So did you guys think we spent the long weekend relaxing and eating burgers? Do you know us at all? Ok, so we did do our fair share of grillin’ out, but we also found the time to transform the back patio. Yep, we mentioned that we longed for a welcoming and functional outdoor room to grill stuff up, chillax with a good book (or glossy shelter mag) and whip up some melty s’mores… and we just couldn’t wait one minute longer to make our backyard dream a ready-for-summer reality. Here’s what our back patio looked like before Memorial Day weekend- all lonely except for an old Target table and chair set purchased about two years ago.
And here’s what it looked like Saturday morning after a bit of assembling, potting, and even a quick fire-pit-building project. We happily got ‘er done in a few hours so we had the rest of the long weekend to enjoy our newest room. Here’s how it all went down.
We actually ordered these two Walmart lounge chairs (which appear to be sold out now) a few months back with birthday money from our families. We were dying for a place to read, watch Burger run around, and maybe even do some outdoor blog stuff (and a friend with two lounge chairs totally inspired us to take the plunge). But although they were sadly on backorder for what seemed like forever, these matching loungers ended up being well worth the wait (and their $277 price tag for two). In fact we were so excited about finally getting our mitts on them that John assembled ’em on Friday night at dusk- because neither of us could bear to wait another minute to enjoy them.
You think I’m kidding. Here I am taking one out for a spin that evening. In the dark. Yeah, we’re nerds.
And of course we’re loving our little firepit that we made by stacking some heat-resistant pavers far enough away from the house and any low trees to be safe.
We also brought in two simple black planters that we purchased at Ikea a few months back and popped some $6 boxwoods in ’em for a bit more life and color on our newly spruced patio. You’ll also notice the green lumbar pillow (stolen from our porch makeover) on our lounge chair. We liked the pop of hue so much that we’re thinking about bringing home two more for our lounge chairs so this little green guy can go back to his former home on the front porch.
We already had our big-ish stainless steel grill (we actually purchased it for our backyard wedding where our dads grilled up grub for our guests) – but we found that we rarely used it since… probably because the rest of the patio left much to be desired. As a testiment to our new makeover, we’ve grilled up at least four meals in the past three days so we’re extremely excited to be using it instead of spending years keeping it covered and never even cracking it open.
Here’s another view of the brand-spankin-new set-up. We love that there’s more than enough room to move around and that we were able to create a few different functions in one not-that-huge area. Making a space multitask is definitely one of our favorite ways to force ourselves to use it more frequently (it’s why we moved our dining area into our hardly-ever-used living room and now we’re in there all the time).
Of course Burger loves the new set up and has already claimed both lounge chairs as his (he switches chairs every twenty minutes or so for good measure).
But every once in a while John and I actually get to steal them back and enjoy our lovely backyard with a book on our lap and an ice cold beverage on the “new” side table (an old Ikea stool in the garage got a coat of black exterior paint and a topcoat of outdoor poly). Life is good when you have the perfect little spot to drop a drink, a book or a snack.
And if you’re Burger, life is pretty good no matter where you are or what you’re doing… but it’s especially fabulous on those new lounge chairs. At least that’s the story his eyes are telling in this photo.
And speaking of the good life, we even got a chance to take our fire pit out for a spin yesterday night when we whipped up a few s’mores after a yummy dinner courtesy of – you guessed it- the grill.
Is there anything better than a scorched marshmallow smooshed onto a hunk of chocolate and sandwiched in a honey graham cracker? I think not.
And apparently I’m not alone in that sentiment. Here’s John loving his s’more to the max (as Burger lurks in the shadows).
And since we know you guys are figure-heads, here’s our fun little budget breakdown. Since our patio was a lot bigger than our front porch we figured it would run us well over $500 for the whole shebang, but we’re super excited to report that we did it on a whole lot less (especially since the money that went towards the lounge chairs was a b-day gift from both of our families).
- Lounge chair set: $277
- Two black Ikea planters: $30
- Two boxwoods for the planters: $12
- Side table: repurposed Ikea stool (aka: free, but it was only $19 originally)
- Grand Total: $319.00
So what did you guys do for your long weekend? Did you tackle any house projects? Did you flee your casa in an attempt to forget all the things on your to do list? Did you get to enjoy the miracle that is a s’more? Do tell.
Ann-Marie says
This looks terrific! I’m always impressed by your ability to create something you want from items you already have, thereby saving yourselves more money.
And I’m thinking we might need to move to Richmond, if only for the chance to find a nice house with a gigantic yard. *sigh* It’s a dream we Chicagoans may never realize (at least not on the scale that you have), but we love where we are, and that’s important, too.
Enjoy your “new” patio!
