Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

#ProjectPatio: The BIG Reveal!

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Well, it’s been an interesting few weeks. (*Shakes fist at Mother Nature*)

Back when I first announced #ProjectPatio, I truly believed that my backyard oasis was around the corner. Like, days away. But then, a little something happened – a frost warning. IN MAY. Followed by days of rain and chilly weather. In case you didn’t know, frost + rain + chilly weather = Lena’s non-patio.

It was exceptionally difficult because we had these gorgeous pieces from the Home Depot Canada simply sitting in our garage; it was almost blasphemes not to put a WEBER Genesis S-330 to use (trust me, my husband tried), and I longed to break in my new Hampton Bay Millstone Dining Set. Still, we gave Mother Nature a wide berth and waited for the temps to turn around.

Finally, shortly after the May long weekend, I finally had a chance to bid adios to my plain, uninspiring backyard.

The above picture was taken seconds after the work crew began to dig; I realized in panic that I didn’t have any “before” photos. Not much to look at, to tell the truth; a vast landscape of overgrown grass and a lonely bubble mower. 

Excavation began in the wee hours of a very chilly morning. We ended up having all of the grass in our backyard ripped out, as there were patches that resisted growth after years of supporting a play structure the boys had long since outgrown. Removing the grass took most of the morning and it was quite a sight to see the backyard barren. Side note: it looks like the bubble mower found a new home on our front lawn.

Next, it’s all about the framing. We wanted our patio design to be contemporary yet functional, and we worked with our contractor to design a large patio with clean lines. On the sides, we left room for a future garden.

As you can see, the patio takes up the majority of our backyard, and I’m completely cool with that. I’ve never been a “grass” person, and as the boys grow, they’re less interested in hanging around in our backyard – opting for playing in the park, running through the soccer field or riding their bikes instead. Hence, the less lawn to mow, the better.

Cement was poured the first sunny, warm-ish day. Morning temperatures were a chilly 4°C, but since it was still above freezing, we avoided the risk of having the cement crack. (People, we are talking about the end of May here! I can’t believe we were fighting against frost and freezing rain.)

Next, the magic began –  adding colour to the concrete, and stamping the pattern. I must have watched the entire procedure from my sliding door; I was so enthralled with the entire process. Say hello to my contractor’s crew – my next door neighbours on the other side. Yep – I’m surrounded by handymen! We were convinced to include a two-tone border in the design, and I’m happy we decided to go ahead with it. The border gives the patio a professional finish that I adore, and I’m a huge fan of the contrasting colours!

After what seemed like minutes, the patio was stamped and chiseled. And now, the real waiting game began; allowing the patio to cure before it was powerwashed and sealed. Just knowing that my patio was being “born” under the coloured soot made me giggle with glee. Here’s a top view from my bedroom window – excuse the mesh screen!

Finally, 48 hours later, the patio was powerwashed to reveal its inner beauty. I was jumping up and down and fist-pumping as the glorious concrete underneath shone through. It’s a thing of beauty! (*Wipes tear from eye*)

Isn’t it just gorgeous? Okay, I’m getting slightly emotional here. But the thing is, I’m such a “drinks on the patio” kind of girl, and I’ve waited for this patio for so long. So the fact that I actually have somewhere to sit and enjoy those drinks is very, very awesome.

Now I know y’all have been waiting to see the goodies provided by the Home Depot Canada to dress up my patio… but that’s another post. Still, you know I won’t leave you hanging! Even though I’ll be reviewing the patio set and barbecue in separate posts, may I present… my finished #ProjectPatio!

Sigh… I suppose I *could* write my reviews for the Hampton Bay Millstone Dining Set and Weber Genesis S-330 Grill now… but you know what? I’d rather have a drink on the patio :) I’ll be back in the next few weeks to tell you all about my favourite patio furnishings. Until then… cheers!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Oh wow, Lena, let me be the first to congratulate you. Simply stunning! I am loving it. I gotta show my hubby, he is gonna be jealous!

