The Cottage Patio

You might remember how the old patio at the cottage used to look.  Though it was sort of cute, it was falling apart.

There is still a lot of work to do but this is where we are as of today.  We rebuilt the back porch and added cement steps. The steps are smaller which makes for more patio room. We added a whole new balcony too.  The old one was not usable because it was in horrible shape.  For the first time ever, my daughter and the chef can sit out there and enjoy the view.  He is a star gazer and bird watcher so it is a perfect spot for him. I picked up these wrought iron brackets from Charlestown and added them under the balcony to carry the cottage theme over from the rear screen doors.

 This is what the old patio looked like.  You can see the bowing in the wall and how much room was taken up by the dirt border.  We've eliminated that area and added stone pavers and will do our plantings in beautiful pots.

We got rid of the funky statue too. We found it a good new home.

 There isn't much room to work in these small city lots. the work area is also the storage area.

 Here it is almost complete but covered in sand and dust. We kept the tree which will be wonderful when it leafs out.

Here it is today after some rain.  I like how the brick pattern works with the fence.  We are planting a sea of forsythia behind the back fence so there will be a wall of yellow each spring and a wall of green through fall.  I love forsythia in the winter too when it's covered with snow.  It will also block out the view of the closest homes.  We bought some really cool patio furniture and will be stringing lights from the front to the back. I can't wait to decorate it.  I'll post more as it progresses.