“A lovely big backyard, entertaining area, privacy from the neighbours and a pool – what more does a Queenslander need? Nothing in my opinion! “
the back...
Yes the pool may sit at an awkward height, each pool fence delightfully painted in different colours, the grass full of weeds and the gardens overgrown, but surely you can see past it all. And that’s not mention the lovely array of deteriorating aviaries and green houses featuring pride of place in the backyard. It was going to be fun they said – I most certainly would not have chosen the word fun’, perhaps ‘challenging’ would be appropriate for this enduring project.
a deck fixes everything...
First things first, how do we fix the pool? In my opinion, it was a ‘no-brainer’ and new timber decking would cover all things ugly that needed to be renovated. The random brick pathway, the concrete-clad pool, it’s lovely cream coping tiles and the sloped grassed area would all be covered in gorgeous timber deck ready for summer. For those of you who know my work, red is not my favorite colour, especially red timber! With two coats of my old faithful Cutek CD-50 in walnut stain, the deck transformed to uniform with the solid French Doors.
creating space...
Clearing out the greenhouses and bird aviaries was like clearing out your wardrobe and donating unwanted garments to Vinnies. It felt good and would make a huge difference to the backyard. We had space to play with and all I could envisage was a family BBQ and backyard cricket. With this in mind, I organised a Bobcat to remove basically everything from the existing grassed area and prep the surface for new turf. We created garden beds with lengths of timber and planted Lilly Pillys along the fence line for further privacy. Fresh new couch was laid and the backyard looked a million dollars (and ready for cricket)!
outdoor living in progress...
The outdoor entertaining area was like an ugly duckling longing to become a beautiful swan. Large enough to fit a dining and lounge setting, it had everything going for it with high ceilings, outdoor lighting and a view of both the pool and backyard. It just needed some juzzing! With the addition of a gas strut window and servery, two sets of solid timber French doors and the louvred panel from the kitchen, the area was becoming quite the swan.
danni's hitlist...
Pool Area
- Removed all green pool fencing and existing sloped grassed area.
- Installed Merbau timber decking stained in walnut Cutek CD-50 over the old brick pathway, concrete around and pool, tiled coping and grassed area.
- Added two beautiful garden beds inside and outside of the pool area. One with a feature Magnolia Tree.
- The addition of a timber bench inside the pool area simply for the interest, which could house lovely outdoor cushions and pool towels.
- The new positioning of glass pool fencing allowed two separate areas on the deck – one inside the pool area and one for sun loungers and entertaining.
Back Yard
- Removed the old bird aviaries, greenhouses, concrete slabs and the hills hoist clothesline.
- Bulldozed and flattened the entire space and laid new couch.
- Framed up new garden beds and planted Lilly Pilly’s along the fence line.
- Created a paved area along the side of the house with grey pavers and large stone pebbles. At the end next to the decking is a perfect spot for a fire pit!
- New garden lighting was installed and strategically placed to highlight feature plants near the pool.
Entertaining Area
- Repaired the crooked ceiling and replaced the cornices.
- Removed the timber ramp and handrail to the lounge room.
- Re-tiled the entire area in Metro Tiles Kaleido Cenere stone look tiles (gorgeous)!
- Removed the old fluoro light and replaced with 6 downlights.
- A new solid cedar gas strut window with servery replaced an old aluminium window.
- 2 new solid cedar French doors replaced a large aluminium window to the main bedroom and the sliding door to the lounge room.
- A large cedar louvred panel off the kitchen replaced the original laundry door.
Overall
- Painted the ceiling, posts and trim in 1/4 strength Dulux Lexicon
- Painted the external fencing, architraves, and of course the brickwork by hand, yes by hand… TWICE in Dulux Spirited Falcon.
- Removed the existing carport from the other side of the house.
- Cleaned up all of the gardens, leaving any beautiful feature plants – the ponytails and palms.
The backyard was fun. Fun in a kind of stab yourself in the face kind of way. I think it’s really important for you to know that I broke three spray guns, cracked the absolute “you know what’s” and painted the entire exterior brickwork, with a brush, on my own. Luckily enough, I blackmailed 7 helpers with bacon sandwichs and beer to help with the second coat.
Anyway, the transformation of this particular project is one of my favourites, purely based on the achieved result for our lifestyle purposes. When you consider how Queenslanders spend their time, I feel that I’ve created a functional and inviting space suitable for long summer days and winter nights.
Let me know what you think! See you next time for the Bedroom and Bathroom reveals.
PS: Apologies for the sound on my video – I contemplated not posting it, period, but I feel its important to show the flow of the backyard.
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