Elizabeth says
That is seriously, utterly gorgeous! I love it – and I have serious sun-lounger envy. I have no room for sun loungers in my tiny English garden, do you think replacing the back wall of my house with glass doors is a good compromise instead?!
Oh & I voted, fingers crossed for you guys!
EastEnd says
Well, I discovered the south of the James farmer’s market this weekend, thanks to you! I was completely charmed by it!
Elle R. says
I love those black pots from Ikea. I have been shopping around for simple black pots for about a week now for my front porch and haven’t really found any that I like. These look perfect! Now, why isn’t Ikea in Richmond again? I hate having to drive to Woodbridge to buy these. Sherry/John, have you seen something identical here (black, basic, cheap) in Richmond? I have tried Lowe’s, Big Lots and Target. No luck :(
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Elle,
Sometimes it seems like it’s harder to find a simple clean-lined planter than it is to find a red one shaped like an elephant. Really! We haven’t seen any similar versions a bit closer to home, but the $14 price tag of these giant black ceramic babies had us at hello (you usually pay that much for plastic ones of this size). You might want to try somewhere like Pier 1 or even TJ Maxx just to see if they have anything that comes close…
Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
andrea says
Love it! I’m saving this link to use when I get my house (hopefully this summer and hopefully with enough room to have a patio). I would LOVE to make our own fire pit!
Laurie says
Looks so inviting! I love the firepit, I’m wanting to do one in my backyard but have to wait until my baby (he is 11) gives me the go-ahead to get rid of the play structure. I’m suddenly craving s’mores….
Abbey says
Awesome! You did a great job with the remod. I wish I was there enjoyng a grilled meal with you. I can’t wait til we do our patio next summer. Thanks for the continued inspiration!
sarah says
looks refreshing!
what is on the steps to the sunroom in one of the pictures? It’s green- is it a watering can? if so, where did you get it?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
That is indeed a green plastic watering can from Target (a gift from my mother in law, but I think it was only around $2). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Julie says
Oh how I wish my patio were that big! We tore out all of the dead stuff from our patio/pergola so that we can start fresh and start enjoying ours again. The upside was that the dead grape vines that used to grace the pergola made for excellent firewood so we also got to enjoy a fire!
Meredith says
I love those Chaise lounges! What a great use of that space!
Ellen says
Great looking patio! And of course it seems that it is so much more useable, sounds like you have enjoyed it to the max this past weekend. And it is so funny to see Burger in so many pictures…he like Where’s Waldo!
Lindsey Ivory says
The patio looks gorgeous! We just ripped up a huge, ugly concrete slab from our backyard and are about to start building a new deck and patio. I already have one lounge chair for me…but you have inspired me to buy one more so my hubby can read (or nap) next to me all summer on the new patio! Thanks for the great pictures!
Amy says
Love the patio makeover!
This weekend we bought a new washer and dryer. We spent all weekend making it look awesome courtesy of your how-to guide!
We will definitely send before/after pics your way when its done… still waiting on the polyurethane to dry all the way.
Priscilla says
I dedicated this weekend to our last weekend of slacking off. We did everything but house projects because starting this weekend, its all about the projects again! Beginning with the kitchen then the patio. We’re planning on using pavers and making our own little bonfire pit as well, so I’m so glad you posted something about your own patio. You guys are truly my inspiration!
Can I ask if you what the paved patio cost you? Did you guys do it yourself (I didn’t see a how-to blog about it)? Just getting estimates as we prepare to do ours. Thanks! =)
srabee says
i love your stone patio.
Barbara says
I just love your photography! Wow! My favorites are the close-up of the table setting with the bbq in the background and yours and John’s relaxing toes. I see Burger has camouflaged himself all over the place — is he part chameleon?
Ryan says
I’m inspired! This post has given me the push I needed to get our back yard in order! I just ordered the sod and am going to find some chairs very shortly! THANK YOU!
Lindsay says
Great patio makeover!
We spent our long weekend working on our deck expansion project! Put up a few pictures this morning… http://blwardfamily.blogspot.com/ We have a few more weekends of work ahead of us, but it already has me craving a summer BBQ!!!
I’m hoping to find some outdoor furniture deals to furnish our new space :-)
katie says
Hi guys –
I love the look of the pavers on your patio. Did you lay them yourselves? I wasn’t able to find a posting about it, but couldn’t imagine that you paid someone to do it!!
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katie & Priscilla,
Just a few weeks before our backyard wedding we decided the old patio was a safety hazard and it would be too stressful to try to DIY something with such a tight schedule (and so much wedding work to do – we even catered it ourselves!). So we opted to use some wedding-present money towards replacing it. After a bunch of estimates we found someone who would demo the entire original patio, haul it away, level the ground, lay the new patio with cobblestone pavers (with custom-cut curves and a walkway to our back gate) and finish in TWO AMAZING DAYS! It ran us around $2300 but it was totally worth it for the stress-free installation (which we definitely needed right before our big day) and we’re sure you could get it for even cheaper these days now that times are tough. Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
Sandra says
Your patio looks great! I was following your twitter this weekend and wondering why there wasn’t a flurry of home improvement going on. Looks like you guys got it all out of the way on Friday night!
