The Backyard Of My Dreams

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The Never Ending Outdoor Renovation

We took on some HUGE projects this summer that were exhausting, mentally and physically. But ya know what? THEY WERE TOTALLY WORTH IT. I love our property, it has so much potential and is finally a place we can spend time in and entertain! Before these projects, it wasn’t functional or safe for our kids. We completed 6 projects in 5 months to bring our backyard to life! Let me give you a brief recap of everything we did!

Project 1 : Fence in the pond!

We have a large pond that we share with two of our neighbors, and we love it but … we didn’t have a fence (cue anxiety)! It stressed me out daily with 2 kids under 2, and I could quite literally NEVER take my eyes off of them (Hunter is super sneaky). And to top it all off: Hank (our large and lovable 90 lb German Shepherd) decided to exercise his new-found passion for swimming. Needless to say, cleaning up after a soaking wet dog when he sneaks back into the house is NOT how I’d like to spend my time. Amirite? In a nutshell – getting a fence to block access to the pond was my NUMBER ONE priority for my sanity, as well as the safety of my kids. And keeping Hank out of the pond is just a bonus!

First thing’s first

So naturally, the fence was the first project we started with. We really wanted something that was beautiful and that wouldn’t block our view. After looking at several options I went with the Barrette Outdoor Aluminum Black Fence! The great thing about this particular fence is the powder coated aluminum, which makes it durable, but also beautiful (and easy to clean). The panel comes pre-assembled and was easy to piece together, which was a must for me. The panel will also follow the slope of your terrain (your pickets will never look crooked, which is a non-negotiable). Check out this video so you can see what I mean!

We did run into a little snag…

I had every intention to attempt to help with this part of the process, but in GA we have this little thing known as red clay. Fun fact: red clay packs and is EXTREMELY hard to dig, so it gave Shane and his guys a run for their money with the auger. They rented a one man auger from Home Depot but I was told to NEVER try to do a “One Man Auger” with one person, it should always be two.

But look how pretty:

ISN’T IT SO BEAUTIFUL?! We did 3 gates for easy access points, one is a drive gate – just in case we ever get a boat =) – and the fence itself has saved my sanity and allowed us to be outside ALOT more.

Next up:

After doing the fence I found myself in my painting brick + building a patio (from scratch) era! If you want to learn how to prep, paint brick and build a patio, check it out HERE.

  • Swipe to see the before

Painting the patio area and building the actual paver patio took about 2 ½ months. That was exhausting, but I kept pushing through, because I was so excited to build a beautiful space by our water front. The plan was to build a deck and have somewhere to watch my husband fish in comfort. Just look at these Yardzen mock ups of the space – ITS A FREAKING DREAM! You can check out the complete designs from Yardzen here!

Prep, prep, prep… always prep.

We decided to go with the InstaDeck Outdoor Flooring System, instead of a traditional deck (for obvious reasons), but we still had to do the prep work. Number one rule about home projects: prep work is the worst part but it’s the MOST important part in most cases, if you want to do the project right! The first step was to level out the ground, then I laid landscaping fabric overtop to help limit the grass growing back. I used this landscaping fabric for ALL my landscaping projects this summer, with a pack of 500 pins (these pins were actually not great, so I don’t recommend them, but they got the job done).

When I finished laying the landscaping fabric, it was time to install the ROCKS! We went with gravel rocks to optimize drainage to avoid stagnant water, and planned to layer the InstaDeck grids on top. Ever shoveled gravel for large projects? IT SUCKS! 0/10, DO NOT RECOMMEND, AVOID AT ALL COST. It was a very effective workout. After installing the gravel, we realized that we should have gotten crushed gravel, because the size of the rocks we purchased made it hard to level (joke’s on us haha).

Barrette Outdoor Living InstaDeck

The InstaDeck is made up of a tile system that snaps together to create the foundation for a free standing deck. It’s really simple, you lay all your grids out, and snap them together, we used plyers to save our fingers but it started coming together pretty quickly! We did it section by section to make it easier! Side note: to make sure they are all clipped together, I recommend doing a walk through to check everything before you start getting the deck boards involved.

But can I talk about the deck boards for one second? I am really excited about these because they are eco-friendly composite decking and they have CoolTrac Technology which ensures superior heat and and slip resistance. Since this is in the sun all day long and right next to the pond we had to have something like this. We went with the color Aspen teak from the DuraLife Resort Collection. It’s also made in the USA with a 25 year limited warranty!! I love when a product has a good warranty because it means they really stand behind their products. Okay anyway ……

We used the InstaDeck Outdoor Living Flooring System for this project, because it doesn’t require many tools or a lot of thought. The InstaDeck is super DIY friendly, each piece of the plastic base just clips into each other, and the boards simply snap on top! Go check out my Instagram reel to see how we built the InstaDeck in ONE DAY!

Once you’ve checked your work, you can start CLIPPING THE BOARDS IN! Barrette Outdoor Living has a ton of products just like this that make projects EASY and beautiful. When I say clipping in the boards I mean , I walked on them, and they snapped into place. IT WAS TOO EASY! It comes with a finished edge snaps on as well, but the boards we used were 20 feet long so there was a small overhang we had to cut off. The best way to do this is to use a rubber mallet, to make sure all boards are even on one side. Then you can snap a chalk line on the other side to get a mark for your cut. Make sure you recruit someone that knows how to operate a circular saw and cut straight (not me).

DON’T YOU LOVE IT? I can’t wait to landscape it next year and really bring it to it’s full potential.

Once the InstaDeck was done, it was time for the PERGOLA

The pergola is really cool! It has Decorative Screen Panels on top, and you can also choose side/back panels as well. They have SO MANY different designs to choose from. I chose Aztek, but you can see the other designs here. It’s also much easier to put together if you have two (or more) people! We bolted it down to the InstaDeck and decided to install it off to the side, instead of in the center, so we could have multiple seating options! Again, SO HAPPY with the different options that Barrette Outdoor Living gives you, so that you can create your dream space!

Make it safe

Next up was the retaining wall, and returning to my original mission: make the yard safe! We have two massive retaining walls that have always scared me. The drop off is really steep, and it was way too easy to access the tallest drop, which was right next to the stairs leading up to the screened in porch. I chose the RDI Privacy Rail because it was the closest to the Yardzen designs for this space. I also really liked the fact that it would be easy to clean! This is not the typical application for this product but it works great for what we needed it for. We used a hammer drill to drill holes first, then used bolt anchors to secure it. I am so happy with how it turned out, but also how it makes me feel and that is safe and worry free!

The fun part: FURNITURE

I am SOOO glad we did this project. It feels so peaceful and comfy to hang out in this space. We purchased @Polywood furniture. Their cushion set + the Adirondack chairs are perfect for the area.

We had so much fun creating this space and seeing it all come together! We are looking forward to so many amazing memories made out here! Stay tuned @livingononepercent because once spring hits and the grass is green and the landscaping is in. It will look identical to those Yardzen renderings. I can’t wait!

What you will need to live out your Backyard Dreams:

Landscaping/Prep/Tools

Barrette Outdoor Living Products:

Furniture

This post is sponsored by Barrette Outdoor Living.