Kendra’s Patio Addition is Finally Built
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Kendra’s patio addition is now built. She has already added a new outdoor sectional and coffee table, and she will add plants and flowers once no more frost is expected. It is a nice, large space that adds more covered living space to her home and yard.
I was there Saturday and got a few photos of her patio with my phone. It’s hard to photograph because it takes up a lot of room in that yard, and I could only back up so much.
When you step out of the kitchen, then the laundry room, and go outside, this is what you see.
The patio doors you see were once a window. Now she can go outside to the patio from her bedroom. She had the screen open a bit that day, and the cats sat there, looking at the birds.
Note: She figured out the cat problem. I had told her at the beginning that cats like their litter boxes in a small enclosed space. She had three of them in two hallways.
Then, about two weeks ago, she moved one of them into her bathroom. The other one is still in a small hallway leading to the kids’ rooms.
She had taken Millie to the vet to try to figure out why she wasn’t urinating or pooping in the litter box. They told her Millie was healthy.
So I guess it was a stress problem. Cats can be finicky creatures.
Having her own more private and isolated space seemed to appease Millie. Millie was her first rescue, and she seems to prefer being away from the second rescue cat, Maggie. Maggie wants to play, and Millie apparently does not.
Cats have their own unique little personalities.
When Kendra goes out, she separates them and puts Millie in her bedroom with the door closed.
Hopefully, Problem Solved
Maggie is very social, likes people, and gets along well with the two dogs. She seems to be happy everywhere in the house.
When you go there, Maggie comes right up to you to be petted. While Millie stays back in Kendra’s bedroom when there are visitors.
So I think she’s found the right formula for the cat situation now. She had previously said, “Why does it matter where the litter boxes are? They’re cats.”
I laughed and said, “Yes, and they’re picky. How would you like to go to the bathroom while people are passing by in the hallway?
So now all seems to be right in the cat world there. The plan, once she finds Riley a house, is to add a catio (or cat patio) from his bedroom window. That room looks out over the backyard.
Another View of the Patio Structure:
Above is the patio door that leads to her bedroom. Taking out the window and adding those patio doors probably added a lot of bright light to her bedroom.
She plans to add lanterns and plants. Her plan was to hang Boston ferns from the roof along the side of the structure, facing the house next door. But that is a southern exposure, and I told her it would be too hot. Ferns like a shadier area.
The key for ferns is to provide an exposure much like the dappled shade of a forest floor, where they’re indigenous.
Kendra, facetiously, said I had ruined her plan. That she had envisioned ferns hanging and spilling down there.
You can’t bend a plant’s placement to where you think it will look best and expect it to grow there. That’s how people end up losing money when trying to make their yard and garden pretty. Putting plants where they won’t do well from the start.
She tends to want to place something somewhere (just like with the litter boxes) that ultimately won’t work, but where she thinks it will look best. And this is because she doesn’t know enough about gardening and what plants need.
The View From the Back of the Yard:
And here is the patio structure from the back of the yard. It takes up much of the yard, but there’s enough room for her two little chihuahua dogs, Lulu and Thor, to run and play.
My Plant Suggestion:
I suggested large pots of perennial ornamental grass along the south and west edges of the patio. That would provide some privacy from the neighbors.
This neighborhood is kind of loud. Someone is always out power washing their driveway or having their lawn maintenance done. Putting large ornamental grasses there would help to absorb sound and block some of the sun.
If you want to know what such a structure costs, it was around $45,000, excluding the furniture. And that’s with her having her guys build it and getting contractor prices. She also had to replace part of the roof.
But it will be a place she cherishes come summertime when she has enough time to go out and enjoy it. It’s not like with a vacation, when you have to pay every time you go somewhere.
This was an investment in her future. To all the times she can entertain out there or host her family. Or just to be alone and enjoy the birds.
This is where she will go to relax and drink her coffee or wine in the evening. I don’t know that you can put a price on that.
I will take more photos of it when it’s decorated and has plants.
True! That $45k would be gobbled up so quickly in a few stressful vacations. Now Kendra has a peaceful area of respite for herself and family for the rest of her life. Home sweet home. The best place to be and to invest your money in!
I love sitting out and having coffee in a space like that on warm summer mornings. Nice lanterns on either side of the patio door. Ornamental grasses are a great idea for all the reasons you mention, plus they look really cool.
That is a beautiful patio. Lots of fun and enjoyment to come. I really love the underside of the roof. It looks so relaxing.
I thought that was a nice accent too.
Wow, it turned out great!! She is really going to enjoy that space. I can’t wait to see it decorated with all the plants. Can she hang artificial ferns in the spots she wanted, and then plant real flowers in the other areas? Glad she got her litter box situation fixed, and that the cats are happy. Now she knows to listen to her smart Mama, lol!
Beautiful new patio area. They certainly will get a lot of use out of it.
I’m sure they will.
Looks very well planned. I imagine it will be a cooler spot in summer and with that fireplace, she will have more days she can enjoy in cooler days too. LOVELY!!
I think sometimes it’s worth it to splurge on yourself and your home.
That is lovely! She will get alot of use out of the outdoor living space. I say money well spent.
I agree.
Good Monday Brenda,
Kendra patio in quite nice! I love the fireplace. I’m sure it’ll be a place to socialize but also to just relax! They did an excellent job with it!
She put together a great design.
The patio is gorgeous. I can imagine how lovely and peaceful it will be with the plants and lanterns. A rug? Plant or two on the mantle. The options are endless. Would love to see the finished patio.
I’ll take more photos along the way.
Love the patio! You gave me an idea with the ornamental grass in pots. I think they would look good sitting on the ground in front of my back porch, it is enclosed with lattice so animals can’t get under it.
Ornamental grass is a good way to shield or hide something.
Beautiful.
Kendra’s patio is stunning. What a great place to relax and to entertain.
Good info, too, on litter boxes. Kitties do love their privacy. Enjoy your day! 😉
Once she gets plants in there to soften the edges, I think that will add a lot more than there already is.
Brenda my friend use an old end tables, removed the door , painted the inside & outside . Then is placed the cat’s litter box inside ! The one cat wouldn’t use the other’s litter box. Animals have their own behavioral craziness like humans
Unique idea! Whatever works!
Perfect. She thought of everything! I didn’t know that about litterboxes – good information.
You learn as you go when it comes to cats.
Wow, that’s gorgeous!
I agree on the litter boxes. They need privacy or an area they feel safe in. I had a neighbor that had a too-small litter box for her cat right in the main back entry of where their cars are and an open box at that. She couldn’t figure out why her cat wouldn’t use it. LOL.
Just makes sense that they would want a more enclosed, private area.
Oh,,Brenda this is just beautiful. I LOVE it!!!!
I will get more photos later on.
Such a wonderful addition. She certainly does good work. It will provide many hours of relaxation and just be her special place to unwind.
I had told her months ago that she might not feel safe traveling in the near future, so this would be her right-outside-the-door vacation.
That patio is gorgeous!!! I can just see sitting there and roasting hot dog and making S’mores. And in the fall sitting out there with a blanket and watching the changing color of the leaves. I have a feeling she’ll get a lot of use out of that space.
I agree. A blanket and a fire in the fireplace. A TV goes above the fireplace. It was down when I was there. I don’t care for them outside, but I know a lot of other people want them. To me, nature is TV.