Quick & Affordable Patio Makeover!

When I planned out how I was going to budget for large-scale house projects I didn’t plan on investing much into the patio this year. I knew we’d need to add an HVAC system this spring, finish the second bathroom in the fall, and hopefully completely gut the kitchen this time next year, so it just wasn’t a priority. The backyard needs a pretty serious overhaul. It needs to be regraded to make it safe, and existing “deck” needs to be ripped out, and I need to fence a third of it so Abby can be safely let outside off leash. That’s a whole summer’s worth of work.

Ryan, Abby, and I all love spending time outdoors but we live near lots of restaurants with great patios and we had plans for camping and cottage weekends, visits to my parents boat, and a couple trips. Now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, all those things are suddenly off the table.

For our sanity, I really hoped to pull together some comfortable outdoor space but I needed to do it on a budget! Also since the backyard itself isn’t ready yet, I decided to make a small patio area off the side of our house, using the gorgeous gate my family built while we were on vacation in the fall as the backdrop. We don’t normally open this gate so we can place furniture in front of it and move it if we really need to. The other problem was that the backyard was housing all of the garbage we pulled out of the housing during the reno and I couldn’t take it to the dump in my car. My incredible parents & sister came down with a pickup truck and cleared it all out for us no-contact style while we were self-quarantining. (They also brought us tons of food and it was all delicious!)

I had a few things to work with, primarily an awesome fire table we were gifted as a housewarming gift by some of my family that we couldn’t wait to use! We also had a small bistro table and chairs my parents gave me as a hand-me-down a few years ago when they got new outdoor furniture, an outdoor stool from Michaels, and an outdoor rug I’d been using on my balcony at my apartment.

I searched around for a minimal and affordable loveseat and chairs to make a conversation area (even if the only people we’re having conversations with right now are each other and our dog). These ones from Lowe’s turned out to be the best option because you could buy the pieces individually so I could skip the coffee table which we didn’t need. The seat cushions were affordable and available in 4 different colours. In total, I only spent $200 on the loveseat and two chairs as well as the navy seat cushions for each.

I didn’t want to spend a penny more than that on the rest of the makeover so I had to get creative. I recovered my old patio cushions in an old shower curtain I wasn’t using anymore, and gave the outdoor stool a fresh coat of paint with some leftover spray paint from my dining room lamp. I hung this old battery-operated pendant light above the table on a bracket I salvaged from the basement workshop, and then strung up our Christmas lights around the perimeter.

It’s definitely not fancy but it’s really cozy and it’s taking away some of the sting of not being able to do anything else outside for now! We have space to eat out here as well as hang out, and the fire table means we can even enjoy it on cooler spring days. Also Abby is absolutely thrilled when we hang out in the yard with her, so it’s kind of a win-win.

The pitcher is filled with my favourite summer-time pitcher drink, introduced to us by our friends Ben & Morgan, gin thyme lemonade! Basically when you’re mixing up your simple syrup just infuse it with a whole lot of thyme, and then mix up your lemon juice, thyme simple syrup, and water. Gin can be added to the pitcher or to each glass! Also, find yourself a partner who likes the same lemonade ratio as you - way too much lemon juice.

This is quickly becoming my favourite place to spend time and I’m so grateful for all the help and for the amazing housewarming gift that let me do this entire project for $200!