enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

Backyardpatio

Last week we finished up and sealed our outdoor patio and I am SO thrilled with the result.

Ikeadecking

The bulk of this project was completed in January (you can read more on the decking there), but we needed a jigsaw to cut the Ikea PLATTA decking to fit around the brick curve.

Ikeaplattadecking

Paul created templates out of cardboard and my dad used this saw (cheap and effective!) to cut them down to size.

Ikeaplatta

The result is pretty perfect.

Patiodecking

This patio has been in place for about a month now and with the little bit of rain we've had it seems to have settled into itself well. I am very happy with the look and equally happy with how it feels to walk on. We ended up sealing the surface with teak oil (applied it by hand with a paint brush). It darkened the deck (in a good way!) and hopefully will help keep the color longer and slow the graying of the wood.

Patio

Every time I look outside (very often) I am shocked at the change and overwhelmed that this backyard is mine. It's such a fun space to sit in and will be getting even more use as the days grow longer. I would still love to do something with the plant area behind the cement wall (maybe add some white rock to brighten things up?) and we are going to get cafe lights strung overhead but this space is pretty close to done. (Which means I get to check another item off my 2014 goals list.)

our deck chairs are Ikea (thank you, Stephanie!), the fire pit is this one from amazon & here's the jade ampersand tutorial.

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23 responses to “our backyard is complete(ish)!”

  1. Carol Avatar

    It looks so good! I’m jealous of the sunshine and warm weather! 🙂

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  2. Amanda Avatar

    eep! it looks so good! i can just imagine sitting out there with friends, drinking a beer and chatting, or roasting marshmallows with your kids!

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  3. Anna Avatar

    At this rate you are going to need some new 2014 goals soon!

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  4. Harmony Avatar

    I’m glad to hear they are holding up under the rain. My husband and I have looked at these at IKEA and weren’t sure of their longevity in the wet (we live in BC).

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  5. Elizabeth Avatar

    I love when you write “the majority of this took place in January”. Ah, if only. My backyard is covered 5 feet of snow right now, but I am dreaming of the deck and landscaping that is going to take place this summer when the snow is finally gone. Yours is looking lovely!

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  6. Amelia @ House Pretty Blog Avatar

    Absolutely beautiful! I can’t wait for this snow to melt so that we can get to work finishing up our backyard patio. So inspiring 🙂

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  7. amy t schubert Avatar

    What’s the sun situation like? Looks like from these photos you get basically full shade in the morning? So full sun in the afternoon?
    Any plans to build/buy any kind of patio cover?
    I’m in the middle of taking out a tree from our backyard so we can start fresh with veggie beds, patio, etc. Love seeing yours!

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  8. //Panda Avatar

    Totally jealous. I’m just saying! Looking good.

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  9. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    just wow! I remember how everything looked in the beginning, and you guys have done a wonderful job of transforming it into a fabulous and functional space.

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  10. kristy oliver Avatar

    It looks so good! I know how good a feeling it is to get a project like this done as my yard when I bought my house was just a mess of weeds. It’s still a work in progress though.

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  11. Debbie Avatar

    What a beautiful job you and yours did! Perfect for your sunny weather!

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  12. Jess Avatar

    Looks like a great space to hang out in, and you’ve done a wonderful job! We’re still blanketed in snow, so as I was scrolling through just kept thinking “spring is coming, spring is coming, spring is coming…”!

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  13. Welcome Home Taylor Avatar

    This looks fantastic!! I love it!
    xoxo
    Taylor
    http://www.welcomehometaylor.com

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  14. Kelsey Avatar

    Wonderful, great job! Outdoor living spaces are so great, especially when you have so many days that you can spend outside! it will look great with twinkle lights! And looks like there’s lots of space to fill with potted plants to your heart’s content 🙂 I like the wildness of the back hill; my inclination would be to plant things that would create habitat/food sources for hummingbirds, bees and birds.

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  15. Mel Avatar

    It looks incredible!! Your backyard has been like one of those HGTV makeover shows, except in real time (so it seems more doable in the real world). Congratulations, and enjoy it!

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  16. Mandi Johnson Avatar

    It looks so wonderful! I’m sure you guys are so proud! I wish I could join you for cocktails some evening. 🙂

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  17. Lana Avatar
    Lana

    Looks amazing, Elise! :)I love the contrast of materials and plants.
    I am thinking of getting this Ikea decking to cover my curved concrete patio and was wondering how easy it was to cut through the interlocking backing with the jigsaw. Did it fall apart?
    It looks like it cut through the wood cleanly but curious as to whether the plastic bit on the bottom suffered. Hope this makes sense!
    Thanks.

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  18. Elaine Avatar

    Looks amazing!!!

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  19. Koko @ Koko Likes Avatar

    SOOO great- I LOVE how it turned out! And that fire pit is wonderful!

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  20. Kerry Willard Bray Avatar

    Looks great! And of course as soon as read the post title I thought of the book “ish” by Peter H. Reynolds. It’s a favorite at our house.

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  21. Elisa Jed Avatar
    Elisa Jed

    I really like the wood and brick combination. You say you have had the patio for about a month? That is enough time to see it settle in. I am glad it worked out for you. It turned out very pretty.
    Elisa Jed | http://www.apollopatiosnewcastle.com.au

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  22. Jenny Avatar
    Jenny

    I can’t seem to find anywhere…what us underneath the wood. Did you use brick sand or just right on grass or dirt…it looks great!

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