Darnell Cottage "Quaran-tour" : Back Yard (Don’t Miss our Plans of what’s to come)!
Before we finish showing you the rest of the inside of our home, we decided to take a little detour… OUTSIDE!
We love our backyard. Our Tudor cottage is situated on about 1 acre of land, with a large front yard and even bigger backyard. It’s perfect for our four girls.
Last summer, we started Phase 1 of our backyard transformation! Read to the end to hear plans for Phase 2 this summer!
Check out full tour with Anisa & Casey!
BEFORE |
Our backyard was a mud pit and had terrible drainage. The Bermuda grass and red Georgia clay were not getting along.
This mud pit was right outside our back door and our girls were tracking in mud every time they came inside.
So we decided it was time to do something about it. We had big dreams, but for this phase, we decided to be resourceful and use what we had.
Below you can see the corner of our existing concrete slab and our sad grass.
DESIGN INSPIRATION |
So I had vision... Instead of continuing to try to make grass grow, I wanted to bring a little of Europe to our backyard by creating a courtyard!
Check out my inspiration pictures!
DURING |
So with our vision in mind, we went to work! We flattened the yard and made a retaining wall out of existing stones in our yard.
Instead of grass, we laid small gravel across the newly flattened area. This help with the drainage so much!
We added new stones to create stairs up to the rest of the backyard.
Casey and I took a try at the Bobcat…. it’s harder than it looks!
FINAL RESULT|
We love how it turned out! We spend all our time outside this time of year. It is perfect for having a fire pit and playing corn hole with friends!
PHASE 2 |
Phase 2 is starting THIS summer! We are going to dig up that concrete pad, add more landscaping AND add an addition to the back of our house!
Our current outdoor dining table will soon be replaced by a new vaulted Great room! We can’t wait.
You might notice a trend in my sources below…. I love Target! It is a running joke in our family that if I got Target for diapers, I will likely leave with a planter or rug. What can I say… I can’t pass up a good deal!
Dining Space:
Dining Table - I had this 12ft (yes you read that right!) table made custom out of cedar. I chose cedar because of the way it grays over time. It took about six months. During the warm months we eat out here all the time.
Chairs - I got these chairs from Target. World Market sells some similar ones!
Planters - We love growing herbs in our Foodmap containers! I got this idea from True Food Kitchen!
Cafe Lights - Ambiance lighting is key and cafe lights are essential!
Seating Area:
Love Seat, Chairs, Coffee Table - We got this set from World Market. I have linked a similar set here!
Concrete Round Planter, Concrete Square Planter
Fire Pit:
For Fun!
Playhouse - Check out our blog HERE!