Backyard Update

This door knob was brushed stainless...

The backyard project is coming to a close, I promise! If I get some decent weather and daylight, I will take some pics of the daybed to share with you guys. As the big stuff is checked off the list, we are now working on all the little stuff. The last 10% that always seems to take up 80% of the project timeline. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

Unable to get the lights we wanted in time, we choose some inexpensive temporary lights. When I say inexpensive, I mean really inexpensive!

Canarm Brushed Pewter Light - Home Depot $11.97
Canarm Brushed Pewter Light – Home Depot $11.97

A far cry from the copper ones of my dreams, but I do like their cage, and for a temp option, I think they’re gonna rock. They are ready to go up, but we ran into some issues. Our outdoor light boxes are an European size. The guy who previously owned our home installed so many European things (like the cable lines which are made from some weird sized coax, that no one in Canada sells connectors for.) With our Euro light box, the North American light doesn’t fit. (The screws don’t line up). We picked up some adapters at Home Depot. So hopefully that will fix it. I don’t really want to go breaking up the plaster and installing a new box.

I also picked up a few decor pieces for the backyard on a whirlwind shopping day this past Sunday with some awesome fellow bloggers. We traveled around the city visiting different Value Villages in some new Ford Explorers. I will have more to share about that next week, but during our thrift tour, I picked up an old chandelier (thinking about turning it into a candelabra) and a piece of decor for the backyard.

Chandelier sourced from Value Village
Chandelier sourced from Value Village

El Granto and I have still not agreed on a back door color, so for now, they are staying grey. The door handles however are getting an update. Here’s the back story: We purchased all new exterior handles when we moved into the storefront. We actually bought a big combo kit from Home Depot with exterior deadbolts and handle sets that all worked with the same keys, it was awesome.
However, three years in, and they were not looking so good. The finish was completely coming off! (It used to be brushed stainless!) I tweeted this pic back in the spring, and spoke with Home Depot Canada about how disappointed I was with the finish.

BustedHandle

Well Home Depot rocked my socks off with their customer service, and replaced the door knob! I know one door knob isn’t a huge deal, but to me it is. They stood behind their products, and I gotta give them big props for that.

This door knob was brushed stainless...
This door knob was brushed stainless…
New replacement door knob. All shiny and new
New replacement door knob. All shiny and new

What else needs to be done?

I need to make a few more pillows for the daybed. Trying to decide between making a few quick square pillows or making some piping and doing it whole hog.

I also really need some outdoor art. I think I need to pick up my paintbrush and some wood and get to work. Although, I really am over the super distressed finish, so I will be aiming for something crisper.

In the gardening department, two of my boxwoods that hide the air conditioner from view up and died on me. (I’m about to give up entirely on boxwoods!) So before reveal photos I need to source some more. Has anyone seen some small ones in the city? I got the original ones at the Loblaws garden center.

Hows the lawn? Clover is proving to not be immune to dog “spots”, and Odin is burning holes in the new lawn. I am a bit disappointed in that, as that was the leading force in planting clover.

Notice the bare/dead spot by the path?
Notice the bare/dead spot by the path?

Perhaps it just needs more time to get hearty? Thankfully Odin seems to have acquired a few favorite spots to do his business, so we are only dealing with a couple areas near the ivy, and one big one by the pathway. Otherwise the lawn is doing great! I can’t tell you how amazing it is to not have a backyard full of dirt, and when it rains; mud.

I would love to knock off the backyard this weekend, but we have big plans. It’s Oktoberfest at Steam Whistle Brewery, and every year we go with our friends. This results in lederhosen, day drinking and a hell of a lot of drinking cheers. This year I’m even going in costume. My little red riding hood Halloween costume is getting re purposed, as little red fraulein. Make sure to follow me on Instagram to see all the pics!

What are you up to this weekend?

Author: Kristen

Kristen & her husband El Granto & their Vizsla Odin live in a converted Storefront in downtown Toronto.

4 thoughts on “Backyard Update”

  1. For the dog spots in the backyard, you may want to create a designated corner. The previous owners of our house had a very large dog and created a corner which looks like an empty garden plot. It was a rectangle covered in mulch. Not the most pretty to look at, but no grass to kill and easy to clean up.

    1. I was faced with the same problem after replacing all my sod in the yard. I took over one underused corner (that was hard to get to to mow anyways) and laid down crushed rock/sand + artificial turf. The dog is now trained to go there and it’s really easy to clean up after (urine can be hosed through the turf). Plus it looks like real lawn – which will be weird in the spring when the real lawn is coming back to life.

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