A Recycled Backyard Chicken Coop

A Recycled Backyard Chicken Coop

Submitted by Simple Home Loving

Okay!  Names have been chosen by you awesome readers after a quicky 24-hour name voting session (sorry if you missed it!), and we have officially completed stage 1 of the coop-build. Here goes...


Step one: Demolish.

Remember this giant pile of junk in our future chicken coop?  On Mother's Day, Mike completely destroyed it with the giddiness of a school boy (fave line of the afternoon: "Hey Love, wanna see me chuck a brick??!?!").

I didn't get a picture of it all cleared out (DOH), but imagine this space- except with nothing in it.  There ya go :)

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Screened Porch Envy! Outdoor Room

Well, as the weather is turning back to bearable outside, I have found myself hanging out with the whole family in our backyard until dark!  We have been going through a LOT of bug spray, and still have mosquito bites everywhere!

One thing that I miss most about our last house is the screened porch that we had and I would LOVE to have one here.  I used to just leave the door open and let the cats and kids roam in and out as they pleased.  But let's be honest, if our yard was bigger, I have ALWAYS wanted a playhouse studio that I could go and craft in or work... all by myself!  (someday!)

Justin and I have been considering building in a covered/screened porch back there since we moved here and have some ridiculously elaborate plans... that will most likely not happen!  If we did though wouldn't it be nice to have the all season kind of space... yeah, I think so too.  In fact yesterday, we were walking through the little sample sun rooms they have in the parking lots of the big box stores...dreaming... So I thought it would be fun to look at some pretty inspiration shots.

I love how modern these are, and yet the wood makes them feel very warm!  

And I love how the doors open up wide to make it an indoor/outdoor space!

Um... and I really want that house too. The stone one... like I explained here.

 Doesn't the picture above just feel cold?  

I can practically see my breath fogging up, and I think I need some hot chocolate!  

Oh, I can't wait for winter!

 Images of garden rooms

I love all the seating... Wouldn't it be fun to just lounge around in this? 

This space actually looks pretty doable too!  Image source

I love the flowering vine on this one! 

Oh this makes me think of girls camp in Tahoe!

Last few images from Sunset

image source

And this picture has been going around Pinterest for a while.  I love the idea of using recycled windows.

Okay so if you could have a playhouse for yourself, which one would you choose?

Modern?

Traditional?

Vintage?

I wanna know!

Remodelaholic is written by Cassity and Justin. Cassity has a degree in interior design and Justin is a landscape architect, so we adore everything that makes up a HOME! We love to share home remodeling ideas and projects we’re working on. From huge kitchen renovation ideas to small bathroom remodels, there isn’t anything we won’t try to tackle (at least once!). We are in the midst of our third whole home renovation, (check out house 1 and house 2 as well, so there should be a lot more inspiration coming your way. We hope that you will stop by often for home design inspiration, tutorials, interior design tips, delicious recipes and what going on in our family life.

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Getting More Curb Appeal

It is summer right?  Now is the time to get outside!!  Work on your tan (or do like me and wear SPF 75 with a hat!) and fix up the outside of your home.  But sometimes it can be a little overwhelming, most of us don't know where to start.  So, I thought I would try to give you some ideas.

(image source)

1. Clean Up!

First and foremost clean up the trash!

•  Rake up the beds- old leaves 
• Take bulk trash to the dump!  (or donate items that you no longer need that are in good shape!!) 
• Throw away broken items (lights, pots, art)
• WEED!  Get those darn buggers outta your life.

 I am pretty sure that not many of us would willingly look at this house below (unless you are a diamond in the rough sorta person!)  And it may have a LONG way to go before it would be considered, but simply picking up the trash would have made a huge difference (by the way this was a real estate listing!!!).

(image source)

2. Add mulch to your beds.  

This makes a WORLD of difference!  If you've had mulch in the past but it is looking sorta patchy and worn, it really cleans up the beds, and makes them look fresh.

Also, do your edging!  Clean up the edge of any beds with a shovel, or edger and trim out the line.  This is a free way to make your beds look new and cared for! Consider adding an invisible edging that sticks into the ground.  If you are thinking of resale value I would avoid decorative edgings, since peoples tastes differ.

