Sunday, February 8, 2009

Chillin' in Charleston


Our Condo in Charleston, located in James Island is the perfect place for our daughter and two roommates to live while attending Dental School at MUSC. The only drawback was this postage stamp- sized weed filled yard.





No matter what we did to it, the weeds were relentless and the girls had no time to weed and no mower to keep them under control . I racked my brain to come up with a plan as to what to do with this little piece of green. It needed to be pretty much maintenance free and we were hoping to give them a place to relax and to have a meal al-fresco every once in a while.





First step was to get rid of the weeds and lay some top-soil around the circumference of the yard. I was thrilled with the progress at this point, I thought it already looked 100% better!

The gate opens up to a small pond with a nice fountain that the residents share. It's so tranquil and nice to hear the water and see the turtles sunbathing on the rocks.


It's such a nice little area, but seldomly enjoyed because they feared walking thru the knee high weeds of their yard to get out to the back.


Okay, back to the work..
Here, we layed down two layers of weed block plastic... not easy with the wind lifting up the plastic as we were trying to anchor it down.



After a few trips to Lowes for sand and patio blocks, we felt that the yard was finally looking promising. While hubby built the patio, the girls and I planted flowers along the borders.

After mulching and planting, hubby put down the last piece of the puzzle.

Although grass would have looked so much better in this space, we opted for mulch so that the girls wouldn't have to worry about mowing. The little round stepping stones were added to break up the mulch and also to save bare feet as they made their way to the gate to enjoy the pond outside.


After one and a half days of work, the patio was ready to be enjoyed...




It didn't take long for them to get their suits on and enjoy their little backyard paradise!





Even Duchess appoves...


Please enjoy more transformations at Susan's Blog: Between Naps on the Porch !

51 comments:

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Ohhh! Great transformation Rose!! And today was the perfect day to enjoy it!!!...Debbie

Anonymous said...

Hi Rose! Looks like someone was really working hard and the girls were getting all warm!! Looks great!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Four Paws and Co said...

Rose, What a wonderful transformation and made even more special by spending family time doing it! Beautiful job! Duchess and the girls look happy as a bunch of clams. ♥ Diane

janet said...

fantastic, now they have a great place to hang out and lounge, and yard work is a difficul task to take but pay off is wonderful
thanks for sharing
janet

Megan {The Brick Bungalow} said...

Nice job! Cute puppy! :)

Susan (Between Naps On The Porch.net) said...

Rose...this turned out great! I've always wanted to buy some pavers and do this in an area of my back yard. I know the girls are loving it! Congrats on a beautiful renovation! Great vision for that area! Susan

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Rose it looks great! Not only do you have a great patio now...but some wonderful memories to go along with it!

Susan

Anonymous said...

Now that was a great idea for this space! It really looks nice and so usable now! Well done...

xinex said...

Wow! That's what I call fabulous transformation, Rose! I am sure the backyard will get a lot of use now...Christine.

Four Paws and Co said...

Hi Rose, Drop by for a visit when you have a chance. I'm having a giveaway. ☺

Diane

Lynda said...

I love it!! Such a great backyard to enjoy.

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

What a difference you made in that little yard and I bet those young gals are really enjoying it! Cindy

~♥~ Monica S said...

WOW!! What a great job you did with that backyard!! :-) How fun for the girls!

Monica

Linda (Nina's Nest) said...

What a wonderful use of that area! It's hard to imagine the before picture now, isn't it?! Linda

Jewel Sauls said...

That is a great metamorphosis! What a nice area now, compared to the weeds before! :D Jewel

Candy said...

What sweet parents you are. Lovely change.
Candy

Justine said...

Holy cow, that's a lot of work you did there for those girls. I sure do hope they appreciate it! It looks soooooooooooo much better, and I bet they're getting a lot of use out of it!

Justine :o )

bj said...

Oh, my, it looks great, Rose. I know the girls are really enjoying it !!
xo bj

Midlife, menopause, mistakes and random stuff... said...

Awww.......aren't you great parent's to do something so lovely and special for your daughter. This is really a touching post. I loved it. Thanks for sharing!!

Steady On
Reggie Girl

Tardevil said...

That turned out nicely, and hopefully SNAKE-FREE! :OD

DesignTies said...

Great idea to get rid of the grass in the little yard. Easy maintenance is always a good thing!!

I'm sure your daughter and her roomies enjoy soaking up the rays there!! :-)

Kelly (one half of DesignTies)

Helen said...

EVERYONE benefits from this transformation .... so much hard work went into it. Hope you get to enjoy it from time to time as well. The girls will, I know!

xashee's corner said...

BEAUTIFUL!! Hard work well rewarded!! GREAT job and thank you for sharing such WONDERFUL inspiration! :D hope you have a GRAND day!

Cass @ That Old House said...

What a great idea! Those girls are lucky to have such a wonderful place to live during grad school. You did an excellent job in conquering the weeds. Looks grand!

Darlene - Our Creative Life said...

I hear Charleston is such a charming town! Maybe I will get a chance to visit there someday soon!

Thank you for the compliment on my kitchen cabinets!

Take Care
Darlene

Lynn said...

It looks wonderful and I'm sure the girls enjoy it so much more. I would just like one day to sit out in the sun. I am so ready for summer!!!

French Cupboard said...

What a wonderful thing for you and your husband to do. It turned out nicely. Your daughter and roomy now have a relaxing place to unwind and enjoy. This looks like a great place to kick back and even do some studies. Great job. Steve-French Cupboard

Steph said...

