Adding A Lovely, Peaceful Outdoor Living Space

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Come see how we turned this inexpensive porch extension into our own outdoor oasis. It’s a whole new outdoor living room!

We wanted an outdoor living space added to our back porch. Come see some of the things we added to make it our own little oasis. #TexasHomesteader

RancherMan & I spend a lot of time in on our back porch. A LOT!

With so much time spent in this outdoor living area it just makes sense to make the space as inviting as possible.

Giving Character To A Boring Porch Area

Our back porch was originally a long, boring ribbon of cement running along the length of our home. We stained the concrete to make it more than a cement slab, still it was… eh.

So we added the pretty wooden porch extension to completely change the look and feel. The addition also changed the flow of our back porch and we love it!

Porch Addition Positioned To Save Electricity Too

The wooden extension was strategically placed to extend out from the west end of the cement porch. That way it also helps to block the hottest afternoon summer sun from hitting the living room windows of our home.

Sometimes just considering extra benefits like that, you can save money in the long haul too.

This shading from the porch will for years cut down on the energy needed to keep our home cool just because of the location in which we decided to place it. 

Creating A Restful Outdoor Space

Oftentimes RancherMan & I will sit on the porch in the mornings and enjoy our coffee together as we watch the sunrise. What a wonderfully peaceful way to start the day.

Early morning coffee watching the Northeast Texas sunrise from our back porch. #TexasHomesteader

And when we’ve been bustin’-it in pastures in the hot summer sun we take a break & cool down with an icy-cold beverage before hitting our chores again. 

The covered porch offers shade and relaxation as we cool off & catch our breath. We’ll use this time to  rehydrate with cold water.

Plus almost every night after supper we once again return to the porch to end our day.

Small back porch lights at night in outdoor living area to relax. #TexasHomesteader

It’s so enjoyable to watch the sunset, talking about our day and our dreams.

More Places To Gather Outside

But this new covered porch addition also expanded our entertaining seating options. Long benches were built along the sides of the porch extension. Even more seating!

It’s been great for family gatherings when we typically gather outside anyway. More people can now lounge in the shade.

Additional seating for guests. We wanted an outdoor living space added to our back porch. Come see some of the things we added to make it our own little oasis. #TexasHomesteader

Adding A Small Table To Our Outdoor Room

RancherMan & I wanted to add a small table to go in the corner so we could enjoy eating supper outside from time to time.

We’d contemplated an iron bistro set but they were pricey. Plus they weren’t really the rustic look we were going for.

Since we’re planting huge galvanized troughs as part of the landscaping and also making a rainwater collection out of a galvanized trough, I wanted something to tie in with that look.

So we bought a large galvanized can and RancherMan built a top for it from our old barn wood. Yeah, I like it!

And we bought a couple of lightweight folding stools too. The table top is removable so we can store these small folding stools right inside when they’re not in use.

Adding table & chairs on the back porch. We wanted an outdoor living space added to our back porch. Come see some of the things we added to make it our own little oasis. #TexasHomesteader

I’m experimenting with ways to disguise the fact that it’s just a metal can. Maybe adding some sort of rustic embellishment to the side?

I haven’t really decided yet. Y’all have any ideas??

A Porch Swing Completes An Outdoor Area

Years ago I bought RancherMan a very heavy porch swing for his birthday. We enjoyed it for several years before we moved here.

But with the narrow design of our cement porch at our home there was really no place for it. So for quite a while it’s been tucked out in the storage shed.

But now?? Oh now it came out of the shed and was dusted off and hung where we could use and enjoy it every day.

Adding a porch swing. We wanted an outdoor living space added to our back porch. Come see some of the things we added to make it our own little oasis. #TexasHomesteader

RancherMan & I like to end a long, hard day by grabbing a cool beverage and sitting on that porch swing to watch the sun fade into the horizon. (deep sigh)

We talk about our day, our plans for tomorrow, or sometimes for long periods of time – nothing at all. We just drink it all in… together.

Oh yeah, I love this new outdoor living space. We’ve always ended our day on the back porch, but with this new extension we’re out here even more now!

Bee Friendly & Edible Landscaping

Now that our porch extension has been built of course I wanted to surround it with lovely landscaping. I was after a primarily edible landscape plan with lots of bee-friendly flowers too.

