Father's Day Giveaway
I have a HUGE Father's Day contest for you this year.
But I need your help first. I gave up on the idea of building a backyard deck, and am instead going with a much cheaper concrete patio. It's going to be a 10x40-foot rectangle right along the back of the house. What I need from you are a few creative ideas for dressing this thing up, and making it look less like a huge white boring slab of concrete.
So, leave your ideas here in the comment section, and I'll pick a winner at random next week.
Oh yes, what am I giving away? Click here to find out.
But I need your help first. I gave up on the idea of building a backyard deck, and am instead going with a much cheaper concrete patio. It's going to be a 10x40-foot rectangle right along the back of the house. What I need from you are a few creative ideas for dressing this thing up, and making it look less like a huge white boring slab of concrete.
So, leave your ideas here in the comment section, and I'll pick a winner at random next week.
Oh yes, what am I giving away? Click here to find out.
Permalink posted by Idaho Dad at 12:58 PM
23 Comments:
Concrete can now be tinted and then "stamped" with a pattern to make it look more like stone or slate. It is quite beautiful.
Tinted and stamped.... Then a curved entrance or walkway as part of the patio... It worked well for us!
hey! let the kids do some mosaic glass decorations! my kids loved it! Get some glass and tiles and make a beautiful boarder with a center piece..!!
(i could REALLY use some home depot help.. really really really really)
Love these ideas...wish we'd have done it.
http://www.patio-ideas-guide.com/concrete-patio-ideas.html
You can get a "cool crete" company out to coat the slab like a pool deck. It can be tinted and some of the companies can do multiple colors/designs.
Bonus, this stuff does not get as hot as bare or stained concrete. Easier on the feet!
Our local ice cream place did a stamped concrete patio that was stained and looks like old barn siding planks. You could also spice things up with some potted plants, flowers, vegetables, strawberries.
I love the look of a patio trellis. It creates sort of an "outdoor room" look, and provides a great place to hang plants or lanterns or whatever. Here's an example: http://www.outsideup.com/images/user/330.jpg
My husband would LOVE the Home Depot prize. Now that we're *finally* homeowners, he's got a home project list a mile long!
If I had the time and ability, I would tint it and make it look like stonework. Something like this:
http://www.atlaspools.com/img/gunite2.jpg
We looked into stamping, but it was a LOT more money. Plus, we have to pour this slab around our existing 10x10 patio. It would've been hugely expensive to first remove that and then put in stamped concrete. However, I do believe we'll be looking into staining the whole thing (old and new) in the future.
concrete paint, any color you wish it to be.
You can also put loose wooden tiles on the concrete, like we have done. It has the advantage of being 'not permanent' and they can be stored for the winter. Check out our terrace on http://andresacsense.blogspot.com/2007/04/now-my-back-would-like-some-rest.html
How about an area kept plain where you can have guests put their names so you can see all the people who've visited you?
Smear it with chocolate pudding. For a while, at least, it will be the best slab ever.
Get lots of different colors of chalk, and let the kids draw on it! They'd feel so special getting to "mess up" your concrete slab, and every time it rained, they would get to start over again!
Amanda
catss99@yahoo.com
Make a pyramid out of old car tires (painted), fill it with earth and then plant strawberries in the gaps. If you chose the right combination of plants you'll have strawberries from spring to fall.
Or use three car tires stacked on top of each other and filled with earth as potato planters.
I'm all about the car tires as you can see.
Dunno if I can enter this contest, but if I can I'll donate the vouchers to my friend Greg who lives int he US.
How about throwing down a nice outdoor rug and building a pergola? I'm covetous of a pergola.
add plants...lots of plants in pots, or plants climbing a trellis that you build with wood purchased at home depot.
There is such wonderful patio furniture available that you would hardly notice what was underneath it. A few pieces could add a lot to any area. And I like plants outside, too.
Maybe dont have the outside edge dead straight, how about curved edges that way ya eye its drawn away from the slab of concrete, and of course lots and lots of tubs and maybe a trellis up the house to give a bit of height to again divert the eye from the flat floor....
x
I'd be happy to have my son and his skateboarder friends provide many suggestions on how to use that slab. ;b
We've got two count em two original bathroom's from the 1930's that we are remodeling (or trying to) We have determined that there was no such thing as a plumb line or measuring tape in the 1930's as there is absolutely nothing that is standard or in a straight line in our house. We love it anyway.
i need to fix a bathtub and the wall that was seperated from a flood i cant really afford to fix it because im laid off but someone suggested spackling and paint the cheapest way
We just bought our first home and we close on July 17th and the first thing that we need to do is the main bathroom, it needs to all be gutted, it's so bad.
SamantharaeM at gmail dot com
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