House Tour - Outside Refresh

When will we get tired of having some outdoor space to call our own? I'm not sure we ever will. The past month we've been taking advantage of the nicer weather to get things all pretty for the spring/summer. I've shared about the location and area amenities back in the fall (see here) but this is a peek of our "yard" spruced up for the season.

Mandy wanted to put window boxes on the balcony in Kip's room. The balcony is small and not really usable but it faces the street so window boxes are a nice addition. Of course it's impossible for me to get a good photo of them from the ground but this is from inside Kip's room.

 

And a close-up:

Would you believe those are all fake? Faux flowers and greenery make for easy maintenance and they don't attract bees (well if they do they fly away sooner). Mandy worked at several flower shops in high school/college so she know her way around arrangements and picking flowers that don't look fake. I love the little extra happy it adds to the front of the house. She did a really nice job.

For the balcony in Dan and my bedroom, it is much larger and usable. So I scrubbed it down and added a runner outdoor rug and Dan and I strung some bistro lights from the ceiling. I asked my mom for a glider bench for Mother's Day to put in our garage. She accidentally ordered two and one of them fit on the balcony! Right after we got everything set-up, the pollen dropped from all the trees and the balcony was covered in a layer of yellow powder and tree bud caterpillars. So, I had to clean it up again. But, now I've learned for next year to wait until after the pollen drops. Then Dan drilled some holes in the siding so I could hang some fern plants. I love how everything turned out! 

I'm hoping we can manage (or I can tolerate) the bug situation and take advantage of this space. Maybe for coffee and quiet time or for Dan and I to enjoy in the evening with the lights after the kids are in bed. 

In the back "yard" we have a tiny patio. Most of the homes in the community have decks but our building doesn't. We face the entrance to the large park and have a line of trees. We put the grill, grill cart, and small patio table out there. Even though there is a landscaping service, they don't do much for our struggling grass back here. There are a lot of tree roots and rocks which is making it hard for good grass to grow. Mandy is trying what she can and it's a learning process for all of us. And grass is growing!! This space gets great shade in the morning hours and is bright and sunny in the afternoon. Perfect for the water table play! 

One week later and the grass is filling out much more!

Mandy planted some small boxwood bushes in between the trees to hopefully grow a better barrier with the street. She also added flowers along the steps and some hanging baskets. It looks SO nice back there.

Mandy also added flower pots to the porch and the front of the house. Cute little lantern lights line the walkway too. Mandy has worked so hard and made everything so nice and pretty. I love all of it. Thank you Mandy!!

 

 

We plan to freshen the paint on the front door, add a kick plate, and we're working on getting the HOA to install a railing along the steps. The railing install was supposed to happen yesterday but the guys never showed up so I'll have to share that later.

We are really grateful that this community has so much mature landscaping that really makes everything green and lush and beautiful. But it's also nice to add our own touches as well and Mandy loves a good project. Great job Mandy!!