Patio Progress: Using Our Feet

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Since it's Monday, I figure I can distract you from work with an update on the front of the casa.  We've been really getting into the fix-up-the-outdoors spirit lately, and one of our biggest pet peeves about the front of the house was this outhouse style covered patio (original whiny post here):

I imagine the last owner wanted more privacy or something, but we are not like that last owner at ALL - so this thing had to go.  It started innocently, we went outside to do some basic yardwork, and as it always tends to go, we got majorly distracted.  Before you know it, we were kicking (yes, KICKING) the semi-rotten patio walls down.  It. Felt. AMAZING.

***UPDATE: See the finished patio here***

Our original plan (seen here if you are just joining us) was to maybe cut the wall in half, make a decent banister and a semi-enclosed patio.  Nope.  We just through it all out the window and decided to make a pergola-like structure, which completely by accident, now looks as if we have a front door!  Please folks, if anything, let this post inspire you to tackle these seemingly intimidating projects around your home.  This was WAY easier than we thought, and I wonder why we didn't do it first!

OK, let me show you the progress pictures of this rewarding endeavor - lighting was hit or miss that day, so please forgive my photos!

So here's the original horrifying photo:

I swear - this is probably one of the worst things for a house's curb appeal.  A large, enclosed, patio with a broken top.  No one, including us, really knew how to get in this house.  This has got to go!  See inside:

Garbage.  So as we were investigating, looking at how we might go about taking off the pieces... we noticed a few were pretty loose. So we did a push test, then a slightly harder push.....

WHAM! All systems go, tear it down!

As the sun came pouring in, we knew we did the right thing...

I'm glad we didn't go with the half banister. This was not only easier, but it opened it up big time, now we just have to make it pretty.

Which means replacing the top! This stuff, while it's great for keeping an area dry, tends to get old, brittle, and dirty.  Here's your 30-second eviction notice, dirty plastic corrugated rooftop, Get. Out.

So much better! Here's where we were stumped.  The amount of light coming in was amazing, and the whole area felt so open - but what do we replace the old roof with that won't close it in or look ugly? Then we realized - oh - how about we replace it with nothing.  And the pergola project was born.

We don't need a covered patio! It's not like we are down here all the time.  The main living area is upstairs, and we have covered patios up there if we are dying to get outside in the rain.  So all gears shifted to making this a cute lil pergola, and/or a mock entry - which I'll have more details on in an upcoming post, trust me!  The initial plan is to add smaller beams, 2x2's to the top of this existing structure, but in the opposite direction. Oh, and a much needed paint job!

So here's the progress so far:

And the to do list for after (I adore to-do lists):

• Paint the Pergola
• Cut, paint, and add 2x2's along the top
• Paint that door RED! (of course)
• Replace the gold standard tiny light fixture with a cute hanging one.
• Get some plants!

So that's our update. Things are changing quickly around here! What projects are you taking on at your house? Are we the only people who randomly decide to kick down structures? 

Do something different today.

     -Jesse

Up Next: The reveal of the finishing touches to this lil patio...

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