Swamp to backyard oasis: ok guys! Welcome to our backyard.
Here we go! Family of five on a renovation adventure.
Be prepared.
There was a swamp here.
No Photoshop editing, it was really this bad.
I have lots of pictures to share today.
I just remember the layers and layers we went through to get the junk out of the yard. We unearthed skillets, clothes, pots, random metal and trash, you name it.
Buried under layers of vines and overgrowth was this amazing back yard.
We still aren’t’ finished and I am not sure we ever will be. My mind goes wild with all the possibility this gigantic yard holds.
We’ve started close to the house and each season we radiant out a little further in the yard fixer upper department.
This private courtyard is off the master bedroom.
There is a playhouse out back that we built for the kids. It is awesome, but it’s a whole other story.
The pool was built in 1971 and is concrete. It’s large, as pools go, and at it’s depth is nine feet deep.
This is when we first looked at the house…the swamp came after we made an offer and before we owned it. That’s my husband, taking it all in.
I took pictures with our safety net on because that’s how we really live. Another story lies behind the net about miracles and grace and God’s sovereign hand. I’ll save it for another day.
The net is from Catch A Kid out of Houston. We love it and the peace it brings, in case you were wondering!
The original owner of this home had such a great eye and she loved to garden. We still have volunteer flowers that pop up in various spots that I know she had her hand in planting. I love little gifts like that!
Our pool house is an added bonus. A cool breeze blows through the shade regularly and provides this mama a reprieve from the heat of a Texas summer while the kids swim. I have big thoughts and ideas for the pool house too. Oh the project list is long on an older home!
Our wilderness is teaming with lizards, snails, bees, squirrels and frogs…it is the perfect backdrop for my little boys to be little boys!
So…do you think we were crazy? I hope you’ll let me know you stopped by! You can peek at the inside of our home here.
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Rebecca says
September 18, 2015 at 4:54 AMWhat a transformation! Great job.
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 8:53 AMThank you Rebecca!
Stacey says
September 18, 2015 at 5:44 AMWow! You should be so proud. The potential really was there and you made it shine. Love that courtyard off your master bedroom. I can just imagine having a Diet Coke ( I would say coffee but it’s too hot) and listening to the doves. 🙂
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 8:54 AMThe courtyard is so nice…and we have the fattest “city” doves as my husband calls them! Thanks for coming by Stacey!
Susan @ Uniquely Yours or Mine says
September 18, 2015 at 6:25 AMWow! You guys have accomplished so much, I know how rewarding seeing the transformation must be to you! We are still working on our yard, which was neglected by renters for 4 years, but was previously very well loved and maintained.
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 8:55 AMIt takes a while to get a yard turned around! Keep working…sometimes it feels futile, but it will pay off eventually! So glad you stopped by and shared.
Barbie Zuleski says
September 18, 2015 at 7:49 AMPositively amazing. Your taste and style are perfection….. What a wonderful space….
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 8:56 AMYou are too sweet. Thanks so much.
Dianne says
September 18, 2015 at 7:59 AMLovely transformations! You have made it into a beautiful back yard! It is so gratifying when you do the work yourself, even though it is hard!
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 8:56 AMI agree! Yards, especially can be a lot of work, but they give back year round!
Nanette says
September 18, 2015 at 8:20 AMThat is absolutely incredible! What an amazing job, it is beautiful. God has definitely been by your side, it shows. Thanks for sharing!
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 8:57 AMThanks Nanette. God has certainly been good with us and looking back I see his hand all over this house!
Celeste Diaz-Consul says
September 18, 2015 at 9:37 AMHi Kim, I love your blog. This post in particular has helped a lot! We are in the process of building a pool. Right now permits are in process and we are expecting to start construction in the next 2 or 3 weeks. With the hot Miami temperatures it will be super fun! We are expecting to use the pool a lot! If you allow me to say so, please be very careful with a pool that deep. I understood from your post it is 9 feet? Our, after following some recommendations is going to be 5 ft in the deeper side. Either way too deep for small kids, unless, of course, they are fish in the water swimming (one of mine is still learning! 🙂 Anyways, your backyard looks like a dream backyard to me!! I will use some of your ideas for sure! I wish I had a pool house too! Keep posting!
Celeste
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 9:46 AMThanks Celeste – I hope you enjoy your pool! We inherited this pool with the house. It was built in 1970 and originally had a diving board and slide! Trust me, we would not have built it the same had we built it ourselves! I’m not sure we would even have a pool honestly. But, we are working with what we adopted and that is only one more reason I LOVE our safety net. It is never off unless we are swimming and an adult is always with the swimmers. Pool safety freaks me out! It is a MUST! Enjoy your new oasis!
