Looking for inspiration for Outdoor Before and Afters? Here are all my best outdoor projects, with tips and tricks on what made the project easier. I’ll also tell you what mistakes I made so you don’t need to make the same mistakes, saving you time and money.
Gardening Before and Afters
For me, gardening is very rewarding and therapeutic. [For others, cleaning their house is rewarding.] Now, I’m not crazy about the weeding aspect. But I do love seeing how a plant grows and produces fruit– all from a tiny seed or a tiny plant. Since I like saving time and money, perrenials are my favorite types of plants.
Often when I’m out in the garden it reminds me of the Garden of Eden. I wonder what it was like to live there. And of course I wish Eve hadn’t ate that fruit, causing all these weeds and stickers! Other times I might think about the Fruit of the Spirit, or any other number of biblical topics related to gardening.
Gardening can be a time to escape the hustle and bustle of normal life. It’s usually quiet out there in nature. No music, nobody talking– and that must be why I have time to think about various topics that God brings to my mind. Since I like to be active, just sitting is hard to do— and gardening is the next best thing. Plus, my doctor said that gardening counts as exercise!
I hope you enjoy these gardening before and afters as much as I do!
- Making a Huge Planter Lightweight
- Landscaping with a Dry Riverbed
- Disguising a Big Electric Box
- How to Update Flower Beds
- Garden at Summer’s End
- Longwood Gardens Tour
- Christmas at Longwood Gardens
- Scalloped Brick Edging
- Repurposed Waterfall Planter
- Jumbo Christmas Planter
Outdoor Home Improvement DIY Projects
Do you enjoy tackling outdoor home improvement DIY projects? Since I’ve been blessed to work part-time from home while raising our kids, I’m able to find time for projects like the ones you’ll find below. I really enjoy doing things to make our home look better on the outside (as well as the inside, of course). It’s not just to improve our home’s value, or to make it look more appealing when the neighbors drive by. It is really satisfying to look at the picture I took before I started, and then look at the finished result.
I encourage you to do the same thing when you start a project. Take a “before” picture, maybe a “during” picture, and at least one “After” picture. Keep a collection somewhere, so that when you feel like nothing is getting better or improving– you can look back and see that yes, actually, your home has improved over the years! Do you already do something like this? You may want to keep a list, too.
- Pressure Washing for Curb Appeal
- Build an Outdoor Bench
- Painting a Garden Bench
- Install a Clothesline Pulley
- Staining the Deck
- Staining the Playset
- Painting the Shutters
- Painting the House Siding
- New Windows
- New Front Door
- Painting Exterior Front Door Trim
- Paint the Basement Door
- Painting Shed Trim
- Paint the Trim under the Windows
- Solar Lights
- New Vinyl Fence
- Cat Door in the Wall
Outdoor Decor
Do you like to decorate outdoors as well as indoors? My outdoor decor is usually seasonal. It is often inspired by something free that I found by the side of the road…. Or maybe the house numbers or mailbox numbers are deteriorating and I have an idea how to be make it over new again in a creative way. I hope you enjoy these ideas!
Car Projects
And then there are car projects. The DIY cargo net arose from a need to keep things from falling out of the back of the car when I opened the hatch. And the Vinyl decal sticker started as a way to use my Cricut Maker and put it to good use.