I’m in Michigan, so this weekend was the first “safe” weekend to plant. I spent all weekend picking out and planting shrubs (and have the sunburn to prove it!) and will have to spend next weekend on the annuals.
Elyse says
We used the weekend to build a pergola! By “we” I mean my husband and his buddy. I just took pictures and brought them lemon-aid! They did a great job, now I just need to figure out great patio layout like your patio!
thevintagechair says
This is fantastic, guys! You really put your long weekend to good use! We’ve always wanted a fire pit too. Aren’t they fantastic? I’m sure you’ll get tons of use out of this beautiful space.
-Chelsea
msmezzo says
Oh, I love everything…except the placement of the firepit (which I LOVE, just not where you put it.) It looks like it is in the middle of the whole patio which for clumsy me shrieks “trip and fall right here”. Mind your step you two!
Stacy says
Hi guys! Love the porch re-do…it looks fantastic! Can you tell me the name of the purple spiky plants in the beds between the paver patio and the yard? I love the color and their funky form. Thanks!
Also, I’ve been voting everyday…you’re running a close 2nd now, yay!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Stacy,
Those feathery purple plants are called “catmint” and they’re amazing. The first year we planted them they were about half as big, but every spring since then they have sprung up bigger and better. Hope it helps! And thanks for those votes!
xo,
Sherry
Carla says
Loving the patio! Very nice and perfect for the summer – ENJOY!!
jbhat says
It looks great! Love the s’mores pit.
Danielle says
Simple, but cute redo.
Btw, John makes that smore looks very creepy. :-) You guys are so silly.
Anita says
I have a funny story. We had smores this weekend too and our neighbor’s daughter came up with the idea of sticking the chocolate inside the marshmallow first before roasting it over the fire pit. I thought it was so adorable!
Anita says
Stacy,
If you want a similar look to the catmint, some other plants that have that same look with purple flowers are lavendar, sage, lamium, and salvia – all of which are easily available at your local nursery, walmart, or homedepot and lowe’s. All the above are also perennials and heat tolerant. Hope that helps!
Kate in CA says
Love the patio DIY project, looks great! We did a fair bit of gardening in our front yard this weekend which was sorely needed. But my goal for the summer is to get a hammock so I can lounge around in my backyard with a good book & the dog. :)
Kathleen says
I didn’t have a long weekend, but a regular weekend is enough to get me excited. We painted three rooms in our house, changed out three light fixtures, and installed tons of new outlets and light switches. I feel like an electrician now!
Sandy says
Nice work as usual – and you even got to enjoy the fruit of your labor! You always make it look so easy.
Wendy says
Love it – and what a deal on the chairs! I’m planning a patio makeover this summer as well, but wondering how I’ll fend off the mosquitos – do you guys have a problem with them at your house and have you found anything that works to keep them at bay?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Wendy,
We actually were remarking last night that the mosquitoes didn’t come near us when we were making s’mores and we attributed that to the smoke from the fire so a fire pit is always a good solution! We also like citronella candles (studies do show that they cut mosquito bites in half) and we even found these all natural incense sticks that you stick in the ground and burn (I forget what they’re called but we found them at our local garden center). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Heather says
Wow, that looks so much better!
I ended up working in my yard all day yesterday too. It was awesome, but I’m soooo sore. My favorite flowers of all time are dahlias. My husband & I had them at our wedding. We bought some bulbs at the beginning of the year and planted them a month ago. Earlier last week we made a run to Home Depot and they had all their bulbs half off for the end of the season!!! I went nuts. I got nearly every color of dahlia and some lilies & freesia! Now, where to plant them all?
We have done a ton of work to our yard recently. We cleared a lot of brush and we found bricks that had been buried since the 40’s or earlier. We even found a horse shoe! So yesterday I made a planter for the dahlias along the fence out of the bricks that we found. I made two more planters around trees in the front yard for the lilies. Then next weekend we’re putting window boxes up to hold the freesia and some other little flowers.
After all this I still had bulbs left over. Home Depot wanted too much for a painted 10″ pot, and I knew I could find basic clay pots for cheaper too. The closest Ikea to us is Atlanta, and that’s 4 hours away. On a whim, I went to Walmart (I never go there). They had 10″ pots for $2.75! I got a few pots & some glossy black, light blue & light yellow spray paint. Now my flowers have some swanky, glossy pots to call home! I have to say, a plain old clay pot looks very classy in gloss black.