Lucky girls! That is the perfect solution. It looks great.

Kat said...

What a great idea! I'm sure the girls appreciate the maintenance free aspect, and how nice for them to have a pretty place to relax. Lucky that they have that pond right outside the gate, what a fun place! Kathy

Rechelle ~Walnuthaven Cottage~ said...

That looks great. Small changes made such a huge impact. I'm sure the girls really enjoy it!

Jill said...

Hi Rose! The patio looks great! I am sure the girls will get a lot of use out of it! That was so nice of you and your husband to do this for them so they can be worry and weed free!

Bo said...

Hi Rose...your baby is so lucky to have y'all for her mom & dad..
now, be sure to remind the girls they must water those pretty flowers!LOL... This transformation not only looks great, but it is perfect for young college girls!
;-) Bo

Anonymous said...

Hard work with a great result. I can understand why you wouldn't put down grass, you made good choices in this transformation. Nice privacy for sunbathing!



Kathy b

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Rose, this was a great idea! The area really is almost to small to make it worthwhile to have a lawnmower. This way it looks pretty and gets used! Your daughter (I guess that's her with the sweet puppy) is so pretty. I know she and her roomate are enjoying it. laurie

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

what a wonderful transformation Rose. I'm sure the girls enjoy it a whole lot more now..lol.. no weeding or mowing. thanks for the visit on Sunday...hugs ~lynne~

nikkicrumpet said...

What a brilliant solution for the spot. And it should be very low maintainance...just a little water on the flowers and they have their own spot to soak up the sun. What a great job!

The Bliss Journey said...

Thank you for stopping by and saying hello. The backyard turned out great. It looks like everyone was enjoying the space, even your cute little doggie.
Kathleen

The Bliss Journey said...

Thank you for stopping by and saying hello. The backyard turned out great. It looks like everyone was enjoying the space, even your cute little doggie.
Kathleen

~CC Catherine said...

Great Makeover on that outdoor backyard to a lovely patio area. Wonderful for anyone to enjoy! Super Meta Monday! ;) ~CC Catherine

Four Paws and Co said...

Rose, You're so funny! Guess I should have waited for 58 posts since I'll be 58 on Sunday! ☺ Diane

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Hey Rose! How about a GA bloggers lunch! Isn't that a great idea? We are all putting notes on our sidebar...I copied and altered it from Susan's. Will you put one? It's at La Madeleine on Roswell Road on Monday March 2nd at 11:00 AM. I hope you can come...I surely would love to meet in person!...Debbie

Anonymous said...

Charleston is beautiful if I lived there I would never stay in my backyard. I would always be out taking in the beautiful sites.

Anonymous said...

Oh and I forgot to say...the patio look great.

Bo said...

Hi Rose...about Poms...when they are puppies their hair is very fine & they seem to shed constantly. It's almost like cobwebs...LOL...but when they get their adult coat, when they do shed it's little tufts. My DH grooms our 3...a poopy trail in back & cat's paw feet & that's about it: however, in the summer we cut all of their hair super short except face & tail. The worst place for matting is behind the ears, but I try to keep that brushed out. I think these Poms are the smartest dogs I've ever had. I can say, "Get in your bed"...& zoom...
away they go...they were very easy to house train and the boy dog we had neutered at 5 1/2 months & he does not mark his territory & squats like a girl to tinkle...They are so sweet natured & LOVE being cuddled. Let me know if you decide to get one. Bo

Lisa said...

Oh my heck! I've mentioned before that I'm from Charleston, but I grew up on JAMES ISLAND!! In Fort Johnson Estates! I love that place. When my parents built our home, we found bullets and pieces of cannon shell and Indian arrowheads...
We could look across the street and see the ships coming in. Lots of Navy ships then, lots of container ships now. What a beautiful place.
By the way, really enjoyed the backyard. I'm hankerin for more patio space myself.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness! You did a wonderful transformation and the girls are so lucky to now have such a nice place to soak up that Charleston sunshine. I have to admit that your Charleston pictures made me HOMESICK. Both my husband I grew up in Charleston and most of our family still lives there. We now live in upstate SC. Oh, one of our daughters also lives on James Island in a condo while attending Charleston School of Law. It's a great location! I have enjoyed reading your BLOG so much and ran across it while ready other decorating blogs. You are a talented and inspiring lady!

Cathy (Lowcountry Girl)

Lisa said...

My second time on today! I forgot to respond to your question. I joined Weight Watchers and it totally worked. I should work for them! I love that program, even though I was so skeptical and I was determined not to clap! But that first day when people raised their hands to say they had lost 5 pounds I was the first clapping- that's a big deal anyday! By the way- I don't admit it to just anyone, but I lost 76 pounds!!! That was too much so I gained a little back to decide where where was the best weight for me. There you go! You asked! Have a great day! Oh- tonight's menu- cheese grits. The 50 pound weight limit on luggage is killing me!

Anonymous said...

Hi Rose. Yes, I did. She told me me about it today. I'm excited. Thanks for letting me know though.

Anonymous said...

sigh, what a fabulous transformation, I really enjoyed seeing this, but then I guess I am a sucker for any kind of project!

I an imagine the hard work, though you've inspired me to get off my backside and get going on a little area to the side of the cottage that needs some elbow grease!!

Sarah

Michele said...

Hi Rose ~ what a great transmormation! Love how it turned out!

Hugz,
michele

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

What a wonderful transformation! And alot of hard work too...I love that everyone pitched in and helped!
Penny