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Outdoor Living

Outdoor Living

34526 Followers | 5218 Posts

Outdoor living is a year-round topic on Hometalk. Hometalk members are busy planning and maintaining outdoor living spaces from the heat of summer to the cold of winter. Some folks are professionals who post gorgeous pictures of the outdoor living dreamscapes they've built. Other folks are DIYers who are revamping their outdoor living areas, building outdoor furniture, or planning an outdoor living room for the first time. Whether you're a novice or an expert, join a conversation about outdoor living rooms on Hometalk.



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  • This is the pond in front of our house.  Built by previous owners.  Fun, but dirty w/the trees surrounding.
  • Front of house w/large garden in front, and to the side.  Entry gate is to the left of the corner of the house.  Hoping to build deck along the length of house

Outdoor Living: Our Front Yard Pond and Other Projects

We just purchased this house and it has a great 3/4 acre yard with a pond in front. It has a fountain, w/a spray fountain (see white pvc pipe in pic). We like it OK, but it is dirty as it ...»
is under the trees and gets lots of leaves in it. The fountain leaks in back and the water keeps getting lower and lower, probably a hole in the liner somewhere.

So we are thinking of filling in the pond w/small red lava landscaping rock on bottom (lots of this in a garden we are redoing and I dislike it), then river rocks on top w/the fountain still bubbling up in the middle. Any suggestions on how to do this properly so that the water will not leak out, and we don't have to continue to refill the water level? Thanks for any ideas, I live in Wyoming so there is LOTS of snow in the winter and it is only used in the summer months.

Now we are also going to redo the front of the house w/a full length deck (eventually a roof over it). Have some cinder blocks, and thought about using wood decking over them w/the blocks as support. Do we need to place the blocks in sand to level? Or how should we proceed?

Kris Lee
Kris Lee Jackson, WY 2 days ago
10 Comments | Post Comment | 466 Views
  • Carla Champlin
    Carla Champlin 43 minutes ago
    Fill it in???? It's beautiful. I would put a new liner over the old liner. It will fix any ...»
    leaks and give you extra protection against leaks/punctures. No sharp rocks in the pond itself. River rocks are okay but when it comes to keeping it clean the rocks make it impossible to do a good job. We hand dug ours 6 years ago and I am in CT so we have winter weather as well. We have trees all around our pond and in he fall it can make a mess unless you put a net over it. You can use bird netting but I suggest something stronger. You are going to get leaves in the pond even without nearby trees rom the wind blowing around. As far as the fountain. You can buy what you are looking for. We used an upside down plant pot that was the right height (we put holes in it so it would stay sunk then put the pump on top of it Hope this helps!

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  • Gardening/cu...

Outdoor Living: Plastic Kiddie Pool as a grassy area for guinea pigs, is it possible?

I know this might be an interesting, yet strange issue but...I have several guinea pigs but I live in an apartment, so I don't really have my own yard, but do have patio space. I was ...»
thinking of creating a small "yard" out of a plastic kiddie pool, lined with sod for the piggies to roam and snack in. However, my concerns are will the sod survive? Will mold grow because of the plastic bottom? Should I create small holes in the bottom of the pool to allow for ventilation? Can I cover it in some way to keep out the roaming cats from using it as a toilet? I have considered the option of creating one indoors as I have the space. They have a 3 level cage with another level at the bottom for storage that would make an excellent little playground for them. But again, not really sure if that is possible without creating a moldy mess. Any tips would be appreciated. Especially because I have a "black" thumb...lol

Laura G
Laura G Houston, TX 23 hours ago
8 Comments | Post Comment | 159 Views
  • Sia@South 47th
    Sia@South 47th 11 hours ago
    Have fun and please share a pic or 10! xo
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Outdoor Living: KOI ~~ SNATCHED BY BIRDS or STOLEN ????

Does anyone know if it is at all possible that a Blue Heron or an Egret would be able to take "5" Koi at one time? Then come back the next day and take 4 more; the next day he/she/they ...»
took the remaining "3". Yes, after the first hit we tried to protect the pond even more than it already is. The pond is relatively well-covered with tree branches. I'm thinkin' the one of the roofers next door came and helped himself to our fish thinking that they were worth $$$. Any thoughts out there? They were so precious to us ~~ some being over 20-years old.

Bonnie B
Bonnie B Shingle Springs, CA 5 days ago
36 Comments | Post Comment | 1081 Views
  • Ahrisha Lesher
    Ahrisha Lesher Yesterday
    My neighbor has a beautiful big pond and he had to make a covering for it from 1" square wire ...»
    fencing. He molded it so that it covers the whole pond like a big bubble so the heron cannot reach through the holes and go fishing.

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  • Mantel Madness
  • I love this- and it is UL damp. But my hubby thinks it is too girly :) Is there a 'rustic' version of this? photo via Pottery Barn

Outdoor Living: Outdoor Chandelier

I am looking for an outdoor chandelier that has a UL Damp rating. I really want something feminine that looks 'indoors'-- and can stand the moisture of being outdoors. My husband wants it to be a bit rustic too. Any ideas? I don't want a lantern-style light fixture. I need to keep the price under $400. Everything I have seen that I like is not UL Damp, so it is pretty for photos but not actually practical for being on a patio. Thank you!
Crafty Texas Girls
Crafty Texas Girls Grapevine, TX on May 05, 2013
5 Comments | Post Comment | 177 Views
  • Em Hooper
    Em Hooper 24 hours ago
    I googled 'rusting chandelier' and came up with a whole lot of sources where you might find ...»
    one that suits both of you.

