The Outdoor Project!

Our family loves basketball. Of course we have a adjustable hoop on the driveway. We had a hoop that hung on the rail in our great room (23 ft ceiling) but after the boys basketball team come over, I noticed that the wood of the rail was getting bent. So no more basketball in the house. We installed the hoop so that we can play on the large lower deck. (37x15) But no dunking allowed!

Cedar pathway from the grass to the stone patio which leads to the deck (below, left)

 Homemade picnic table and bench from leftover materials. I used leftoever Trex for the tabletop and leftover exterior trim for the trim work. Sanding will smooth the screw holes and the trim can be painted any color. (above, right)

I put up rails along the deck walkway that goes from the bottom of the stairs to the beginning of the lower deck. (left)

Because our drain field is so extensive we can't dig down more than 12 inches in any spot. So we decided to go with a metal play set rather than the wood play set we would have preferred aesthetically. It took 2 days to build and the boys absolutely love it. It comes with a canopy that can be hooked to a hose to produced mist on a hot day.

(Below) One side of the upper deck. We purchased a glider loveseat from Tuesday Morning. The pitch of the umbrella (Bed, Bath, and Beyond) can be adjusted. My color scheme for the upper deck is red and orange. The scheme for the lower deck is blue...and yes, that planter needs to be taken downstairs! (bottom right)

Grass didn't get far for us because our soil was depleted of nutrients and crabgrass took over. We have just begun a 4-6 month process to invigorate and rebuilt our soil. Hopefully we will have the grass of our dreams next Spring!