Backyard & Patio UPDATE

It was only a few short weeks ago when I revealed via our Instagram account that the Dosser Duo would FINALLY be getting around to showing some TLC to our backyard and patio.

We didn’t exactly know what this whole makeover idea was going to entail, but again, we knew it was time to do it anyway. Proverbs 16:9, right? “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Steps. Yes, steps! We needed steps in our backyard. Surrounded with rocks. Lined by bricks. A rock garden. We needed a rock garden! And plants, the kind Marissa (me) will have a hard time killing. With those plants we needed pots to host them. Chairs to anchor them. Pillows to comfort them. A side table to hold the wine glasses, and topiary wreaths to spice up the storage shed. And all in a matter of days….I mean weeks….this sad little slice of our backyard has now become a cheery space. Here are some more pictures from the progress, and one of me testing out our wheelbarrow turning radius at Home Depot. Clever, I know. Aside from the finished product reveal picture, my ultimate favorite is the stylish laborer in the tube socks and work boots.

After finishing the rock garden, we turned our attention to our back patio. Equally as sad and uninspired, this patio had great intentions that needed to be expanded on. With the help of friends, J built a beautiful overhead cover for the space months ago. But truthfully and sadly, I then left the space untouched….until now. Check out where started from:

And now we’re here:

If I was going have a covered patio, then I wanted to create spaces that we could use the heck out of. We love entertaining and having our friends over, so first priority was ample seating. Comfort seating. Couch seating, even. One that we made with cinderblocks, no less! 

Then we needed an area to prep our meats and veggies for the grill. I shared my secret on our social media pages regarding this already, but this area was made possible with the help of a Home Depot work bench. For $60 bucks we got the guy home, threw some weatherproof stain on him, and set him up for kitchen prep shop. Yes, yes, we could have easily built one for ourselves. But with a long list of custom orders already on our plates, we decided to forge on with a pre-made table that I could get home and style within seconds. Becauseeeeee, I'm always antsy do that that, yo.

After grilling is done, there needed to be a place to chow down. We all gotta eat, tater! I revamped this Craigslist castoff with some white exterior paint, threw some chairs around it, and called it a day.

That is until I realized we needed a space for our bebidas…aka dranks. The little corner nook next to the door leading from the kitchen seemed like the appropriate spot. Picked up this small Galvanized table (rust resistant) and slid it under a sign that was from our wedding day decor. 

I really liked the way the area was taking shape, but thought it could use a couple of plants to warm it up a bit. Did I just say plants again? Let’s pray the Miracle Gro Gods are in my favor.

In addition to the greenery and rose bushes, we also added some string lighting and lanterns that I found on clearance.

Overall, it took us about 2-3 weeks to wrap up the space. Still have plans to do some curtains under the patio, lay more sod in the backyard, and apparently (as requested by my husband) we are adding an outdoor TV in the near future. But until then, you can find me over yonder prepping our veggies like it's going out of style. We hope you enjoy our updated space! Come see us!