Pollinator-friendly landscape. We wanted an outdoor living space added to our back porch. Come see some of the things we added to make it our own little oasis. #TexasHomesteader

I opted for lots of herbs that the bees loved such as oregano and thyme. I also planted other edibles here, as well as a few bee-friendly flowers.

But all this new landscaping was almost free, y’all. Come see how we landscaped our new outdoor living area gorgeously on the cheap!

Rainwater Catchment In A Galvanized Metal Trough

Y’all know I don’t irrigate using city water. It’s only captured rainwater for my plants.

But can we add a rainwater feature to our outdoor living space and keep it in the peaceful theme we love?

Rainwater catchment as simple as routing downspout gutter into galvanized trough. #TexasHomesteader

Yep. RancherMan even added a Rainwater Catchment System using a third galvanized trough. That tied in nicely with the other galvanized metal features of our new outdoor living space.

And we added fish to this trough to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Just another finishing touch to keep in line with my eco-friendly drive while maintaining the look we wanted.

All of this adds up to a nice, peaceful outdoor living space to spend more time enjoying the beauty of the outdoors.

~TxH~

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10 thoughts on “Adding A Lovely, Peaceful Outdoor Living Space

  1. candace

    Another thing for the plants close around the porch that I have used in small areas like seams in concrete is boiling water. I have also found that vinegar is a pretty good weed killer. I learned that years ago when a batch of apple cider I had made turned and I thought I’d just dump out on the side of the house that no one ever saw. Your porch is lovely.

    Reply
  2. ColleenB.

    What a beautiful addition it makes. What a nice setting to sit and watch the sunsets.
    You can always spray paint the trash can to desire color and then, around the center or top and bottom of can had / secure rope.

    Reply
  3. Nancy

    Did you get this from the Mennonites place down the road? They are so sweet. It looks great, do you have a problem with mosquitoes? We couldn’t stay out too late because the mosquitoes absolutely loved Kaleigh. I tried several natural bug lotions, but they didn’t really work well. I didn’t like putting the other stuff on her.

    Reply
  4. Melonie K.

    Absolutely wonderful!
    I’m going to borrow that table idea – we have a small patio and I’ve got four chairs I love, but would like a table to be able to put out for meals or working on the computer once there’s some shade in the evenings. This would be perfect! Love that it works for storage too.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Multi-purpose items make my crunchy-green heart sing too Melonie. And I love that the top is handmade with some super-old barnwood. RancherMan dog-eared the corners so it didn’t have square edges and I love the way it turned out. I’m going to experiment with the metal-aging process suggested by another reader to make the can more rustic. I’m also thinking about attaching a rusty embellishment of some kind or perhaps painting a design on part of it too. So many options! ~TxH~

      Reply
  5. Evelyn Edgett

    Great idea on the gazebo/porch. I know about the work in progress aspect of making a nice outdoor area–we’re still working on ours.

    Reply
  6. Sondra Langle

    I have to say, you’ve got yourself one good man. Your porch is terrific and looks great.
    I bet that beverage you enjoy is Sweet Tea. Doesn’t all of Texas drink sweet tea? There I go again
    wishing I lived next door. Enjoy….Sondra Langle

    Reply
  7. Patti

    You hit this one out of the pasture! đŸ˜‰ It looks so well made and fits in with your home so well!! I can see why you spend as much time outdoors as you do!
    If you want to age that can here’s an idea. You can use straight vinegar and steel wool. Put straight vinegar in a non-metal bowl and paint the vinegar on the can in small sections. Do one section from the top rim to the bottom of the can so you have one continuous run. Take the fine grade steel wool, dip it into the vinegar and rub the area you just applied the vinegar. Hit certain areas a little more than others. ( Do this as many times as needed to get the desired effect. The vinegar reacts to the metal causing the acid/aging effect. Once you’ve gone all the way around the can you need to neutralize the vinegar. Get a bucket of warm water with a TBSP of baking soda added and wipe your areas down one more time. Let everything dry and you can either let it be, add some car wax or a polyurethane. Cheap and easy!!

    Reply
  8. Ann

    I love it. Looks so comfortable & welcoming!

    Reply
  9. Dawn Rae

    Congrats! Your outdoor space is wonderful!

    Reply

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