Back of the House: Then & Now
When I first got my house the front wasn't so bad, but the back was an absolute disaster. After priming the siding the previous owners never actually painted so the wood wasn't protected and was rotting in some places. It looked terrible, like a condemned haunted house.
Right after I bought the house in September 2007, I prioritized having the rotten wood replaced and painting the house before winter came so that there wouldn't be any more deterioration to the siding and trim. I continued my chosen house color scheme of pale yellow with white trim and dark teal accents. Also, that fall the kitchen window (bottom left) and my scrapbook window (top left) were replaced with new, large double casement windows which gave me a lot of light inside while also making things look more uniform from the outside. 
That was the extent of what I accomplished in the back of the house before I moved to Japan and I didn't do much else until the summer of 2010 when I had a large half circle patio put on the back of my house. With the patio in the back I also had to have the gutter reconfigured so that the downspout ran down the side of my house instead of the middle of the back. That summer I also built myself some patio furniture but I never got around to painting it or making cushions for it. Last summer I focused on the front of my house and my herb garden so I didn't do much in the back so right now it looks pretty much the same as summer 2010 back there.
Long term, I have some grand plans for the back. I want to add a planter bed around the patio and fill it will boxwood and annuals. That may need to wait for a bit, but this summer I definitely want to paint the concrete foundation around my house a pale grey and then paint my patio furniture white. I also want to finish up making the cushions for my furniture so that I have a comfortable lounging spot back there.
Do you have any plans this summer for the back of your house? Have you recently completed any big projects back there?
Monday, April 9, 2012 at 7:29AM | Posted by Lisa | 4 Comments | Share Article | Email Article | Print Article 
Reader Comments (4)
Both front and back of your home look lovely. Home ownership is one big money pit but also a great source of joy. Neat idea to have the table on rollers. What colour for the cushions? My spring & summer project at home is going to be reviving the lawn - the big maples suck the very life out of it but how can I be mad at them, they provide such great shade in the summer. Finding that trade off ......
What a difference you've made with the back of the house. I really like the half-round porch. Once I am able to get back to Tennessee I want to build a new porch on the back of my house. I see so many ideas I want to incorporate into my home through pinterest. It makes me very homesick.
It looks like I will probably be here in CT for another year so I am starting to plan a small garden in the backyard. Tomatoes and basil are all I've really thought about so far...haha. The end of the school semester is rapidly approaching and I look forward to time off to contemplate the mini garden.
I never saw your house before hand, but wow it's come a looong long way! Looks great! Also, your neighbors must love you!
You did a great job painting too because all the windows look like they've been replaced!
Mary-Lou- Thank you! The wheels on the table are very convenient. I am planning on making the cushion covers teal to match the trim on my house. I have the fabric and the outdoor foam - I just need to get to work!
Rene- Thank you so much! I know from when I was living in Japan and had my house back in the US it is hard to live in a rental when you have a home somewhere else. I've had little gardens at several rentals before that have worked out well. Good luck with the end of the semester.
Sylwia- Thank you! I think that my neighbors appreciate that I have fixed up the house but they could do without the noise of my power tools.