The condition of the back patio is nearly as dire as the rest of the property. The broken concrete, moss-covered stones, and a warped slab of plywood nailed to the house siding is the extent of the patio's design. The structure is smack dab against the alleyway that bisects the old city block. A neighbor drives up and down the alley routinely, so dust, gravel and mud arrive on what could be a lovely outdoor space one day. High school students sneak down the alley to have a smoke or take the shortcut to downtown, so there is no privacy.
with privacy, a pleasant seating area for relaxation and a container garden. So far the house itself is almost liveable inside. The front yard has been properly fenced. The side yard has had decades of trash and overgrowth removed. But the patio... aaahhh... the project has been looked forward to every since the purchase of this fixer-upper.Alas, all the other projects have taken so much energy and resources that the patio landscape project hasn't actually had any detailed planning so far. That sad state of affairs stops right now! Time to start exploring paver stones, outdoor furniture
and garden containers
. Time to look at the fencing and what type of garden gates will suit the space.There are lots of basic structural questions to answer. How is the patio going to be used, for example. Is there room to have a little charcoal grill
or maybe a mini gas grill
. Since the door to this outdoor space comes directly off the kitchen perhaps it is better just to plan for cooking in the kitchen and serving picnic style outdoors. Just how much privacy can be achieved with a fence that is built in compliance with city ordinances is another question to answer before getting too crazy with small patio designs. Right now the only thing set in stone is that there are four entry ways into this small backyard area: the kitchen door, a utility room door, a 4 foot clearance into the very tiny back yard, and where the gate goes into the alley.[Photo: Roger Kirby, sxc.hu]
