Good things take time.
I started this backyard renovation a year ago, and now just in time for summer, I finally get to share the finished product with you!
But before we dive in, I have to thank Jeffery Miller and Jonathan Starkey for making this all happen. I’m pretty sure building an outdoor deck out of the kindness of their hearts qualifies them as the best friends ever. I watched them work so hard out in the hot Texas sun, mosquitos attacking them incessantly, just to make my vision come to life. It truly is one of the nicest things anybody has ever done for me. It’s also really fun to have this memory with my best friends, seeing the project through every stage, and now getting to enjoy the fruits of our (their) labor.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane, Shall We?…
This is what my backyard looked like when I first moved in.
On top of being just plain unsightly, the ground sloped in such a way that the yard felt unusable. I used to look out at this view and think, what a small, ugly waste of space.
For a long time I considered laying pavers out on the ground. That’s what most of the neighbors had done and it was where my brain naturally went first.
But I was looking out there one day and realized that the concrete patio was the only part that felt truly usable because it was level. This is when I got the idea: a deck across the whole yard, which would not only create an even level, but it would also eliminate the grass which, let’s be honest, I didn’t need. I’m a millennial with no kids, no pets, and PTSD from a bug infested Brooklyn apartment. No grass = less bugs = happy Regina.
(PS: If you look closely, that’s hardly even grass. It’s mainly weeds. I really wasn’t going to miss it.)
Before we got started on the deck itself, we began to clean up the yard and added some string lights, which I knew I wanted far in advance. I love them for ambience. You can see from the photo below that we removed all of the original mismatched landscaping and put in these boxwoods that were transplanted from someone’s yard who didn’t want them. Unfortunately, they didn’t take and ended up dying, but they were great (and free) placeholders while we worked on the rest of the yard!
Jonathan attaching my string lights from my roof. Don’t try this at home, kids.
I remember feeling so excited about the progress this night. Lighting makes such a difference.
Bradley (Jonathan and Jeffery’s dog) seemed to like it, too.
The next step was pressure washing. The concrete pad and wood fence really needed some TLC.
I find this photo to be very satisfying. You can really see what a difference pressure washing makes. Jeff always talks about enjoying the instant gratification of it, and now I know what he means!
We also pressure washed the perimeter fence, and went over it with a clear protective sealant. It was a simple way to really improve the appearance of the aged wood.
You can really see the line of demarcation between my fence and my neighbor’s to the left.
Not cute.
More than anything, I HATED staring at that terribly ugly concrete wall. It was weirdly stained with sediment that seemed to leak through the wall, the color of the concrete wasn’t consistent, and I just couldn’t imagine any amount of dressing up my backyard that would make me like or even tolerate it.
So I painted it! But not just with any paint - I used a deck-smoothing paint that filled in some of the concrete texture and made everything look much more polished.
At times it felt more like smearing putty around than painting, but the result was worth the effort.
The top right brick that has more texture in this photo has only normal paint on it - just to illustrate what a great job the deck smoothing paint did.
Next, we installed the trellis structure, which involved some concrete screws and rubber-coated wire. Very simple.
We planted the star jasmine vines at the base of our trellis design and wound them through it. It was kind of fun to do, and the vines take so easily to it since they need something to grow onto.
As the vines grew, I periodically stepped outside to ensure they were winding up the wire correctly and guided them in the right direction. Months later, the vines bloomed in the spring and looked like this:
These smelled so incredible. I can’t wait for them to bloom again next year. :)
The Deck
Jonathan was the engineering brains behind the deck, the construction of which involved digging holes to set concrete footings, building out a frame, and then installing supportive beams, all while ensuring everything was perfectly level. It was a laborious process and not even remotely something I’d be able to tackle by myself.
LOL here’s me “helping.”
I chose the widest planks I could find from Home Depot, because I felt that would give the deck a more modern feel. I fully stand by that decision looking at the end product now.
[ For some insights into the hilarity that was transporting all of this wood from Home Depot, check out my Instagram highlight entitled Backyard Beautiful. ]
I wanted to somehow hide the AC unit, so the boys built a fence around it, which has the added benefit of helping to cancel out the noise it emits as well. The fence also provided a space to hide a little storage unit where I can put all of my furniture covers when they’re not in use.
Choosing the deck color was a challenge! I arrived at the current color by trial and error.
You can see the off-white square test patch at the bottom of the deck.
In an effort to try to make this space feel like a continuation of my living room, I first toyed with the idea of painting it light to match my white concrete floors on my first floor. White is a tricky color…because white is never just white. White can be pink, green, yellow (etc) depending on the lighting, and outside where the light changes multiple times a day, I couldn’t nail down one that worked for me. I also eventually admitted to myself that white would be insane to keep clean.
Then I thought I’d try to match my wood fence, because I was afraid of having too many different elements out there. But the stains all kept looking off.
To illustrate what lighting can do to color, these are some stains I tested.
These are the same stains outside.
Eventually, I just went with my gut and picked a rich chocolate brown - because I loved it. The brown makes everything look so crisp out there. I was a little concerned that it was going to look too dark combined with the charcoal grey, but it doesn’t at all. It feels elegant, which is what I was hoping for.
The chocolate brown in direct sunlight.
The chocolate brown in indirect sunlight.
I really had fun painting the deck! I played some music out there and kind of got lost in the back and forth strokes. I then painted the concrete pad the same charcoal grey as the wall, using the same deck-smoothing product. It gave the concrete a more uniform, upscale feel.
And just like that, the hard stuff was complete.
Furniture AKA The Fun Stuff
As I said earlier, I really treated this space as an extension of my living room. I knew I wanted to see a continuation of my black and white color scheme. I envisioned having parties where I opened up my sliding glass doors and experienced it all as one expansive space. I wanted it to be a space that I truly felt compelled to use often, so it was important to me that I stay true to my preferences, and not just choose things because I had some preconceived notion of what an outdoor space “should” be.
Austin is known for its distinctive modern residential design, with clean lines and typically a zero-scaped yard. I wanted to incorporate some of that style while still staying true to my personal tastes. You can see a little bit of ATX flair in the Acapulco chairs, the simple-form end table, and the wire sofa frame. But the black and white palette - that’s all me.
The furniture in the seating area and the dining chairs are all from CB2. The extendable dining table is from Lowe’s, the fire table (and pretty reflective glass rocks) are from Home Depot. The rug is from Grandin Road, and the planters are from At Home. I ordered the topiaries off of Amazon!
It’s now become my favorite place to be. If the weather cooperates, I’m out here at least once a day. It’s so pleasant to get my work done out here (and yes, we ran power to the back corner so there’s a usable outlet by the table).
I feel like I’ve added some serious value to my house, but more than anything, it’s added serious value to my quality of life. Coming out here for a little dose of sunshine in the morning with a cup of coffee, having a glass of wine at night by the fire, or dining outside with my friends - it’s the experiences that I get to have out here now that matter the most to me.
Cheers to an amazing summer, and even more amazing friends!
Xo, RAD