Holly @ While I'm Waiting... says
September 18, 2015 at 9:39 AMGorgeous!!! You have such an eye to transform anything in to a work of art!
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 9:47 AMyou are sweet my friend!
helloredds says
September 18, 2015 at 10:48 AMThis is great, Kim! You have done a wonderful job renovating your back yard and pool!
Always amazed at your creativity!
Melanie
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 18, 2015 at 11:11 AMHave a great time away celebrating your 25th anniversary…that is so amazing!
Toni says
September 18, 2015 at 6:53 PMAbsolutely wonderful use of the space……looks so open and fun. Congratulations on all your hard work, your yard is stunning.
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 19, 2015 at 7:58 AMwe have a great time outside at our house! Thank you for stopping by
Michelle says
September 19, 2015 at 12:58 PMWonderful before and afters. You and your famly have done a wonderful job updating and redoing the whole outside. It looks amazing!
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 20, 2015 at 3:03 PMThanks Michelle!
Jen Y says
September 19, 2015 at 3:21 PMYou’ve done such a beautiful job!
I always have a never ending list in my head of ways to improve. We’ve lived in our house for 29 yrs this Christmas & waited until the empty nest a few yrs ago to really make big changes. It’s been so much fun! I told my contractor (a good friend of ours) that my husband doesn’t know the whole list. I only tell him a few ideas at a time or he would give up on me. 😉
Kim at Hunt and Host says
September 20, 2015 at 3:02 PMI know! You can’t unleash the ideas all at once or they would be overwhelmed! To-do list is on a need to know basis!
Oh My Heartsie Girl says
September 21, 2015 at 9:49 PMwhat a fabulous tour, I love that you painted the whole house in the light color, your yard has transformed beautifully into a place to enjoy. Thank you for sharing on the Friday Feature Linkup.
Hope you have a great week!
Karren
Cat @ Pocketful of Posies says
September 27, 2015 at 8:45 AMWow! What a beautiful job! I can’t believe it is the same house! Congratulations and thank you for sharing with us!
Cat
dailymomtivity1 says
October 24, 2015 at 9:41 PMOh I love it! You’ve done a wonderful job. Love the change of color the most! We have a pool too and it’s hard to maintain in the Texas heat! It’s so expensive too. I saw your pool safety net. I heard about those and we check into it. Is it easy to do? It seems hard to keep put it on/off all summer long. I have a 2 year old boy and he’s fallen in a few times- luckily with a life jacket and we were right there. Scary stuff.
Kim at Hunt and Host says
October 25, 2015 at 9:35 PMThe net is awesome if you ask me! It is easy to work with, but is an extra commitment for sure. We had a near drowning with my son at a friend’s house when he was 2. When we got this house with a pool I had to do something that made me comfortable. The net has given me more peace than I can explain.
Sutton says
February 6, 2016 at 8:04 AMEnjoyed your home tour! You guys are so talented! Love how you weave your own prized treasures with other funky finds. Very artful…yet so personal. Thank you for sharing these pics and, your heart for the Lord.
Kim at Hunt and Host says
February 10, 2016 at 6:36 PMThanks Sutton – I am so glad you stopped by, miss seeing you!
soulmama says
August 5, 2017 at 2:12 PMI had to stop and comment on Mae’s room, but I saved my thoughts, most of them, for the last stop. I absolutely love your home. I am sure that it is a direct representation of the people who live there. It is cozy but very well styled. I believe sometimes it is better to choose good bones of a house already built than to over ponder when building it ourselves. I truly believe that we should arrange rooms to suit our own lifestyles no matter how someone else might think it isn’t politically correct in the decorating world. Over the years of raising a family we moved seventeen times in fifteen years so I heard you loud and clear about moving. We finally moved into a new house, that we didn’t design, and started to personalize it to suit our family. We currently have all of our children back at home with 3 granddaughters and a son in law also. It is like a sardine can now, haha! We still change things around exactly how we need them for this very moment. Your home is simply lovely.
Kim at Hunt and Host says
August 8, 2017 at 6:27 PMaww, snug and cozy, I bet you love having them back home and YES you have to make your home workl for you…no one else has to live there and enjoy it but you and your family!
Thank you so much for sharing
Angela Robinson says
August 9, 2017 at 11:17 PMI swear, every post you write is my favorite post! Love your backyard, especially the landscaping! We’ve been slowly making ours over too…I wish I had your vision!
Kim at Hunt and Host says
August 14, 2017 at 4:59 AMThanks Angela – I have to give my husband lots of credit on the yard and selecting this old house, he is pretty creative. We have fun, hope you are too. It’s a process and definitely the marathon vs sprint kind 😉