How to Build a Brick Path

Posted by: Craig Allen on May 3rd, 2013 | 2 Comments

A beautiful brick path

Create a walkway with a unique, random pattern using brick-style pavers. Here are the step-by-step instructions. We have printable instructions that you can download, too.

Tags: DIY, Garden, Landscaping Ideas, Outdoor Projects

Cozy, Contemporary Backyard Patio by Lauren of Pure Style Home

Posted by: Lauren Liess on May 2nd, 2013 | 9 Comments

In our Style Challenge series, we ask some of our favorite bloggers from around the web to surprise us with their ideas for creating a stylish and functional space using Home Depot products as a starting point.

Designer Lauren Liess is known for the crisp interior spaces she creates and the way she infuses each space with a touch of nature. She applied her design skills to the backyard of her Northern Virginia home for our Patio Style Challenge, and came up with a comfortable and cozy space suitable for entertaining or relaxing with her active family. Read on for her simple and creative backyard patio decorating ideas.

A family relaxes on an outdoor sectional on their backyard patio

Our family pretty much lives outside when it’s warm. (And honestly, we’re out there a lot when it’s cold too.) My husband Dave and I have three boys and a dog so being outside is a necessity. When we found our new house this past summer, we fell in love with the yard and the outdoor spaces. This past fall, when we moved in, we ate most of our meals outside on the back deck at a big table we have, which was great, but we had nowhere to really veg and relax. When we were contacted by The Home Depot to be a part of their Patio Style Challenge, I was SO EXCITED because we’d been dying to create an outdoor lounging space/ living room next to our deck dining area. This was just the push (and help!) we needed to get it done.

Here’s what our space looked like before:

Tags: guest blogger, Outdoor Decor, Outdoor Living, Patio, Patio Furniture, patio style challenge, style challenge

Soil Testing for Healthier Plants

Posted by: Jae Warren on May 2nd, 2013 | Make A Comment

Healthy, fertile soil and lots of TLC are the keys to productive gardens and lush lawns. That’s why it’s important to test your soil every two to three years. Soil testing provides essential information about your soil’s pH (its acidity or alkalinity) as well as a measure of other nutrients essential for plant growth.

The soil tests will also indicate the type and amount of feeding or fertilization your soil may require. With this knowledge in hand, you’ll be able to add the proper soil amendment, in the right amount, to keep your plants and the environment healthy and thriving.

Many local extension services offer free or low-cost soil testing. But if you’re like many of us and don’t want to wait on the test results, you can do your own lab work with an inexpensive soil testing kit.

To show you how easy soil testing is, we asked Coach Dave from The Home Depot Community Forums to demonstrate how it’s done. All you need is the soil test, a little distilled water and some dirt from your lawn or garden. In probably less time than it will take you to watch this video, you will have your results.

Here’s a piece of advice Coach Dave left out: Take your soil sample from a depth of at least 4 inches for the best results.

So, before you go adding fertilizer and other amendments willy-nilly in preparation for the planting season, get to know your soil. Giving your soil the right kind and amount of nutrition will yield healthier plants – too much can lead to problems in your garden and for the environment.

We have a lot more DIY, home improvement and gardening videos for you. Check out the videos here on The Home Depot Blog and on The Home Depot’s YouTube channel.

Tags: Garden, gardening, Gardening Ideas, soil, Soil Test Kit, Soil Test Kits, soil testing

Natural, Chic Patio Decor Ideas from House of Earnest

Posted by: Erin Souder on May 1st, 2013 | 6 Comments

Erin Souder is the creative mind behind the home decor blog House of Earnest. She styled a gorgeous table setting for our Holiday Style Challenge, and she’s back with simple and effective patio decor ideas in the Patio Style Challenge. She shows us how flagstones and the right outdoor seating set are a great start to an awesome natural and rustic patio makeover. Add a fire pit and a few strings of lights, and you have an absolutely gorgeous outdoor space.

Patio Decor Ideas: Flagstone patio with Hampton Bay Millstone Seating Set

There is nothing that I love more than spending time outside relaxing with friends. My husband Matt and I knew that having an amazing patio meant that we had to completely renovate, and so we set out this spring to demo the cement slab that existed in our backyard and replace it with something ten times better. I wrote on my blog, House of Earnest, about my plans for my patio. It was natural and maybe a little European cafe inspired (hey, a girl can dream!).

In our 100+ year old farmhouse, something as contemporary as pavers wouldn’t quite do the trick, so we went with the natural look of flagstone. I also felt that the flagstone would give our backyard a little more of that old world flair that I was after.

Tags: guest blogger, Outdoor Living, Patio, Patio Furniture, patio style challenge, style challenge

Places: The Outdoor Shower

Posted by: Jae Warren on May 1st, 2013 | 2 Comments

Image of a simple outdoor shower using a garden hose and a shower head

Image via Sweet Paul

If you’ve never taken an outdoor shower on a hot, sunny summer day after working or playing outside, then you’ve been missing out on one of life’s simplest and most exhilarating pleasures. There’s nothing like standing out in the rain with arms stretched wide and face to the heavens. But this kind of shower you can turn off when you’re done. And, as you can see from this inspiring example we found on Sweet Paul’s blog, it doesn’t take much more than a garden hose, a shower head and a sturdy tree branch to enjoy bathing in the great outdoors.

