My husband and I each year try to work on a project around the house.  A couple of years ago we re-did my grandpas old room and turned into our office.  Last year we re-did the kitchen and even worked on the living room.  This year we knew our next project was going to be our back porch and back door!!  They were both in dire need of a makeover.  They were both worn out completely out.  Our back door is the original door that was there when my mom bought this house 24 years ago.  Over the years and many big outside dogs, they tore the crap out of it, luckily the inside wasn’t that bad.  Also the back porch was a project that I was doing years ago and never finished it.  Over the years it wore completely out too and started being dangerous.

Two weekends ago, Joseph and I got excited to start working on it.  The weather was perfect, we were house bound and it seemed like a great idea.  We knew of a place in town that gives away free pallets and a few months ago Joseph came up with the idea from the internet help, how to make a “free” back porch.   Little did he know the vision I had in my head!

We went and got some pallets and there were a few people there before and after us that got some.  On our trip we could only get 11 in our truck and I knew that was an odd number and I didn’t like that, but it ended up being perfect.  We got home and laid it out on the ground how we wanted it and the next day we started.

The first step was too move the old stuff off of our old porch, move it and the bricks it was on and even out the ground.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought, but yet Joseph did most of the work.  We went and got some wood to go over the top and we nailed that all down.  We got the bottom layer done that day, but we were short a few boards. The sky started to look like rain so we ended up stopping there for that weekend.  During the following week I stained the bottom layer and Joseph finished the top layer and then I stained those.

Last weekend we stained it with a second layer and put the top part of the porch on.  Then my head got all full of ideas of what I wanted to do to decorate it.  We went to a few thrift stores and to the hardware store to get a few more things and I started to fall in love.  My aunt lives by the ocean, its pretty much her front yard and when I see her pictures I knew I wanted a tropical theme.  Little did I know that we don’t have the same kind of plants in our dry air compared to the moist air so I had to get creative.

After we decorated I knew that I wasn’t quite done.  I wanted to redo our brick trim that we have with mulch.  We also had all of those stepping stones left and I knew I wanted to incorporate that too.  Joseph told me 100 times that hes not digging holes for each brick, but because hes awesome and trusts my vision, he did and we love it!  We got some solar lights to go out to make it more fun and enjoyable in the evening, another great idea from my aunt!

Some of these pictures that you are going to see below are some I took with my camera and then some are with my phone during the process.  I will try and put them in order.  I plan on as time goes by and the stores open from the Covid-19 to slowly keep adding and make it more cozy and comfortable!  Also if you look at the pink flowers, theres a green plant, that’s Rosemary!!! I love to cook with Rosemary and now I got some!

I hope you like our little project.  We plan on trying to make this house more cozy for the next family that moves in it a year or so.  OH! I also forgot to tell you that we still have the back door to install.  That will probably be for a professional to do, so we plan on getting that done this summer!

It rained a few times while we were building the deck, so you may see it wet and/or muddy!  I also added some pictures of the front of our house and the side of just a little bit of me adding a little more tropical theme, getting it all ready for the summer!