A Rare Look At The Back Of Our House (And Interim Plans)
Well, y’all. The studio bathroom is pretty much finished. I still need to hang the artwork, deal with finishing out the awkward electrical outlet, and do a few paint touchups. It’s always those last few nagging detail projects that get me bogged down. I’ll try to get the pictures taken today, but I won’t make any promises. It might be Wednesday before I can show you the final bathroom.
Until then, let’s talk about the back of our house and our back patio. I don’t show this area of our house much (if ever) because, quite frankly, it’s ugly. Y’all know I’ve wanted to tear down the sunroom and build an addition back here for the last ten years. But here we are, in 2026, and we still have the sunroom.
When we had the new siding installed and painted, I had them stop at the sunroom because I didn’t want to waste money on a room that I thought would be gone by now. So not only is it ugly, but it also sticks out like a sore thumb because it’s a completely different color.
But now that we’ll be keeping the sunroom for a while longer, I’m thinking it might be time to go ahead and paint it. I still don’t want to put new siding on it. That will feel like a complete defeat to me, and I’m not willing to give up on my dream of an addition and give into defeat just yet. But a couple of gallons of paint? I can do that. And since I’m about to turn my attention to some outdoor projects for a while, this might be the perfect time to do that.
I’m also thinking about finally getting rid of this awkward fireplace planter combo. We’ve never used the fireplace, and I wouldn’t even feel safe using it with that tree so close to it. And the planters are falling apart and act as a weed factory right now. I’ve wanted to get rid of them for so long now, but I always thought I’d put off any projects back here until we get the addition built. But I’m tired of waiting.
I think with a coat of paint on the sunroom and those planters and fireplace removed, the back of our house could look…decent. It won’t look great as long as that sunroom is there, but decent is better than what it is now.
And removing that planter and fireplace would go a long way towards opening up that area visually and making the whole back yard look and feel more usable.
Right now, we don’t even use our back patio at all. Since the sunroom has been used as a storage room for so long, we basically avoid it altogether, which means that the patio isn’t easily accessible. So I use the patio for projects (I’ve painted many a cabinet door out there over the years), and that’s where I gather all of my old partially empty paint cans that can’t be thrown away in the regular trash and have to be taken in for recycling.
But now that the plan is to actually use the sunroom as a home gym (which will hopefully be temporary, but I have no idea how long that will be), that means that this patio will be more accessible to us. So I’m adding these things to my list of the outdoor projects that I’d like to tackle. I don’t think it’ll ever look great as long as that sunroom is still there, but I can imagine the area with the siding painted to match the rest of the house, the planters and fireplace gone, and the patio set up with a cute outdoor seating area that we can actually enjoy.
I think the time has come to stop putting off using our back yard until after we’ve built the addition. That has been my mindset all this time, but I really want to get our whole house, including the back yard, to where we can actually use and enjoy it without putting it off for a dream that seems to get more out of reach with each passing day. I don’t want to hang all of our hopes on something that may not happen for another few years…or may not happen at all. I want to finish our house, as it is now, and actually live in it.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Yes to making that area prettier and then using it! I imagine sitting there in the sun will be lovely – and watching Cooper next door as well 🙂 I hope the weather allows you to do your outdoor projects without either too much hot sun or rain… I’m looking forward to your input on this as I’m heading to our garden about now as well!
You should rent a dumpster and invite your mom and brother over and maybe some friends who can knock all of those blocks over and then throw it all away – opening it up and clearing away the clutter will make you feel so much better about the aesthetic back there!
I’d suggest putting them out on the curb and putting them up on Facebook Marketplace as “Free, come get them.” They’ll be going in a day and you’ll save the price of the dumpster and dumping. You’d be surprise what people will come get, if it’s free.
Seems like now is the time for backyard projects – before heat and humidity make it impossible to do. We love our back yard – and when the wind isn’t howling (which is unfortunately rare) it is a delightful additional living space. Gives a different perspective on everything.
Getting rid of the fireplace and cleaning up the patio is a good idea and I would set up my outdoor furniture-if you actually plan to use it, otherwise I wouldn’t waist my time. Pressure wash the siding and the patio, put out a couple of planters and call it a day. I would not bother to paint the siding, I know its only a couple of hundred dollars but it really doesn’t look bad as is, you don’t need an excuse to delay your addition and the money can be better spent. Your yard is great, and You and everyone who knows you also knows that the sunroom will eventually be gone. My 2 cents of course.
