This side yard makeover “before and after” isn’t very dramatic – but it wasn’t very expensive either – and sometimes elbow grease is all you need to transform a space.
This was the side yard at my parent’s house. Like any side yard, it houses pipes and hoses and the air conditioner as well as miscellaneous outdoor items that wouldn’t fit in the garage. (I’m pretty sure I tipped the garbage can over – not my parents – this will mortify my mother lol)
I took this photo before they left for vacation, with the full intention of surprising them with a side yard makeover when they returned.
First up – for any outdoor makeover – is the pressure washer. That thing cleans, brightens and refreshes a space like nobody’s business! I sloughed off all of the old cedar from the fence and gate and the extra water pressure pulled out moss growing between the interlocking bricks. If you don’t have a pressure washer, you can enlist the services of Pressure Washing Sugar Land and they can provide the equipment to wash wherever you need washing. Honestly, using a pressure washer will make your space look brand new, and it’s much more affordable compared to getting new tiles installed. For a pressure washer, you will obviously need a decent amount of water pressure to start with, but this can easily be achieved as long as you don’t have any leaking pipes. Typical signs of this are things like a slab leak or water seeping around the edges of tiles. The solution? Pipe lining.
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If you’re not this filthy when you’re done – you didn’t work hard enough. lol
I didn’t want to purchase new items for my parent’s side yard makeover – especially since they had so many things readily available that just needed a little facelift – like these planters:
They were looking a little worse for wear as well as some other garden decor, so I decided to give them a simple makeover with spray paint to tie the overall colour scheme together. My friends at Rust-Oleum Canada (this is a pseudo-sponsored post since they) provided me with 4 cans of their “Aged Copper” metallic spray paint months ago, and I’ve been hoarding them just waiting for a project like this!
Two planters, a plant stand, the hose reel and a candle holder all received the copper treatment, as well as a giant cauldron they had that once held flowers (but I planned on turning into a water feature).
Just an FYI – the water feature didn’t work out. I purchased one of those ‘solar fountains’ from a Facebook ad, however they only work if they are put in full-sun, full-time. There is no battery to store saved energy to keep the fountain running when it’s shady or overcast. Bummer, the sound of a small fountain would have made the space relaxing to sit in and would have (somewhat) drowned the sound of the air conditioner.
I laid mulch and replanted a couple of hostas from my own garden to fill out the space.
And you remember the Lutyen’s bench I built for them from the other week?
A fresh, clean and welcoming side yard makeover within a day!
Before:
After:
You can see the rolling, raised garden bed I built for them last summer – where they are cultivating an array of herbs.
A few things had to stay in the yard for lack of space in the garage, but overall the side yard makeover has made the space feel cleaner, brighter and more cohesive with coordinating decor items. The next task we’re going to take on is creating more room in the garage! We’ve thought about getting rid of our existing garage as it is on the small side and replacing it with a detached garage as we’d be able to get a lot more use out of it. With our garage, we have a constant struggle looking for things because everything seems to be on top of one another, with a new garage we will be able to move freely and access our belongings much easier. This way I can swap things from the garden more frequently and it’ll feel like a new garden each time.
Before:
I LOVE this gate – and the only thing I did to improve it was wash it down!
Before:
After:
Like I said, not a drastic side yard makeover, but certainly an improvement.
All it took was a pressure washer, some spray paint, a bit of mulch and elbow grease (and a bench if you’re counting).
I don’t know about you, but I could take a couple of throw pillows and sit out here with a book and a cup of tea?
Maybe I need to build them a side table for that bench? Looks like the makeover isn’t done yet. lol
Have a great one!
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