Outdoor Deck Porch & Patio Season Is Here
It is officially the start of outdoor deck, porch, and patio living season here in South Carolina. Looking at the national news, I know for many in the northern sections of the country and Canada – winter has returned with a major slow moving snowstorm… sorry, :-)
I hope this post helps you see that spring is happening in the south and will be moving north soon.
The calendar says spring, so does the high 70’s degree weather with crystal clear blue skies around the lake.
The last few days my mailbox has been stuffed with home decorating catalogs… Serena & Lily, Frontgate, Ballard Designs, Pier 1, and Pottery Barn.
…that are filled with the newest and prettiest outdoor furniture and accessories. Thoughts of decorating patios, porches, and decks with the beautiful furniture, coupled with the beautiful weather tells me the warm weather season is here.
Yesterday was so nice outside, it was hard to get any work done inside. So instead of fighting my urge to be outside, I gave in. I decided to round up some of the decorative items I like to use outside to give our lakeside deck some style. I like to make the most of the deck while keeping comfort and function in mind and… it all has to be low maintenance!
I thought I would share a few things that I added to the deck, along with one big project that has happened along the lake shore. I also have an update about painting the exterior of the house.
There are no jaw dropping changes on the deck. I just brought out the items we use on a daily basis and when we entertain on the deck.
I bought and planted pink and purple Vinca to get six of the barrel-style flower planters started again with summer color. The other six planters have Wandering Jew or Mums planted in them that come back every year, so I only had to add vinca to the remaining six planters.
I also made a list of a few items I will need to buy to replace a few older items that have served us well, but are worn… like this doormat. I have four – one in front of each sliding glass door on the deck.
They used to look like this the first summer we lived in the house back in 2016…. so colorful and pretty. They held up well in spite of being out in the elements 24/7.
I am still searching for budget friendly doormats to replace them. So far, I do like this white and navy Cabana stripe one the most, but I am still searching.
The worst of the spring pollen is over (it can get really bad here – a thick coat of yellow on everything). Good news is that a steady rain earlier in the week cleared the yellow coat. Then Ed and I hosed everything around the outside of the house down to remove the residue. We can finally sit down outside without getting yellow pollen all over us.
With the surfaces free from pollen, I could put out a few pretty items on a metal outdoor sideboard that was a hand-me down from our previous house.
The metal outdoor sideboard was green when we inherited it. I sprayed it with Rustoleum Hammered Brown 5 years ago and I have to tell you that the paint finish has held up amazingly well… as in WOW! that is good paint.
I used the same spray paint to update an outdoor dining set at the same time. It also still looks great.
I was going to bring out the twig vase I made, but decided I like that better in the fall. To find some new items to decorate, I went up to my attic decor stash and brought down a few “nature-looking” items to add some pretty to the metal sideboard.
- I bought the outdoor copper clock from the Frontgate catalog about 5 years ago. It is no longer made, but they do have a similar one now. I also found this similar and slightly smaller clock.
- The lantern I have had for years is no longer available.
- The citronella candle is from last summer’s TIKI line.
- The white ceramic planter is from a florist flower delivery I once received. The 12″ diameter faux topiary sphere is from HomeGoods. I also found a 15″ one.
Exterior House Painting Update
It is also official that the exterior of my house is going to be painted!!!
I don’t have a date yet, but it is going to be soon. I am excited to get the project started. I have been thinking, planning, and gathering ideas for this project since we first moved into the house. This will be our 4th summer here. I do have a plan all drawn out. I will share a lot more on getting the house painted and other exterior updates we are going to make with you soon.
A Big Project We Had to Do Along the Lake
The lake level is dropped every winter to kill lake weeds so that in the spring, summer and fall the water is crystal clear. We took advantage of the lower lake level this winter to complete some major work on one section of our shoreline.
This was a big and expensive project that we could not postpone any longer. One that we could not do ourselves. We had to hire a pro to install – Riprap – not shiplap, but riprap. :-)
Photo taken of lake shoreline when water level was down over the winter.
The sprinkler head you see in the above photo used to be way out in the water. When we first moved into the house I always wondered why there were two lawn sprinkler heads about 16 feet out in the water on either side of the gazebo.
At the time I thought they must have been used as a decoration, you know like a “Waltzing Water Show”. I kid you not – I was clueless why anyone would put sprinklers that far out in the water. I also thought that since lake water is used to water the lawn, that it had something to do with the lawn watering system.
I soon learned that our lawn used to be out past those sprinkler heads. Since our property is on a point of land with water on 3 sides, the front shoreline takes a beating from waves, boat wakes, and wind.
Ed moved the sprinkler heads 2-feet in from the water last summer. As you can see in the photo, the sprinkler head is again no longer on the lawn since the waves have eroded the shoreline about a foot from last year.
Hello Riprap.
If we wanted to still have property on the lake side of the house in ten years, we needed to add riprap to armor our shoreline to stop erosion.
As an added feature, we had stone steps added allowing us to easily walk into the water from this area of the yard.
I like it and one bonus I didn’t foresee. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks is louder than when it hit the lawn – which is music to my water-loving soul. :-)
Is the weather springlike at your house yet? Have you started any decorating on your porch, patio, deck or outside living space?