    • Thank you Tricha! It was a labour of love – and to tell the truth, it was just never in our budget to do a patio (and side, which we did as well). This year however, I saved my $$ and am so happy it’s finally done!

  2. I’m impressed! Your backyard makeover looks amazing with the stamped concrete patio and I love the colour scheme of the patio and the patio furniture – they blend together so beautifully. Good choice Lena – looks like you’re ready for a barbecue party.

    • Thanks Jen! The cost is dependant on so many factors – ie. the size of your patio, your location, etc. If you live in the GTA, I would be happy to pass on my contractor’s phone number/ e-mail address so you can contact them directly!

  5. WOW! What a HUGE difference!!

    While I am completely a grass/garden in a yard kinda gal – I can really appreicate a good looking garden! I am highly impressed with how awesome it looks

    Congrats :-)

  6. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! What a great, clean, well designed space! Love it! Thanks for sharing!

  7. Oh Lena, it looks amazing! I love the shape of the patio. The furniture is awesome – would love to own a nice set myself some day! Enjoy! :)

    • Thanks Nicole! We worked with our contractor to create a contemporary design – we love it!

  9. That looks fantastic! I’ve never seen concrete poured and stamped that way — it looks really wonderful!

    • Hahaha thanks Julia! I actually love the “little bricks” too, but have always preferred the clean look of stamped concrete :)

  12. Absolutely stunning! I love it! Your reveal photos are great – I couldn’t wait to see the final product!

  13. Wow1 What a transformation, now you can enjoy your summer in comfort and relax and read in a cozy place, looks terrific Lena!

  14. looks great! we still need a deck on our house hopefully next year.

  16. Beautiful! Im just going to sneak over in the middle of the night and plant some flowering shrubs and colourful blooms k? :p
    Then I’ll be over for drinks!

    • Hahaha you sound just like my mom! Tell you what, you can do that, as long as you come by periodically to make sure they bloom!

  18. I would LOVE to have a patio like that ! Not possible right now because I am renting – but when I get my own place you bet your bottom dollar I will be asking for your next door neighbour’s contact info (I sure hope he would come to Barrie). I enjoy watching the “creation” process from start to finish as well, even though I can’t physically do the work myself. Congrats to you and enjoy your new backyard “oasis” :o)

    • Thank you so much Flora! Please do send me a quick note when you move, I can definitely put you in touch with my contractor!

  21. OOOOooohhh, so nice! Love the contrasting colours too.
    Excuse me now while I do the weeding between the interlock bricks of our patio…

    • Hahaha I think the breakthrough weeds is the main reason I decided on concrete. But I do love the look of interlock too!

  23. Hey lena that looks GREAT!!
    ! I love that stamped look so clean and and neat ( I am not a grass person I perfer to put my feet on something not so close to bugs ewww!!)
    Enjoy your new patio.
    Cheers!!

  27. Looks soooo good! I chuckled at the yard size – definite Torontonian yard. You should see my yard out here in land of living skies Saskatchewan (that’s our slogan, really!) Huge! Yet, I totally agree with you that as they grow the kids will want to be out running at the park too. Cheers to drinks on the patio, deck, yard…..as long as it’s beautiful (and warm).

  29. That’s gorgeous! I’m also a fan of sacrificing grass for more patio space — for aesthetic and functionality reasons. That first picture with the overgrown grass + bubble mower had me laughing out loud.

    • Hahaha let’s just say we neglected our yard over the early spring in anticipation of this makeover!

    • Alas, it is Stella – as with all stamped concrete. Of course, I don’t plan on being on my patio when it rains!

  32. The backyard and patio look amazing. The pictures are great and really show each and every process!

  33. very nice…i that were mine ii would be spending too much time outside (mostly in the shade though as i burn quite bad lol)

  35. Jealous!!! It looks like its from a catalogue. I LOL’ed at the “BEFORE” picture.. I was thinking “what’s with the random dug-up hole in the middle?”.. and then LOL’ed again when I read your comment about you panicing and the “lonely bubble mower”.

