Our Backyard Oasis DIY

Peter and I just moved in 5 months ago and have already been tackling a lot of projects! Projects such as installing new flooring, getting carpet replaced, painting walls and interior doors. We wanted to take advantage of the warm weather and tackle one big outdoor DIY project before winter arrives! We want to enjoy the company of friends and family outdoors as long as we can which means we needed a cozier sitting area and a heat source.

Our outdoor area was lacking a sitting area around the fire pit, lighting, an area to eat comfortably, and the list goes on! We did this area within a week! Below is what we did.

 

BEFORE:

Here is how the area looked before we started. A lonely fire pit with random rocks scattered and limbs everywhere. 

First, we re configured the fire pit to something a little smaller (it was massive), added a little entryway path by gathering all of the random rocks. 

Next, to the right hand side we added logs to frame out the mulch area, then adding playground mulch. Talk about a workout.... We got 3 loads of mulch, and shall you ask how we did that? Thank goodness for our 4-wheeler! We shoveled the mulch from our driveway into big garbage bags, stacked them on the ATV and dumped into area... like 10 times! As you can see, there is also a firewood holder that Pete built for a place to keep the wood off the ground. It was super easy to make, he simply used (2) 2x4's which were bolted into each tree.

We thought it'd be so fun to add an area for extra seating, eating, playing games etc. So we found a picnic table through Lowe's which we put together, then stained and put a protective coating on so that it will be long lasting. 

While Peter was working on the picnic table, I decided to transplant what felt like a thousand ferns and add them to each side of the entryway! Though it sucked getting poison ivy from wondering around in the weeds, it was totally worth the end result! We then also added tiki torches along the entry pathway, which made a world of a difference as it not only added fantastic ambiance, but it felt so much more inviting to the whole area!

The best was saved for last, the string lights! First thing is first, durability! To make sure these lights were going to stay up during all weather, we placed a heavy duty suspension kit for the entirety of the light strands. Each cable was attached to a clamp on each tree surrounding that area. We then attached the light strands to the wire cable using zip ties for convenience. I was shocked at how much these lights lit up the whole area! By far one my favorite additions to the fire pit oasis!

The finishing touches were adding Adirondack chairs with a side table, some plants and lighting décor! I found a good selection of plants from home depot, and a cute set of citronella candles/tikis from ACE hardware! The planters I already had at home, but I did go spray paint happy on them!

All in all this space met my vision I had for so long! It was hard hard work, but totally worth it! We are so excited to host friends and family here. While we have had a super hot and sticky summer, we weren't able to enjoy it like we had hoped for, but fall is right around the corner!

Thanks for reading friends!!!!

Posted: 08/01/2021