Backyard Finale!

The hubby and I just got home from our Thailand getaway yesterday, and we've gotten right back into the groove of things. We tried to post pictures of the finished backyard, but we were too excited to get going with our trip--we waited until now.

But really quick---I had to post these two photos of Daniel and me in Thailand feeding baby tigers. (Well, the park claimed they were babies--but they were pretty massive. Either way, so cute!) 

DAWWWWW. So, so, so adorable--the both of them. :)

OM NOM NOM NOM

Meow!

Anyway, back to the yard! After getting rid of a bunch of trees and bushes, we tried to create a low maintenance yard with succulents and an open entertaining area for the small space. The landscaping company we ended up going with after four different quotes did an AMAZING job, and we seriously couldn't be happier. (Especially for Daniel who has been waiting to have his own built in bbq--pretty much his entire life.) We also hung up globe cafe lights, but I have yet to take night photos of them. Actually, the yard looks totally different at night, so I'll definitely have to take some photos of it soon. Anyway, without further ado, here are some before and after photos of our  yard work. Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Before:

Overgrown bushes, dead grass, old flagstone, a falling lemon tree...the ickyness goes on and on.

Exposed ACU...

You can see just how crazy the lemon tree on the right is leaning into the yard.

The concrete was raised from the tree roots which we eventually got rid of the cement and chopped down the tree legs to stop growing into this area.

The front of our home had this exposed area underneath the stairwell. It kind of made no sense and was pretty hideous. 

Our mini front planter had horribly ugly plants, so we got rid of those, too.

and AFTER:

A mix of succulents covered in decomposed granite. (They're still baby succulents, so once they're grown, it should hopefully look nice and lush!)

The built in planter for us to plant our little vegetable garden with its own drip system!

New concrete that's still "curing", and to the left, the landscapers built a new wooden fence so McCrae could have a longer dog run on the side of the yard.

The fireplace/patio set that have been sitting in boxes since we've been married. We FINALLY get to use them!

Daniel finally got his built in BBQ and outdoor fridge. Oh, and see that little thing to the right of the mini fridge under the countertop? It's a bottle opener. Yup, that was entirely my idea. I'm a GENIUS! haha

Little bronze light fixtures surround the yard.

The front of our little tree house doesn't look half bad now!

Oh, hey Mickey!

We enclosed the gaping space next to the front door, restucco-ed and painted!

With our heirloom tomatoes, Thai basil, mint, and strawberry plants planted!

Our ACU now has plants surrounding it to hide it a bit. Once they're mature and overgrown, hopefully it'll be completely camouflaged.

Breaking in the outdoor fireplace with some vino and BBQ!  

That basically sums up our backyard remodel. Gone are the days where McCrae has to hang out on dry,
diseased dirt:

Aww, poor little fella! The saddest, yet best visual description of what our yard USED to look like!!!

We'll hopefully have some photos up soon of the little cafe lights (I may even snap a few tonight since its an outdoorsy fireplace type-o-night.) 

Oh, and our new carpet comes in tomorrow!! The upstairs is just about done being painted (still have the 3rd bathroom to remodel/paint), and all of the rooms have new colors in, so once that's all completed---I'll get to show y'all. Besides, it's way more fun seeing the before and after right away instead of all the step by steps (says Daniel).

Have a goodnight, errrrrbody!