I love your plans, go for it. You might even be surprised once the weeds are down that the fireplace and garden boxes may still be in better shape than imagined and you could use them. A good fire screen on the top of the chimney and you should have no worries about that tree. A nice place for dinning alfresco, seeing a lovely sunset, some firepit time and of course some lovely flowers and herbs in the garden boxes. At least until you are ready to remodel that side of the house. Remember, I’m an old Army wife that had to rent all those years. Clean up someone else’s designs and live with them because we could not change them. So, I always see what can be improved upon. Now, that it is our home, I do like the starting over bit too.
Cheers to you, Matt, and the Fur Inspection Team!
If you really wish to start using your back patio, how about cleaning up the area and seeing if you actually can use it?
What about cleaning out all the junk, removing that monster shrub growing over the fireplace, pulling the weeds from the planters, and power washing the patio? Then you could put new soil into the planters and plant flowers there to enjoy. You could clean out that fireplace/barbeque and stack decorative logs in there to fill up the opening with something attractive to look at.
As far as painting the shed, which will be torn down, consider resisting the urge to waste the paint money and time on that. If you are outside, you will be wanting to look at your flowers and back garden, not the house!
If you wait to demolish the planters and fireplace until you are actually ready to doing your addition, it will cost very little to have the heavy equipment remove that, which they need to do to do your foundation for the addition.
If you clean up the back area, and don’t like it, you can still proceed with more demo, but try it out first. Will it actually be something you two will want to use, and actually can?
I agree with this. My first thought was “is this another procrastination project”? (not that you are CONSCIOUSLY procrastinating). If it were my house what would bother me the most is all the ‘junk’ that has been set out there, and the huge ‘plant’ growing out of the fireplace.
Why spend the time and money to paint, etc etc until you know if you would really take the time to sit out there and enjoy the back yard?
What a wonderful back yard! I can just imagine being able to use it as a little outside retreat area.
I’d recommend you hiring out the destruction of the fireplace and planter. A couple of guys would have that done in a few hours and will haul away the debris. I think it will have a HUGE impact on the space though! And maybe you and Matt could even sit out on the patio before the weather gets too hot!
I’m sad to hear that you may never get your addition done, only because you were so excited about it when you were first planning it. Your house may be perfect as it is now for you and Matt. Well, except for the sunroof that I know you strongly dislike. If you plan to spend time in the backyard, painting the sun room would be a great option. As others suggested, I think cleaning up the building supplies, removing weeds and power washing the patio is the place to start. I’d also leave the planter/fireplace wall until after the clean up is done and reevaluate how you feel about it. I think you could place logs in the fireplace as if you were going to light them, fill the space with candles or put a large fern or other plant inside. Then add flowers to the planter. It could be a very lovely space!
I think these ideas will go a long way towards making the sunroom more palatable.
Resist the temptation to do much, if anything, before completing the tasks to the front of your house. It is visible to you and those who drive by. Then determine if work on the back yard is warranted after clearing out the refuse on the patio.
I agree the front first. She spends so much time making the inside beautiful and the outside should be a just as pretty. The back yard is beautiful if all the trash was removed and the work shop should be for building projects not the patio. Not sure how much they would even sit in the backyard if it were cleaned up
IMO
This post had me reminiscing when I first crossed your blog. You were making the “barn” doors that enter the sunroom! It was so incredible and inspiring!
With that in mind, you will get the, Kristi!
I’m surprised several of the comments (and even you) see a temporary fix as a waste! In my book, spending a couple hundred dollars to change an eyesore into a pleasant and attractive spot is IN NO WAY a waste! On our place there are many areas that need significant work. If they are going to be that way for longer than 6-12 months (depending on the space) and I see it regularly, then it is very worth it for my happiness and pleasure to spend a small amount making it nice-for-now. I spend basically all my time at home, like you do. The cost-benefit analysis computes for me!
