Backyard Patio & Garden Reveal

A Backyard Oasis Meets Budget With DIY Projects

If you've been following along, you know that we've been working on a Backyard Pizzeria & Garden.

We don't typically get much rain and though it's been much needed in our region, it definitely altered the schedule of what was already tight to begin with. Essentially every week brought rain, which either delayed work progress or made photo taking near impossible. That said, we are still in progress on the pizza station project, but I'm thrilled with how the rest of the backyard renovation has come together!

There's nothing like a BEFORE shot to remember how far it's all come!

I wrote about our DIY water feature, as well as the DIY sectional sofa, but weather permitted me from getting a blog post out about the DIY dining table we made. We used cedar for the legs and frame and utilized an old chalk board that my mom chalked on as a child. My grandparents had saved it from an old school house. It has some wear and tear, and I'm not sure I'll be able to restore it back to perfect, but I think the scuffs actually adds some charm!

A detail that I worked into the sofa is "side tables". I wanted to have a place to set a glass while the firepit is in use. The slat wall behind the sofa conceals the garbage and recycle bins.

I have 2 of 3 raised beds planted with vegetables that I sowed from seed indoors early this year. I'm utilizing the "square foot garden method" for these beds. It's a method that maximizes the amount of vegetables that can be grown in a small space. I plan to share more about my gardening adventures in the future, so stay tuned!

We graded the yard to achieve better drainage, but that meant that the near surface roots of the tree would likely interfere with the sod we laid. To remedy this, I added a bed around the tree. I really dislike weeding, so I utilized landscape fabric and rock to hinder weed growth. I didn't want to lose the ability to grow nutritious food, so I dug out holes for plant pots and planted my veggies that need a lot of space (squashes, watermelon, etc.) here. The flowers planted in the pots above are 4 o'clocks and are known to deter the Japanese Beetle.

We added another raised bed adjacent to the dining table. Here I've planted raspberry and blackberry. I will likely add a trellis in the future. I've never grown berries, so I'm looking forward to a sweet summery harvest!

As much as I'm enjoying the daylight time spent outside, I think the real magic starts when the sun goes down and the lights come on.

Lastly, I can't wrap up this reveal without any signs of pizza. We are enjoying making fresh homemade pizza in our pizza oven, which is currently on a make-shift stand. I cant wait to get the pizza station completed to finalize this project! Be sure to subscribe to our blog so you won't miss out on the fun ahead and follow along on Instagram!

* This phase of the backyard project is in conjunction with the One Room Challenge, sponsored by Apartment Therapy. This is an 8 week challenge that brings expert level and brand new designers and DIY'ers together to encourage each other on, while completing a room renovation. You can check out other inspiring projects from designers participating in the ORC by clicking here.