We’ve been slowly fixing up our house in Florida whenever we visit, and on my last stay earlier this month I gave the patio seating area a makeover. Anyone who’s lived in Florida is familiar with the weather patterns there: winters are sunny and mild, spring is perfection, summers are hot and humid, and it rains a ton in the fall. I didn’t want to tackle this project in high heat and humidity so I planned this outdoor update during the best time of year for it, and gave this corner of our patio a makeover while temperatures were in the mid 70s.
I wrote about pale pebble landscape design ideas last year in anticipation of just this kind of makeover. These kinds of low maintenance rock beds with tropical plantings are common in the area, they also complement the style of our older home so I refreshed our sitting area landscaping in a similar style.
Here’s what the patio looked like when I started, you can see there wasn’t much that was exciting going on in that corner. I also didn’t like the shade of cornflower blue the patio had been painted before so I decided to change that too.
This makeover required I dig out and haul away the old rock before I replaced the new. It was a lot of manual labor for me but with the help of a shovel and wheelbarrow I was able to remove the dingy old rocks and blackened edging blocks and start fresh.
After 95% of the old rock was gone we brought in some sand to support new 24″ pavers I bought for a trio of potted plants to fill the space with greenery. I used extra sand to cover most of the existing landscape sheeting, hoping that will hold it in place.
We bought 15 bags of white rock from Lowe’s and layered over the the sand for a fresher look. The last part of the makeover was to paint the patio. I power washed it, then used a cleaning solution to scrub and clean the surface.
I allowed the patio to dry a full 24 hours then painted the patio with Valspar Porch & Patio paint in the color Beach Dune. I painted the edges first then the entire patio with a roller on a pole. I used one gallon for each coat allowing it to dry a full 24 hours between coats.
I’m so happy with the fresh new patio space. This is where I drink coffee every morning now. :)
We only have the two vintage patio chairs and table for now, but I’ll be shopping for an outdoor sofa set to complete the space.
I’m also thinking about painting a pattern on the patio instead of using outdoor rugs since it’s plain to me, it needs something more. More progress on this space to come this summer!
Anyone else looking forward to more time outdoors in warmer weather? Spring is coming soon, time to start planning!
Your patio is so beautiful and certainly is a clear sign that spring is coming our way! Please keep bringing the ideas to us.
thank you so much Helen, I’m excited for spring it’s my favorite season. :)
This is so beautiful!! You make a house so gorgeous.
We have a ginormous concrete patio off of our basement that is colored pink, pink and white checkered, some has been left concrete color, then some of it is red brick. I want to concrete the red brick part perhaps next summer. Rhoda of Southern Hospitality painted their patio with Daich Spreadstone/Spreadrock and I want to do that on ours. When I first read about it, the cost was about $1000 for the supplies, no telling how much it will be when I do it. Still better than paying someone, and I love DIY, so rewarding.
You did such a great job Kate! I love it – fresh and clean! Keep it up.
thanks so much!
This is so lovely, Kate – so Zen. I could easily see myself sitting out there every morning drinking my coffee and reading poems by Mary Oliver.
I think painting a pattern on the patio floor is a smart idea. Outdoor rugs can be so delightful in color and pattern but they do need to be cleaned at times and that can definitely be a pain in one way or another.
Look forward to following your adventures in making the Florida home your own!
P.S. I have moved back to Texas and will have a new email. The current one under which I’m signed up and which I’m using today will still be active for another month or so but I think I will just resubscribe with the new one since I don’t know if your system is set up to deal with that kind of change.
Somehow I’ve missed the whole Florida house thing on your blog. I’ve seen some of the posts, but not sure why someone from beautiful California would want a house in Florida. I’m an East Coast (NC) girl who dreams of California. Why would you want to come to Florida? Just curious. Are you planning on renting the house short term? I’ve been a long term follower of your blog, but been so busy in the last couple of years that I must have missed the Florida story. BTW: As with all projects on your blog, this patio makeover is gorgeous!
Amazing!!! I would love my neighbor to be you!!!
Thrilled you bought a house in Florida! Been following you for a few years and excited for all the projects I can now do here in Ft. Lauderdale! Keep them coming Kate😃