By the way the mulch will help your plants retain water and may help with weeds!  

So mulch = a greener thumb???  Possibly!

(image source)

3. Plant some flowers!

To add color AND fragrance!  A beautiful potted flower arrangement by the front and back door is a great guest greeter (say that 5 times fast) for your home.  If you don't know what flowers to buy, ask for help at your local nursery.  And when in doubt, stick with a monochromatic blossom theme.  It will make your beds and pots look clean and the flowers will always work together.

(image source)

4. Paint your front door and mail box.

This is what my Asheville house door looked like and I think the pictures speak louder than words

(I forgot to take a before of the front door, but the side door was exactly the same besides the doggie door)

Now for the Mailbox before and after:

This was a $3 dollar makeover, and about 20 minutes... just paint it!

(we obviously hadn't added our mulch yet... although we did, soon after that!)

5. Add some cool house numbers

They don't have to be expensive (as proven below!),but house numbers can really add to the style of your home.

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Need some other ideas?

Are you on Pinterest?  Check out my Pinterest account for more great ideas. 

 I even have a board for home exteriors if you just want to see some pretty inspiration there!!

If you need some Realtor leads please check out the link.

Social Retargeting by Chango

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Dinning Out....Outside

Dinning Out....Outside

party highlight by Three Pixie Lane

I love to eat out...

...outside, that is.

The children were out of school on Friday, so we enjoyed the long weekend with perfect, cool weather.

If I had to polish, I would never use this old tray!  I like the patina of the tarnish...or at least, I tell myself that I do!

My 'partner in crime' waits patiently for the steaks.  Toby is our adopted dog.  My husband's uncle passed away last year at the age of 98 and Toby didn't have anywhere to go.  Our lab of 16 years had recently passed away, so we welcomed Toby into our home.  He is now 11 years old and is thebest dog in the world!  Rob's parents drove to Pennsylvania and back to South Carolina to bring Toby to us!

My table is an old door from a farm house that my parents renovated years ago.  My dad was throwing it away, so I snagged it.  It is solid and very heavy!   

Some of the last flowers from summer fill a milk jar next to my swing.

It doesn't take much to make an outdoor spot cozy...just grab a blanket, a couple of pillows, the fresh air...perfect.

I bought the old, rusty chandelier for $15 at a flea market.  It hangs outside year round from a piece of copper wire that has now aged beautifully.

The saw horses were in my husband's shed.  I painted them white, and they serve as the base for this makeshift table.

 The children gathered the weeds and flowers for this little urn.  This little task makes them feel so important!  The centerpiece sits low, so conversation is not hindered.

I think we will use this exact set-up in a few weeks for my brother-in-law's wedding shower.  It offers a hint of fall with the subtle color and apples.

I am just messin' with the camera settings...I have a point and shoot Coolpix L100 for those of you that have asked.  It takes pretty good pictures for this amateur, but I am cravin' a big ol' snazzy one! 

This bench and grain sack float all around our house for extra seating.

Here is a better view of the door...I mean table!

Toby is licking his chops...he smells the steaks!

This antique wooden caddy holds an assortment of vintage-looking flatware.  The placemats came from Blackhawk Hardware in Charlotte, NC.  The quilt on the swing is from the Pottery Barn Outlet many years ago.
~
Enjoy taking your family out to dinner!

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Outdoor Rug Knock-off

Outdoor Rug Knock-off

party highlight by Faith's Place

Check out these rugs from Ballard's Designs.

An 8' x 11' braided outdoor rug just like the one(s) pictures would cost me $699.....

I hope I don't offend anyone, but who in their right mind would spend $700 on an outdoor rug???????

Instead of spending $700, I went to Lowe's and purchased a canvas drop cloth for about $15 and painted stripes on it!!!!

I just measured and taped. Then painted.

I am currently working on sprucing up my back porch, and this custom "rug" added a nice touch to it!!

I realize this is not close to the quality of a $700 rug from Ballard's.....but it works for me.  I spent less than $20 on this rug, so if it gets dirty it won't stress me out.  Think about the stress you would go through if you were trying to keep a $700 OUTDOOR rug clean....

I'm still working on my back porch, so check back soon to see what else I am doing out here!!!

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