almost 2″ thick at the base. Your post reminded me that I should chronicle my changes.

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 29, 2011 at 7:32 am

      Thanks so much for the suggestions! We’ll definitely chat up the local garden experts to see what works in our region for the long haul.

      xo,
      s

  29. Amy @ A Little Nosh says

    May 30, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    That video was REALLY helpful! And I’m laughing at myself for my internal pronunciation of “liriope.”

    Reply
  30. emily says

    June 6, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    Hi John & Sherry! Your patio and fence building zeal have inspired me. My husband and I are starting to plan a landscape design for our backyard and were wondering if you all could recommend any sources of inspiration. Have any favorite blogs, magazines, etc for browsing yard designs?
    Thanks!!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      June 6, 2011 at 2:07 pm

      Bhg.com has awesome free downloadable templates for all sorts of garden plans that we love. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

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John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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