Everyone loves an open, welcoming patio in pleasant weather! There’s something so lovely about stepping outside into a space that feels like an extension of your home. A place where you can sip your morning coffee, enjoy a meal with family, host groups of friends, or sit and watch the deer in the meadow. Today, we’re sharing a budget-friendly DIY transformation of a cramped, unsafe, unusable area into a spacious, welcoming space ~ mostly with elbow grease! If you’re gathering cottage patio ideas of your own, the patio at our last house is a lovely place to start.
Here is where we started. The center of the patio was boxed in with a screened-in porch with gaps in the construction, ripped screens, and doors that didn’t fit properly. The screened-in area was full of spiders, leaves, cobwebs, and was just generally neglected. On the side of the house was a tiny overgrown dog yard that blocked the flow from the back door and the view out the kitchen window.
Our first task was to remove the dog yard. This would enhance the indoor-outdoor flow by allowing traffic to flow freely from the back door, which directly accesses the kitchen.
Matt removed the fence one afternoon, and the house looked prettier right away! The house seemed bigger and more approachable.
Step 1 – Removing the Old Screen Porch
Before we could create the open, inviting patio we were envisioning, the old screen porch had to go. This porch had seen better days, and it was blocking the potential of the whole space. Sometimes you have to strip things back to see what you’re really working with. Another project goal of ours is to build a chicken coop, so as we took the screened porch apart, we sorted the usable materials as we went to help cut costs when we build the coop. This was a great side benefit to the screen porch demo!
Here’s a photo with the dog yard fence removed. Already, it feels more open and usable. Now to tackle the patio!
This is the view from the front of the house. Matt had already removed the lower dividing board before this picture was taken. Next, he’ll remove the framing and the screens. Below is the view from the other end of the patio. The lumber was in decent condition, and we were going to have a good amount we could reuse for the chicken coop. This, and the progress on the patio, was exciting!
Demo nearly done! Just a bit more framing to remove, then time to clear everything away. We were able to save both screened doors for use on the coop. This patio feels even bigger than I imagined! At this point, I could begin to picture how the seating would be arranged and what additional pieces we might need. This means shopping on Marketplace!
Step 2 – Cleaning the Patio
Once the patio was cleared, we gave it a good spray down with the water hose. This felt so good! Clear and clean, ready for the facelift. At this point, without the screened-in porch, dirt, and junk, it was much easier to see what needed to be done as well as what would look good in the space, and with the house.
Step 3 – Refreshing with Paint
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from home DIY projects, it’s this: paint is your best friend on a budget; it gives you the biggest transformation for the smallest cost. The second biggest thing we’ve learned is: good prep = a long-lasting paint job. Clean surfaces, a light sanding where needed, and a good primer. One of the fascia boards was rotted, so Matt replaced that one. The rest of the boards needed a good scraping to remove the old, flaking paint.
Once the fascia was prepped, we painted both the posts and the fascia.
Step 4 – Bistro Lights for Ambiance
This is one of my favorite parts. There’s something almost magical about string lights in an outdoor space. They transform everything once the sun goes down.
Bistro lights come in so many great styles now! We chose Edison-style café lights for a more vintage European feel. For the color, we went with warm white bulbs for a soft, romantic glow. Also, you might consider setting your lights on a timer so they come on automatically for early-morning coffee & each evening for alfresco dining. Throughout this project, we’ve already been enjoying the patio and have discovered that the even distribution of light from the Bistro lights gives not only the perfect cozy, warm glow, but since there is no single light source, they really don’t draw bugs!
Step 5 – Creating Seating Areas
Furniture can be an expensive part of any patio makeover, but it doesn’t have to be! FB Marketplace has become one of my favorite resources for many things. Suitable, quality outdoor pieces are available second-hand and often barely used. Since I had already made over three rattan outdoor chairs for our previous patio, these set the style for any other pieces we needed. Anything rattan, bamboo, or natural wicker would work beautifully. I’m thinking the furniture arrangement for this patio would work well with three distinct areas. Two casual seating areas and one central dining area with our picnic table for kids.
Happily, Matt discovered a pair of vintage metal chairs abandoned behind the barn among the piles of junk. This was great because they really do suit the country style of our new home, and they would provide free seating! To coordinate with the white trim, I painted the chairs white (well, one of them, the other will get done at some point).
In the larger sitting area near the grill, I added a wicker loveseat with scalloped details, a wicker armchair, plus a second-hand side table also from MP. What a difference this seating arrangement makes in making the patio welcoming!
Step 6 – Adding Plants for a Garden Feeling
This is my very favorite part! When you are on the patio, I wanted to create that feeling as if you were entering a cottage garden. It will take time to have enough pots and hanging baskets to do that, but we had quite a collection of pots to start with! Some pots we brought from our move, and some had been left behind by previous owners. This gave us a lot of options! Plus, I like the fact that they don’t all match.
Large pots make such an impact. They add height, anchor your space, and give you room to really play with color and texture. I already had one large blue and white chinoiserie planter and was very excited to find another one on MP!
This repetition of color and pattern made the space feel cohesive. We placed the large pots at the base of posts to get structure and create “doorways”. For summer, I love geraniums, petunias, pinks, white daisies, and trailing ivy. In the fall, mums and pansies. For a more impactful arrangement, go bigger with your pots. A few large pots have more impact than many small ones scattered about.
Our DIY Country Cottage Patio
Here is the before: cramped, dirty, filled with spiders and hornet nests. It looked sad, tired, and a bit creepy! Looking back at where we started versus where we ended up, it still makes me smile. The patio went from an unused afterthought to one of our favorite places to be!
Step by step, project by project, without breaking the bank, this space was reclaimed, and new life was breathed into it! Budget-friendly DIY makeovers are so inspiring to me! If you have the vision to see past the dirt/junk/poor design/etc, and you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do a little work, you’ll find a whole new world of possibilities.
Your patio is calling to you! I’d love to hear about your own outdoor transformations. What’s working in your space? What are you dreaming about changing?
Warmly,
Rachel