I don’t think it’s a waste to tidy up or improve a temporary space, but I will say that it’s already hot here in Atlanta—we have maybe 4-6 weeks of intermittently being comfortable outside for any length of time, and it’s probably worse in Waco. I’m just not sure if you’d get much use out of the space until late in the fall, especially with Matt being so sensitive to heat. If you think it will be a few years before the addition, then that would seem more worthwhile. I would do the improvements to the front before it gets hot and also prioritize completing the workshop, since it was built to give you a place to do all the other projects, and it will also be warm in there before too long.
Wise and great thinking. A home should be used. I applaud you to go forward and putting a band aid on the problem and getting enjoyment out of it at this time. Don’t put it off, it is never a waste when you make something that is not perfect into something that will give you more time to relax while you wait to make it “perfect”. Good luck and I cannot wait to see how you complete this…I am here for the long haul, big or small projects that make you enjoy more of your home, family and friends.
First, out with the junk. We get to a point where we don’t really ‘see’ such a mess much of the time and when we do the mind tricks us into thinking ‘a future project’ and it stays on the list. Who knows when that will be a reality? The neighbors who do see it probably wonder why cleaning it up is not priority for such a creative person. Could it be a work/fun party instead of tackling it as a one-woman band? Order pizza, feed the gang and get it done.
Once it looks presentable, the next steps will be obvious, I think. Among them: You have that yard plan hanging in your studio. Is that a dream or a realistic expectation? A workshop with fantastic potential, yet not used. On the list. The exterior, front and back still is a major project. What needs to be done first?
As one of your observers, I think you have a comfortable and beautiful on its way to completion. You mentioned today that the addition plan might not be actionable for some time or maybe not at all. Of course, it is your choice whether to proceed or not.
I will ask the rhetorical questions, “What would more square footage add to the quality of your lives? Would it matter to Matt? Would you be ‘gilding the lily’ by undertaking it? Would you be doing it for the benefit of your Wednesday visitors?”
All decisions are yours. Your cheering section continues to show interested support and leave positive comments. I am sure you appreciative the time it takes to do so.
Wishing you the best.
All excellent ideas! But do yourself a favor and hire muscle to clean it out & remove the planters. Possibly even power wash the patio too. That way you can tell them exactly where you want the stone veneer pieces to go and any pavers etc that might be useful. Get a few big half barrel planters to fill with flowers as you look out the windows for a view. Add patio furniture maybe a bird bath or bird feeder.
I believe you could make the sun room a really pleasant workout room. A bit of paint there too might brighten it up and you could put up a tv and your cool art pieces from the orig gym.
All excellent ideas! But do yourself a favor and hire muscle to clean it out & remove the planters. Possibly even power wash the patio too. That way you can tell them exactly where you want the stone veneer pieces to go and any pavers etc that might be useful. Get a few big half barrel planters to fill with flowers as you look out the windows for a view. Add patio furniture maybe a bird bath or bird feeder.
I believe you could make the sun room a really pleasant workout room. A bit of paint there too might brighten it up and you could put up a tv and your cool art pieces from the orig gym.
As a big fan of ‘I Love Lucy’ and their country home, I wish the fireplace/planters were structurally sound and just needed a good cleaning. (Remember the outdoor grill episode?). I think it could be an attractive piece in your backyard! But that’s just my opinion.😉
Had a big chuckle about Lucy’s barbecue build way back when 😂. That was a classic for sure. Thanks for the memory, Sprice.
Regarding the paint cans, in my city we have an option to recycle or leave paint cans open to dry out and then throw away. If you could do that it would be a faster way to dispose of them
What is that little house with red door? I’m not sure I have seen it from that angle.
Why put time and effort into that sunroom? I wouldn’t care if it’s not the same as the rest of the house, that would give me the incentive to get rid of it! If you keep it white (or what ever it is) I think that will give you the incentive to take it down. If you put lipstick on that pig, you will be inclined to keep it until it fits to the ground! You are adding to the projects that you still haven’t done; what about the front porch that needs work still, or the new door and the finishing off that space? What about the workshop that hasn’t been finished, why did you even have that put in if it wasn’t going to be usable for the last two years? Sorry, but I just think you have enough, and like you said, you don’t even use the back yard. Sorry if I sound harsh, but I don’t get it.
Same. Also, I think I read in a past post that the Sunroom is poorly constructed, rotting, and not structurally sound? I don’t think keeping it is a viable option….I wouldn’t waste paint on it, personally.