You guys have been such an inspiration. Keep up the good work!
Melissa says
Your patio looks great!
We also enjoyed s’mores but from a suggestion of an aunt we tried our s’mores with Samoas Girl Scout cookies instead of the chocolate and graham crackers and they were amazing!
:::Lyzz::: says
Love the new patio. Looks so clean and inviting and I can imagine many great summer nights there.
Melissa says
We completed 2 DIY projects this weekend that have been on the to do list for quite some time. We made a rain barrel and discovered this morning after a rainfall that it actually works and doesn’t leak! We also refinished a headboard for the guest bedroom that looks oh so luxe now thanks to your “how to’s” on painting furniture. Thanks for the help guys! I have alot more confidence with DIY projects and also got my 13 year old niece to help out and she loved the headboard project.
Yansy says
Congratulations guys. Your patio looks amazing. You have done a phenomenal job at making your patio look ready for a magazine shoot. You never cease to amaze me. You guys are an inspiration.
Alisa says
Hi!
I just found your blog via Chez Larsson, and I just wanted to compliment you two for such a lovely site! I’ve especially loved reading your money saving tips! I’ve started to “let myself go” as far as the thrifty wagon goes, and reading your tips has really inspired me to get back on!
Looking forward to keeping up with you guys:0)
Thanks!
-Alisa
Laurie says
Just love it!! Love your blog, I love home decorating and organizing on a budget, too! keep up the great work.
Sherry says
Looks great! and for a great price! I just saw those planters at Ikea this weekend!
EvY says
That place is primed for an outdoor party now. How are you guys doing on your new year’s resolution to have people over?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey EvY,
You’ll be happy to hear that we’ve already had a few groups of friends over and just last night over s’mores we were talking about how fun it would be to have a little patio party with some of our nearest and dearest soon.
xo,
s
Kaylovesvintage says
still to cold for a BBQ here…but soon
Ashley says
Great story! I love the pics of John putting the chairs together in the dark, exactly what my hubby would do :) Enjoy your new patio!
~Ashley~
Sara says
We bought a patio set from the very same series last summer. Super affordable and looks very nice. Just be warned that the fabric will fade-at least ours did. We just flipped them over for this summer, but I’m not sure what we’ll do next year. Also, the cushions soak up water so if you see a storm coming you might want to move the cushions inside or else you’ll be lounging in a water-logged loungers come the next day! Looks great!
Fatima says
Hey guys,
I love the patio makeover! So guess what I did this weekend? I went to the home depot for something and while waiting for someone, I started flipping through magazines and guess who I saw in one of them??? :) The funniest is that first I saw a picture of your entryway, you kow that framed P? And my first thought was, hey, these guys totally copied from the petersiks…and then I turned back a couple of pages and there you were! I was so happy…too happy considering I dont even know you :p Btw I cant remember what magazine, probably a DIY better homes and gardens? and the spring 2009 issue. I am so excited for you guys :D Good going!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Fatima,
That’s so funny! Yeah it was DIY magazine. We actually have another house story coming out in the next issue and then we have a regular column that we’re doing with them from then on… of course we can’t wait to spill the beans about that! We’re still pinching ourselves. Stay tuned…
xoxo,
Sherry
Katie says
Ok, love what you did, but I always wonder – what do people do when it rains?!!?! It rains in the SE ALL the time, and we have an open porch (not a house we’ll be in forever or I’d cover/screen it in). We need new cushions for our chairs already and it’s b/c of the rain.
Just curious.
great job as always!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katie,
Hmm, I guess when it rains things just get wet. We’ve had the padded seat cushions on the Target table for about a year+ and they’ve faded a bit but we don’t mind it at all. You know us and light airy colors, hehe. Other than that they’re like new (still plush and not worn or ruined in any way from the elements). I guess we expect that the lounge cushions will fade a bit too, but they always dry out and are made to be in the rain and the cold so we imagine they’ll hold up well spring-fall and we’ll store them in the garage through the winter to protect them from the worst of things. Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
Ashley says
My friends have those exact loungers. They are super comfy, too. I love Burger lounging around. Too cute!
Jay says
What did you do with your wedding gift fire pit? Just curious.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jay,
We actually just shoved it in the garage (it was metal, so covering it every time it rained was a bit more of a hassle than our new stone one) but we’ll probably get in on a little garage sale/craigslist action whenever we get around to it.
xo,
s
MaryB says
All these comments are great! But I guess *somebody* had to be the one to flee the casa in an attempt to forget the to-do list: me!
But the list was still here when I got back, so … I guess my mini-vacation didn’t given the home-improvement fairies time to come do their thing.
Alrighty, then … what’s first?
:-)