Screened Porch & Patio Makeover

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This patio makeover has been a long time coming but I’m finally sharing my back screened porch and patio makeover.
We have lived in this almost 40 year old home for over 12 years now.
Hard to believe really!
Well, in some ways, not so much in others. ;)
Especially when I look back at some of these old photos.

UPDATE 2021!! See our newly decorated screened porch >>> here.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover

Like this lovely…..

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We had so much to do in this house when we moved in.
Our house was a construction zone for years….and years.

I so wish I had taken “before” photos of the porch when we moved in.
The one above (and the same one below) is the only one I really have.

As you can see, the view on the screened porch was obscured by all of the wood slats.
We knew that was one thing we were going to change for sure.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - what a difference - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

We pulled that all out and replaced it with what you see above, new screens and all.

We also put in a patio and some landscaping.
It was a sad, sad yard. ;)

I’m going to share how I’ve updated and decorated recently.
This poor porch never really got the proper makeover it deserved until now.
It, by no means, is something that looks like it came out of a magazine, but it is perfect for us. :)
I will, however, show you how you can decorate thriftily.

Let’s hop right on inside now…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - yard sale furniture - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

The brown outdoor set you see here came from a yard sale a few years ago.
The owners were getting divorced and let it go for $150.
It was in almost “like-new” shape, so that was a deal!

I picked up the teal pillows at The World Market and the inspirational pillow came from TJ Maxx.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - TJMaxx pillow - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

The little tray on the table was a thrift store find that I painted.
The beverage station to the left was made at the beginning of summer…by me. :)
You can read about it HERE.

On the other side of the porch is this…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - TV and weathered shutters - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

You might remember the shutters.
They were on clearance and I gave them a “weathered wood” appearance.
You can read about how I did that HERE.

The little table came from the thrift store for a few dollars.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - thrifty decor - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

All I did was clean it up and spray it white.

The things on the table…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - a thrifty makeover - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

lamp – Target ( I ended up getting the lamp and shade for $19.99)
driftwood frame – Micheal’s (with coupon)

And my pretty hydrangeas (from my very own yard!)

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - hydrangeas from my garden - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - natural decor - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch
metal pail – Michael’s (with coupon)
lantern – thrift store
and other nautical items I picked on the beach and elsewhere.

And yep, my husband finally got his TV out here. :)
The beach house sign and starfish came from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - left side - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch
I plan to put a little shelf in that awkward empty space under the TV.

Over on the other side of the porch is this…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - right side - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

You might remember this one.
The little cabinet got it’s second, and probably final, makeover.
You can see all the details on there HERE.
The mirror makeover HERE.
And the clock HERE.

This porch only had one screen door when we moved in.
We decided to put in another, the one you see above, with a fenced-in dog run.
Perfect for our pups to easily pop outside to do their business. (and no worries from me that they will run off while they are doing it! ;) )
Plus, we had little ones when we built that and wanted the back yard to always be “droppings” free! ;)

The gray/black rug came from The Home Depot.
I had two out here previously (seamed together) that were still too small (precut) BUT I really loved them.
So, when I gave this space it’s the newest makeover, I decided to buy it off of the roll and make it big enough to fit the entire length.
I LOVE this rug out here.
I know it’s not the prettiest but it gives the space such a warm, homey feel.
And I really can’t have a nice rug out here since it’s so damp and humid where I live.

The plant stand the fern is sitting on was from the thrift store as well.
It was yellow-y oak colored and I sprayed it white. So easy!

Across from that is this old table.
You may remember it’s previous sad shape before my husband and I gave it new life.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - coastal decor - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

You can read about its makeover HERE.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - trash turned treasure - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

The sheers I put in the corners added a nice, warm, cozy feel too.

And look what else I found…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - bifolds turned shutters - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

MORE bi-fold doors at the thrift store.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - bifold doors turned shutters - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

$5 bucks, how can you say no?
I’m a sucker for a bi-fold door or shutter.
Aren’t they so cute there?
My husband said, “uh no, they block the view”. hahaha
Silly man.
He thinks they look great now. It just takes him a little time.

And yep, up above is some cheapy little sign I picked up some years ago…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - five oclock sign - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

…but I thought it was cute, so I hung it up here….for now anyway.

Now let’s see what’s lurking just beyond that door…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - patio pavers - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

We installed the pavers some years back.
LOVE having a patio!!

We just built the fire pit in June.
It all came from Lowe’s and was so easy to build.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - diy firepit - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

The brown wood patio set came from The World Market and was a steal!
I got it with my “friends and family” 25% off coupon and paid around $150….brand new!

Here’s what it looked like semi-before…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - before and after - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

…sort of.
We had already started putting in the new screens, etc….and a pool.
But look at the yard and “patio” that is there in the before photo.

We enjoyed the pool for about 6 or so years…then it was just time for it to come down.
I do miss it some days but so enjoy having my pretty yard back.

On the right side of the patio is this…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - painted and like new - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

We got this set on clearance from Target at the end of the season for $125 (I think).
We’ve had it for about 6 or so years. It started out black and gray with gray tiles.
I gave it a repaint this year with new tiles and cushions (TJ Maxx).
I didn’t want to bother with removing the fabric on the bar so I sprayed it.
It worked very well!