    • Ah, I don’t know what became of that lonely bubble mower…. it was lost in the reno! Thanks Jenny!

  39. Wonderful work! I can’t believe the outcome of it all! Thank you for sharing the process :)

  42. Wow such a transformation! I really like how it turned out for you! We have a lot of work to do in our backyard before we can transform it into something remotely like yours.

  43. Whoa! This isn’t just some little makeover, it’s a huge one if you have to bring in guys to do some concrete work!

    • Yup, the only reason I didn’t do the whole backyard is cause my boys still love to run on the grass :)

  47. I love your backyard especially the stone work and the table. It all looks amazing together congrats!

  48. It looks fantastic! Your deck is great……. I’m not much of a grass person either and I like how you’ve done this. Looks like I have some inspiration for next summer!

  50. Looks fantastic! Lots of hard work levelling, been there done that! But oh what a nice outcome. Love the tiles, they look terrific.

  53. What a great finish, I love stampcrete it’s an amazing look that mimics patio stones but without the grass growing in the cracks, no maintenance!

  57. Loved seeing the step-by-step transformation. Beautiful finish. As mentioned before my hubby is jealous.

  59. The stamped concrete looks stunning, loving how great your patio looks. My hubs would just be thrilled with the BBQ!

  61. Oh my goodness. This is so gorgeous. I love the brick work. A beautiful place to relax and unwind. The home depot products look at home in your new backyard.

  62. It’s GORGEOUS! I know what you mean about not wanting grass! We’re adding a patio to our front yard (with plants around the edges) but I hadn’t thought about getting someone to pour it! It looks amazing, wondering how much that would cost for our small front yard! Hmmm…

  63. That’s such a lovely patio! I’m so over having to mow and fertilize and weed our lawn… You may have inspired me to do away with it!

    • Thanks Olivia. Trust me, I was hoping to cover the entire backyard, for the very same reasons you mentioned!

  67. What a terrific job you’ve accomplished, your patio looks fantastic. I really like the concrete, it’s awesome..Enjoy your new living space!!

    • Don’t be envious :) It’s easy to turn any space into an oasis – with every budget – at the Home Depot!

  76. A true before and after success story. I love the colours of the tiles and the step by step pictures! Well done!

  78. Wow!! That looks amazing! You’ll definitely be able to enjoy drinks on your beautiful patio now!

  79. Wow very nice!! I love the colouring of the patio set a ton! The grill is a beauty, dinner every night all year round!! Very very generous of Home Depot!

  81. That looks amazing! My husband does an alternative to stamped concrete – Granicrete – but they both look so great!

  82. Lucky you for handy neighbours! I wish I could find someone here in Calgary that will offer a fair price and can be trusted!

  84. Absolutely stunning, though, I must admit, my gut would’ve been wrenching while it was in progress lol. All so worth it!!

  87. That looks like such a nice place to spend time in the summer. I love that you got before and after photos.

  90. The poured concrete looks amazing. My mother in law had this done a few years ago driveway and back paths and patio and it looks amazing! and of course the patio set very inviting. You must be loving it!

  96. Hoping to do something similar for our new house…once we have paid down the mortgage a bit. This looks gorgeous…thanks for the great ideas!

  103. Wow lots of work but well worth it!! Nice now you don;t have much lawn to cut……I have 3 acres here to cut!!….congrats on the great work!

  104. I love the stamp concrete patio, it look amazing. The patio set is perfect choice for your new back yard.

  106. While I adore the clean look of the backyard with the stone pattern and how nice everything just seems to fit, I am happier that you left a good, useable area of grass in the yard. The trend towards stone or concrete patios, I imagine, is for aesthetics and the like, but a yard just seems complete when there is grass left.

    • Since we have two little guys we had to leave a little grass for them to run around on. It’s a part of childhood :)