A HUGE exterior transformation for our backyard!!

Our Patio and backyard makeover was a long time coming! Before there was just a big area of grass with a makeshift fire pit overtop of it and nothing else.  We have spent lots of time out here with friends and family but it was never "a cozy space for me." I really wanted to create an inviting large enough space to host family and friends as well. 

We recently opened an Airbnb in our basement and with that we had to get some excavation work done for a permit.  So we asked the contractors if they could do a little more work for us on top of what they were already planning. We proposed wanting to extend our grass area at least 6 ft from the end of the property the whole way down to our current patio, we got the GO!

Take a look at the before:

As you can see in the above photo, one of the septic pipes. From that pipe down to the end of the tree line is the width of additional top soil and sod we added to make our property bigger.

And...... The after!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so happy with this space and have already used it many times even though we have had some super humid and hot days here in PA. There are no regrets with the amount of time it took to create this space, we did it right and it was worth it! Peter has one little thing yet, and that is to make a few tweaks to the steps he built that separate the patio from the pergola area. I'm so excited to have lots of get togethers out here!

After the "patio area was extended and leveled" we had some sand delivered, put down and then added the natural flagstone. We were actually surprised by how affordable the flagstone was compared to stamped concrete, or pavers. We used a local company, and were very happy with their options and customer service! Due to having large and small pieces of stone, Peter did purchase a stone saw which made for easy cuts for laying down and fitting into place.  The final piece to the custom patio was adding gravel for between the stones to keep everything in tacked. (Pete laid down the flagstone pad for the pergola as well using the same process.) I love the neutral colors of the stone!  

The Adirondack chairs we purchased from Walmart, and they have held up well so far! Their simple, comfy and also fold for easy storage. The dark grey color goes really well with the Natural stone of the patio.

Sitting on the stone in each corner are our planters with posts holding the café lights! I found some inspo off pinterest as an easy DIY. We purchased the whiskey barrels from Home depot, added a 5 gallon bucket (cut down to size), added some concrete and wollaaa. After the concrete had set, we placed the concrete bucket inside the planter, added some soil and then plants! Fortunately our local Amish stands were already having some big sales on their annuals, so I got all of these flowers for 50% off! The Café lights we already had on hand, here is a link to something similar. 

Following the patio, we added the landscaping between the fire pit and pergola area. The process was putting down tarping over dirt, mulched and planted some perennials such as evergreen bushes, lilac bush and a hydrangea bush. The landscaping rocks we gathered from our property! You are probably saying to yourself, "the landscaping is on a slight hill, the mulch will probably wash down onto the patio." Correct! So we added this edging right along the stones (which is hard to see in the picture) but will prevent the mulch from washing down. 

After piecing the pergola together we then placed our conversational set. I kept tossing back and forth the idea of either an outdoor dining set or a seating/conversational set, Pete helped make up my mind. I am SO glad we went with the Furniture set, it's comfortable, even prettier in person and fits the space really well. 

We haven't added a solar hanging light for the pergola but are thinking about it! I will update blog if we end up purchasing one. 

This project was a labor of love, it definitely took longer than what we anticipated (but that's always how it works right ;) This space started out as a patch of grass with a firepit and was transformed into a beautiful natural patio with some comfy chairs to lounge in and soft café lights above, and a comfortable and modern farmhouse/boho seating area up top if you wanna hangout with a cup of coffee/play some games or even just ya know sprawl out and take a nap!

We have completed many cool projects that I absolutely love, but I think this one has made it to the top of the list! It turned out better than what I had envisioned and it's a space that I just want to spend lots of time all surrounded by nature!

Posted: 07/25/2023