Small House Big Backyard
As you guys know, we’ve been living in this tiny Bungalow for the last six years! We have torn The Bungalow apart with every DIY project we can think of and now it’s time to turn to the backyard. We have so many fun and amazing plans for this backyard. I cannot wait to share them with you, and even more, execute them and enjoy them! Our small house with a “big” backyard is going to pack a punch!
I’d like to thank Yardzen for helping us design our dream backyard!
How to Utilize Your Backyard Space
Since we do live in such a tiny home, 696 ft.² to be exact, we really wanted to utilize our backyard. Luckily, we have a pretty sized decent backyard for our area so we’re able to really maximize the space and and build something great.
Here’s a “before” of our backyard!
And here are the renderings from Yardzen! (I want to note that, while the placements in the renderings are accurate, the design concepts and style will be more “Blushing” all said and done!) You can see some of my inspo on the reveal of the backyard deck post.
Deck and Pergola
We’re already done with the deck project, so I feel like we are off to a great start and will really be able to hit the ground running! Carter worked on building this composite deck all summer, and it turned out absolutely amazing! We have plans to add a pergola, complete with an outdoor kitchen, dining area, and lounge area to relax in the shade!
When it comes to deck boards, there are seemingly endless types, sizes, and manufacturers to choose from. Our research ultimately led us to opt for the Denali CALI Decking TruOrganics for a number of reasons. CALI offers two different sizes of deck boards in the Denali: one that is 12 ft long, 5-7/16 in wide, and 7/8 inches thick, and another that is 8 ft long, 8-1/4′ in wide, and 7/8 in thick. Not only do we love the dark, rich color of the Denali, we also love that the wood grain texture looks and feels very natural. CALI decking is extremely low maintenance compared to traditional wood decking — no painting, sealing, or sanding required (this also means no splinters)! It is backed by a 25 year warranty and is designed to stand up to moisture, rot, and insects, all of which are constant worries for us here in Florida. CALI decking is a no-brainer if you are looking for quality decking that is backed by a manufacturer’s warranty. Plus, you can mention that Blushing Bungalow referred you for up to 25% off your order!
Chicken Coop and Run
We moved our chicken coop from the back of the yard to the side of our yard earlier this summer. Carter built a run in the unused space next to our house and our chickens absolutely love it! I can’t wait to plant the Peggy Martin roses on the front of the chicken run. I love that the renderings added that touch in there! I’ll share an inspo below!
There’s also a little space behind the chicken coop to add some backyard storage, which will be nice to have!
Garden and Cornhole
The garden is something I’ve been really excited about for so long! Because we live in Florida, we’re going to be able to garden year-round, and I absolutely love the feel of a quaint backyard garden.
The space between the deck and the pool area will serve as a little fun area for some backyard games. While it is small, it will be fun to have a couple of games like cornhole or maybe a putting green!
Pool and Pool Deck
This is probably the most exciting part of our backyard – a pool! The timeline for this is uncertain, but we are definitely sure it will happen! Living in Florida definitely requires a person to adopt the mentality of “living with the heat.” Having a pool is going to make that so much more enjoyable, and give us a space to get outside during those hot summer months!
The pool deck is going to be made up of pavers and turf, which I think looks so cute and fun. Something we had to keep in mind while planning our backyard was keeping at least 20% of the landscaping around our property permeable. That’s why we opted for the pavers and turf instead of concrete!
Pool House and Apartment
I would bet that this part of the plans surprised some of you! Yes, by the time we’re done with our backyard transformation, we’re technically going to have three tiny homes between our actual house, the airstream, and the pool house. The plan is to build a pool house on the bottom and a small one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse up top! There are more plans with this part of the transformation that I’m going to keep a secret for now! 😉
But one thing I’m excited about is that the back half of the pool house is actually going to be a storage room. The door on the side closest to the deck will be a room just to store things, which as you know is a huge problem of ours currently.
Airstream Guest House
And yes, the project everybody is just dying to see, including me – renovating an airstream into a guest house! Over the last six years of living here, Carter and I have had so many friends and family come visit. We live so close to the beach, Disney World, and Florida, in general, is just such a fun place to visit. We’re constantly having people in and out of our home. That’s why creating spaces on our property for friends and family to stay in is a high priority. I love the idea of an airstream guest house because we will be able to take the airstream off our property for adventures of our own!
We are super excited about this transformation and don’t even start asking me about timelines because all I know is that it’s happening one small project at a time! I hope you follow along and enjoy the process!