Sometimes unhealthy, worn-down grass left unattended by previous owners is beyond repair. And if your yard is on the smaller side, like this one, installing an outdoor patio is a better use of the space. Add shutters, shrubs, and window boxes, and instant ambiance is imminent.
Liza from Mel & Liza has done it again, this time transforming her ailing back yard into a lush oasis perfect for entertaining. She (along with her very capable husband) did everything: installed a brick pathway, laid stone for the patio area, put in a brand new fence that was tall enough to provide privacy, and created a garden full of flowering, deciduous and evergreen plants.
The first step was to tear out the existing concrete walkway running down the side of the house out to the back. Then, using stakes and twine, she mapped out the lines of the brick walkway as a guide.
The result is an organic, natural looking outdoor area that provides much needed seclusion. If you're wondering exactly how they arrived at the final product, there are plenty of pictures of the whole process at Mel and Liza's blog.
(Images via Mel and Liza)
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I especially love the pieced-together flagstone in the right of the picture! That's realistic and looks just fine. The before pic with the looming retail shows how wonderful good planning can make a backyard, an oasis even with a CVS looking over your back fence.
This is so inspiring!
Simply. Amazing. I have an ugly concrete project around my house too. This is inspiring.
I'm not a gardner so I really appreciate when folks take so much time to turn their back yards into their own private oasis. I LOVE the little church bird house. Happy to see that they kept that! Well done. Oh, shutters are a very nice touch.
Awesome job.
Beautiful!
The privacy lattice at the top of the fence is brilliant! I also really like the the laid back look of the stonework. Great job!
All of your hard work paid off in spades!
Excellent call removing that plastic white fence. This looks great.
Congratulations on a wonderful transformation! You turned a small section of Nowheresville into a lovely little retreat. Among the advantages of a small lot is that even extensive improvements don't overwhelm one's finances, or muscles.
To pick one nit, though ... Why the black shutters? I'm thinkin' that a decorative element placed between the windows rather than the shutters alongside them would be more balanced, as well as create a focal point.
What an inviting yard. I'd be spending every spare minute of the summer out there. I agree with the poster above about the shutters, though; they are a little distracting. They could replace them with some of those black wrought iron flower pot holders on the side of the garage to really enhance the European vibe. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Panacea-89055-Mounted-Flower-Holder/dp/B000PDD5HW%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAICBF3V6V3ULH3KGQ%26tag%3Donepage01-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB000PDD5HW
Love the yard, but not sure about those shutters. The windows were already cute in the Before, they only needed a lick of paint. The shutters would work better if they were the same blue as the window, and if they could actually close (looks too fake now).
Just an aside, but the bird church is awesome!
Black shutters & black patio furniture unify the look. I wonder why 2 paving stone types. Like the grey random paving stones. Don't get why they didn't just stuck with this. Think the yard might look bigger with only one stone type. That said it's a great job. Beautiful. CVS as inspiration. ,-)
I love the black shutters. They are scaled just right. Skinny shutters might have looked like an add-on, but these seem to belong -- the after picture says "aha, that is what was missing before."
i liked the before :(
I like the after because it's more beautiful than the old one.
I like the black color of the shutters, but shutters scaled too small to actually close is a pet peeve.
Ornamental shutters are weird. They don't shut. They serve no purpose.
But they aren't just passively decorative (meaning only an aesthetics issue). In my climate, they trap moisture next to the house (they rarely drain well) and provide a haven for insects and rot to really get going on the house. Problems compound if you screw into most types of siding to mount them (another entry for water/pests)
Shutters that close and fit the windows (and are opened and closed regularly) are great. Those tend to be installed on the decorative portion of the window trim on brackets (not screwed directly into the siding).
The shutters in these photos look ornamental only. I'd take them down in a hot second and get the siding patched to prevent future damage.
The rest of the yard is great.
i appreciate all the effort put in, but i'd probably have just put down new sod and left it all green with a strip of plant bed (for veggies) down the length of one side. i find it looks too messy and chaotic for my taste.
Super cute! I like the cottagey shutters and the pathway is perfect. I'm concerned about the way the wood siding looks like it directly contacts the ground - when wood contacts dirt, the wood rots and can also be an open invitation for termites. I hope they put in some flashing or something before planting the beds.
A lovely transformation but the shutters jump out as just wrong. Even if they attached to the window (therefore with a pretense of being working shutters) they just look out of proportion. Besides this is a garage, not a home and I doubt if any garage ever had working shutters. Still it's a pretty place to enjoy the outdoors. Love the mossy look of the stonework and the climbing plant on the far right. So clever of you to add the lattice above the fence to get around height restrictions on fences.
Huh...the black shutters got me too. They just seem so unnecessary.
I love everything but the shutters. It looks like a great place to sit and sip an gin & tonic!
It looks good. But I might have done a stone pathway rather than brick, and laid more sod. Personally I think brick only belongs on driveways, not in a "backyard oasis".
Brick driveway? I imagine most people associate asphalt with driveways.
I wonder if this varies from region to region? I don't think I've ever seen a brick driveway - though I have seen a handful that are made from pre-fab pavers. On the other hand, I've seen plenty of brick patios and walkways, particularly in the South.
I LOVE the small black shutters. They give the area a European look -- like you're in the courtyard of a French cafe.
Pyewacket - you are absolutely right! And that -and the fact that they are attached incorrectly to the siding and not to the window frame - is why to they seem wrong to so many commentators.
It's lovely, but hasn't this been posted before?
"Brick driveway? I imagine most people associate asphalt with driveways."
Most people maybe, but not everybody. I can't believe you've never heard of a brick driveway, or a "brick paver" driveway. They're very common in high income neighborhoods.
Really cute, although in the climate I live in, I wouldn't want a paved courtyard (in fact we took the paving out of ours because it heated up too much in summer!) but in a cooler climate I'd love something like this.
Fantastic! But ... oh-oh ... now you've got the party house.
This is really lovely.
What a lovely and charming space you have created!! :o)