    Ask an electrician about damp-proofing the one you like. Or go to http://inmyownstyle.com/2010/11/dining-room-... to see how to age your own.

    I'm using the Modern Masters verdigris paint process to age my brass-look, now copper, chandy. It was $25 from ReStore. A bit more than that to turn it verdigris copper.

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  • in the yard
  • My house is the back wall and the right is my sliding door
  • I was thinking about spray painting the wicker furniture dark-brown
  • I need help! 1

Outdoor Living: Help with patio decor

My home is a townhouse. I need help decorating my under deck patio. The deck is elevated about 15 feet. The part of the patio space gets very little sun. The patio area is an L-shape. The ...»
patio is made of terra cotta colored brick pavers. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Sheila C
Sheila C Bowie, MD 4 days ago
10 Comments | Post Comment | 428 Views
  • Sheila Moore
    Sheila Moore 2 days ago
    Hey Gail this is not me,Sheila Moore, this is Sheila C. from Bowie MD. Just thought you'd like ...»
    to resend it to her.

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Outdoor Living: I need to make over my backyard into an oasis where my family can have fun.

Can anyone give some ideas, since florida is mostly warm through the year it would be nice to have a nice backyard to relax and enjoy the outdoor
JULIET
JULIET Kissimmee, FL on Oct 17, 2011
38 Comments | Post Comment | 424 Views
  • Gerie Elliott
    Gerie Elliott 3 days ago
    How is the Behr Deckover holding up?
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  • Innovative Landscapes

Outdoor Living: Any ideas on how to transform a large utility shed into a "cute house?

I purchased a large 12'X16' utility shed to fix the inside up as an office. The interior is very cute and welcoming, but the outside is an eyesore in my backyard. We've thought of ...»
building a porch on it and painting the front door a pretty color, but? The porch idea would be the width of the building 12' and 4' out. I thought of columns but that is as far as I have gotten. Help please from you wonderful creative people. I will try and get a picture in a day or two.

Charlotte F
Charlotte F Live Oak, FL 6 days ago
10 Comments | Post Comment | 291 Views
  • Historic Shed
    Historic Shed 4 days ago
    Thanks KMS Woodworks! Charlotte F ...»
    Feel free to drop us a line. And see if you like anything on our site - I can send details about materials and sizes: http://www.HistoricShed.com We do know a thing or two about building in Florida and making things last.

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Gardening: Large yard

Most ideas I've seen posted are for small backyards. I have about 2 acres of yard (not counting the front 3 acres in grass). I'm at a loss to plan it out, and other than a Gingko tree ...»
and some butterfly bushes, it is pretty bare. Rabbits ate the other shrubs I planted. Any ideas??

Lorraine M
Lorraine M Shepherdsville, KY on May 10, 2013
10 Comments | Post Comment | 315 Views
  • Debra
    Debra 5 days ago
    How about an orchard? We have an acre and have a few peach and apple trees, along with a ...»
    blackberry patch. Just put in strawberries this spring. Homegrown fruit is great! You also have room to let an area 'naturalize' by putting in a wildflower meadow. It is beautiful, attracts bees and butterflies and you don't have to mow it!

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Outdoor Living: Standing water in yard

we live bordering wetlands and build our home last year. one area of our yard has very bad standing water. we just had French drains put in and it's not helping. is there any other option ...»
to make this space functional. it lays under our children's playset so things are pretty muddy over here!

Melissa-TheHappierHomemaker
Melissa-TheHappierHomemak... Aberdeen, NC on May 09, 2013
3 Comments | Post Comment | 115 Views
  • Carolyn McAfee
    Carolyn McAfee 7 days ago
    Hello Melissa!!! I just found this site and am excited to be here! I'm following you now! I'd ...»
    love if you'd follow back! http://www.hometalk.com/carolynmcafee

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Outdoor Living: What is the least expensive way to build/buy a garden shed?

I am considering different options for a garden shed. My husband is willing to build it for me (yay!). But I've been hearing conflicting info with regard to the least expensive way: kit ...»
or stick built. What are your thoughts and experiences folks?

Stephenie Klingler - Professional Master Gardener
Stephenie Klingler - Prof... Concord, MI on Aug 02, 2012
4 Comments | Post Comment | 240 Views
  • Marilyn Nooner
    Marilyn Nooner on May 10, 2013
    My husband has just finished a stick built garden/potting shed for me, he also built a pergola ...»
    style porch on the front and made a walkway to it using a plastic mold from Lowe's and concrete, he said the walkway was easy. It took him approx. 2 weeks to build the shed but he worked on it every day. I just love it! Now he is starting the shelves and work table for the inside! I would send a pic. if I had one downloaded, maybe later. We compared prices of kits or just buying a shed, building one was much less expensive, and turned out cuter!

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