This is what this side of the yard looked like before…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - then and now - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

Keep in mind that we were doing all kinds of work on the house (the mess!).
AND I certainly was not taking photos that I thought I’d share with half the world all these years later. ;)

I don’t know if you can tell how overgrown the woods look at the back of that photo above.
It was and it felt like it was going to swallow me up! I hated it.
We worked on cleaning it up and having it be nice and tidy.
Now it looks like a beautiful forest and neatly manicured space at the back of our property.

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - back yard now - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

And one more semi-before and after…..the left side…

Screened Porch & Patio Makeover - bef and aft - artsychicksrule #popularpins #patiomakeover #porch

I used to hate coming out back.
It was a dreary, depressing looking space and yard.
Now, I absolutely love it. It looks so happy and inviting to me now.
My own little piece of paradise to go and relax.
Sometimes I see deer and bunnies.
I hear the tree frogs at night and the sweet birds chirping in the morning.

I so love it and just wanted to share it all with you.
And share how I did it all thriftily…as I have the whole house, DIY, and decor.
And you can too. :)

UPDATE 2021!! See our newly decorated screened porch >>> here.

Here are a few more of this home’s “before and afters” …..

Family Room Makeover   >>>   (and how it looks today)
Coastal Kitchen Makeover
Coastal Farmhouse Guest Bath Makeover
Foyer Makeover
Study Turned Dining Room Makeover

I’m so glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoyed seeing how our house looked when we moved in…and what we did to make it our own.
It’s been a work in progress…and still is. ;)
But that’s okay, we’ve learned so much in doing it. And it all ended up leading me here to this blog…and all of you!

I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week and the weekend.

xoxo

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34 Comments

  1. It’s beautiful Nancy ~
    Your neighbors must be so happy you moved in.

    Everything is in order, looks beautiful so clean and neat.

    Have a wonderful day.
    Much love,
    Rose

    1. Hi Rose!
      Thank you so much. :)
      I would hope so, we did do quite a lot to improve the house and appearance!
      xo
      Nancy

    1. Hey Sandra :)
      Thank you, we really do enjoy it now! Hard to imagine that when we first moved in though!
      xo
      Nancy

  2. Hey Nancy,
    I also am forever foraging in thrift shops for things to paint and repurpose and I really enjoy your posts. I love this charming space you have created here!

    1. Hi Carolyn :)
      Oh yes, isn’t is so much fun??? There is so much out there to make with, decorate with, big and small, etc.
      I haven’t painted much furniture lately but I’m anxious to get on it! I have half a storage unit full of some really neat pieces.
      So much to do, so little time. I just want to sit and paint all day. ;)
      Thank you for stopping by today!
      xoxo
      Nancy

  3. Glad to see your blog is up and running again, Nancy. What a difference between the before and after photos of your back yard! Your screened in porch and patio space are so inviting. I can only imagine how much time and work went into the transformation but I bet it was worth each mud, sweat, and tear. Enjoy!

  4. Love it all, Nancy!! Your backyard is huge! Especially compared to our tiny little itty-bitty backyard LOL. I love all the areas you have to hang out out there. I think I would be on that screened-in porch all the time. And I have that same tray that you painted white but have yet to do anything with that hee hee. Maybe I’ll paint it white now. ?

    1. Thank you Christy! :) Ha, it doesn’t feel huge with those woods back there. But better than when they were trying to swallow me up!! lol
      So funny about the tray!! And you are welcome anytime to come enjoy the porch along with me! ;)
      xo
      Nancy

  5. Super cute! We have a covered porch that is screened and are considering adding a TV out there. Any suggestions/lessons learned?? What type of mounting system did you use for your outdoor TV?

    1. Thanks Jessica! We decided to put a regular TV out there. With the cost of it (200ish) and the cost of a TV made for outside, we just figured we’d try it out (much cheaper!). It’s not in the weather at all so hopefully it will be fine. :) We did tape up the unused ports (per the guy at Best Buy) The mounting is the one we removed from our bedroom wall actually. We moved things around and decided to place the TV on our dresser instead of the wall.
      We hid the cord with the plastic piece you see and painted it to match the siding.
      Hope that helps. :)

  6. It all looks great Nancy! Screened- in porches are my favorite and yours is so inviting! Love your bi -fold doors accent . The rug you used really is such a great idea and you say you really like it! You have really made your porch so useful with the addition of the flat screen tv. What a wonderful relaxing patio you’ve created in your lovely backyard! We actually have almost the same fire pit and enjoyed our first fire of the season there on Sunday evening since it has cooled down a little.

    1. Hi Lynn!
      Thank you so much. We’ve yet to use ours! But I can’t wait.
      And OH my yes, wasn’t the weather just perfect? I so enjoyed it.
      I’m not quite ready for Winter (or the shorter days) but feeling a bit ready for some cool, crisp evenings.
      xo
      Nancy

  7. Yes, your before and after photos are so inspiring! I love your sense of design and how the backyard flows so elegantly. Thanks for sharing your inspiration with us!

  8. What an amazing transformation!! Love all your hints and the treasures that you find! Lovely back yard now!!!

  9. Just finished looking at all these backyard, patio renewal pics. You really did a fantastic job; the wooded area is so beautiful and the patio is beautiful. I can understand how you love to be out there relaxing and enjoying your new space. I love nature and being a part of it; you certainly have it all right out your back door.

  10. Let’s party!!!!!!!!!! Oh Nancy, you did a magnificent job. Everything looks so inviting. I love a sun room so you don’t have to be bothered with those pesky bugs. I have been looking for a plant stand just like that, but to no avail. I just keep looking. What a talented woman you are!

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