Progress on the Yard – 2013

This weekend was one of those glorious weekends where summer still lingered on until the last possible second. It was glorious. We decided to take a last minute trip to the beach and it was once of the most enjoyable weekends ever. Sometimes last minute trips are the best.

It reminded me of all the progress we’ve made on our yard by the lake and I realized I have yet to share our most recently finished projects. We’ve worked hard finishing up the odds and ends with the bulk of the construction happening last summer.

I can hardly believe it looked like this a little more than a year ago. So many white stones which were only good for reflecting the sun at a blinding rate and creating the perfect habitat for spiders, something had to be done. This was prime real estate. One of the main reasons we bought our home.

My Dad built this stone stairway which was an amazing how it transformed the yard. It completely changed how we accessed the area and we recycled as much of the white stone as we could to make the large stairs.

As you come down the stairs to the left he built a rock wall which we filled with sun loving plants. Sedum and Zebra grass from this angle along with an apple tree and some smaller ornamental grasses fill the top portion.

Further down the path the white stones were replaced with sod and we 2 raised garden beds which housed tomatoes, string beans, cucumbers and cantaloupe. To the right we added another garden in front of the above ground pool which helps to camouflage the not so pretty parts. Some maiden grass, a few iris’ flank either side of the pool.

We desperately needed some storage here for life jackets, fishing gear and all the miscellaneous items living by the lake cause you to acquire. Bryan built the shed to house all those things and a great added bonus is at certain times of day it creates some much need shade.

Another favorite area has to be the ground level deck Bryan and my dad built along the water’s edge. I got the idea to create almost a boardwalk right in front of the lake. Originally we had only planned to make it about 6 feet wide but when we priced out the lumber difference to jump to 10 feet wide there wasn’t much of a difference so we went with the wider deck and it has worked out so well.

I can’t tell you how many barbeques clam bakes and parties we hosted over the summer right here. We love it.

But probably the best addition has all has to be the the outdoor bar they built. It’s perfect for serving up drinks, setting out a buffet for family gatherings or just sitting and relaxing.

All in all it’s been a pretty amazing transformation and there are still a few odds and end that’s need to be wrapped up but we couldn’t be happier with the results.

Thanks to Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick for hosting another Before and After party.

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