My Remodel | Outdoors | Projects

Backyard Setbacks

When I started working on my backyard it was an untamed chaotic mess filled with chicken wire and corn stalk.   After weeks…months of pulling up plants and pavers and cinder blocks I could finally see some improvement.  My backyard was beginning to resemble a backyard versus a farm.

2013-09-12(1)   2013-09-12I had all these mismatched pavers and cinder blocks.  With funds low I knew I wasn’t going to let these pavers go to waste.  My goal was to find a way to reuse everything I had.  Problem was I had no clue what direction I wanted to take my space.  I can admit that I’m fairly ok inside the house but outdoors, I’m a little out of my element.

2012-05-17 07.02.19  2012-06-25_13-48-37_798So I searched Pinterest for ideas. I found this great cinder block bench.  I could definitely do that with all the blocks and pavers I had.

Source: Better Home and Gardens
Source: Better Home and Gardens

Little did I know how hard….darn near impossible it would be for me to level out the ground with simply a shovel and a landscape rake.  When I say I was tired, that doesn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling. There were moments, especially when it felt like 105 degrees out, that I almost gave up.

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The example on Pinterest looked so simple…I mean how hard could a dry patio and cinder block bench be, right? WELL.. Very hard when you don’t have the right equipment and your back yard is sloped.  Hahaha.

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But I worked on my patio and bench daily, after work and on weekends. Then painted the fence an espresso brown. I even spray painted the cinder blocks dark gray. In between the pavers I filled in the gaps with river rocks.  Things were really starting to come together. (The bench not as leveled as I’d like, but it worked for now).

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Next up, staining the deck.  I was having problems picking a color.  The stain I had was a little too red for my liking.

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So I thought I’d regroup till the weekend and test some other stains.  But later that evening we had a really bad storm that nearly took down my house…literally.

As I laid asleep that night it felt like my house shook. I looked outside and everything was pitch black.  The power was off in the entire neighborhood, we were experiencing torrential rains and the wind was howling like a coastal storm of my childhood. So I couldn’t really tell what I was looking at when I looked out the window that night.  All I knew was it was bad. But not bad enough for me to step foot outside while it was pitch black and storming. SO at the break of dawn the storm subsided and this is what I found….

My chimney had fallen to the ground. Ummm who knew that could even happen!? My Poor Patio!!! My cool turquoise Adirondack Chairs from Target (As you can see, I clearly had my priorities in order)!  It was sad and funny all at the same time. (I can laugh now because no one got hurt and the idea of this happening was so ridiculously unbelievable.)  Thank God for insurance!

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Are those rusty nails that held this 500 lb. chimney up? WHAHHHHHT?!
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Now how am I gonna get up there to put a tarp over that?
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My new chairs are under there some where.

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So when life throws a chimney on your plans…patio, what do you do? Well you head to Barbados of course! No way was I changing my vacation plans at this point.  I needed it now more than ever. Besides that chimney will still be there on the ground when I get back.

Barbados
Now this is the life 😉

Till Next Time…the life of a ToolBox Diva.

~T.

Missed anything in My Remodel?

Catch Up.

Chicken Wire and Corn Stalk, Oh My!

$900 and 1000 Hours Later: Finally a Kitchen I Can Love!

Tearing Down the Walls…Tiles that Stand Before Me

What’s Wrong with My Kitchen?

I Hate my Kitchen!

Bedroom Secrets

Crisis on the Home Front, Contractor Chaos!

Welcome to My Life,the Life of a ToolBox Diva!

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2 Comments

  1. OH NO!!! That had to be crazy! Yes, thank goodness for insurance. You are working so hard on that patio and I think it look great! Things are coming together…even the chimney will again.

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