So, whether your desire is to wash off the toil and sweat of the day, or to simply cool down before heading indoors, here are a few splashy ideas for an outdoor shower just waiting for you to try.

A collection of images featuring outdoor showers

Images via Vintage Chica (clockwise from top left), Willow Décor, HGTV, Content In A Cottage, Eclectic and The Cozy Farmhouse

Some might ask why in the world you’d want to shower outdoors. We think your answer to that question should clearly be, why not? Especially when there are old pallets lying around to be upcycled for shower walls, and rustic watering cans to repurpose as shower heads. Just think how much easier it will be to get the kids in the shower — and the pets, too. Doesn’t it all sound quite Zen?

Tags: Deck Ideas, Outdoor Pool Shower, Outdoor Shower, Outdoor Shower Fixtures, places, Shower, Shower Fixtures

DIY Succulent Hanging Gardens by The Design Confidential

Posted by: Rayan Turner on May 1st, 2013 | Make A Comment

We asked a few of our favorite bloggers from around the web to craft unique projects using one of the most versatile plants in our garden center: succulents. These are the kinds of project covered in The Home Depot’s Do-It-Workshop Inspired by Pinterest: Succulent Gardens (more on that below).

Rayan Turner of The Design Confidential certainly lived up to her reputation as a DIY daredevil with these fabulously funky macrame succulent hanging gardens. Check out her unique take on an indoor hanging garden.

Nothing beats the winter blues like bringing a bit of the outdoors in. Spring is the perfect time of year to start thinking about some of those plants that are overlooked when the temperatures drop, and succulents are the perfect choice to usher in that warm weather. In my part of Northern California it heats up during the summer to temperatures that shouldn’t even be mentioned aloud. Succulents do best indoors or in somewhat filtered light outside, so this happens to be the perfect excuse for creating indoor succulent hanging gardens. They’re a fabulous way to brighten things up in this otherwise bland area of my home.

Completed succulent hanging garden

MATERIALS FOR THE HANGING SUCCULENT GARDEN:

Succulents in various types and color combinations
Sheet moss
Twine
Neon Premium Braided Mason Twine
Swivel hangers
Phillips head screw driver
Knife or box cutter
Large bowl

Tags: DIH, Garden, guest blogger, succulents

A Casual, Eclectic Patio Makeover by Tobe of Because It’s Awesome

Posted by: Tobe Reed on April 30th, 2013 | 6 Comments

Graphic designer Tobe Reed of Because It’s Awesome has great taste and an eye for design, so we knew she would make a fantastic addition to our Patio Style Challenge. She started her patio makeover with a pair of simple stained Adirondack chairs and created a beautiful new outdoor space with a casual, relaxed vibe. Tobe explains how just a few, small changes made all the difference in her patio makeover.

Winter weather has certainly lingered this year in Kansas City! Now that the cold seems to (finally) be on its way out, I am eager to spend lazy mornings and warm evenings on our patio. Having moved from a loft in the city center in late 2011, we had a long way to go when it came to furnishing the house…including a pretty neglected outdoor space. Here’s where we were last year:

A backyard deck before its patio makeover

Yikes. Showing this pic is painful. Even though we’d amassed some unique pieces and had the casual vibe we were looking for, our outdoor living area had a long way to go. We kept things mostly to the deck and weren’t taking full advantage of our sizable lower patio at all. So when our friends at The Home Depot called, we were up for a patio overhaul!

Patio with large outdoor sofa, Adirondack chairs, and a firepit

Keeping a casual, eclectic feel was important to us from the start because we love to entertain. While I thought I might go with a simple color scheme, I quickly realized that the color addict in me would have no such thing! A natural palette across the furnishings and a bevvy of worn, earthy terra cotta pots let plants and a few decorative elements do most of the heavy lifting in this space.

Tags: adirondack challenge, guest blogger, Patio, Patio Furniture, patio sets, patio style challenge, style challenge

Lawn Mower Maintenance Made Easy

Posted by: Jae Warren on April 30th, 2013 | Make A Comment

Even if you think of yourself as somewhat mechanically disinclined, basic lawn mower maintenance is something anyone can do and it will add years to the life of your mower.

To show you just how easy it is to keep your lawn mower operating at peak performance, Rick from The Home Depot has pulled together a lot of useful tips into one short video. He covers everything from routine lawn mower maintenance such as changing the oil and filter and replacing spark plugs to swapping out mower blades, cleaning your mower and prepping it for end-of-year storage.

A new lawn mower can be a significant investment. But whether yours is a recent purchase or it’s been in the family for a while, you’ll enjoy greater returns if it is properly maintained.

For even more tips on caring for your lawn mower, check out our online project guide on maintaining your lawn mower.

We have more DIY and home improvement videos here on the Home Depot blog and on The Home Depot’s YouTube channel.

Tags: Garden, Garden Ideas, gardening, Landscaping Ideas, lawn mower maintenance, lawn mowers, mower parts, Video, youtube

Pancakes On The Front Porch With Grace Of A Storied Style

Posted by: Grace Mitchell on April 29th, 2013 | 65 Comments

Browse Grace Mitchell’s blog A Storied Style for a few minutes, and you’ll immediately see that she has infused her home with beautiful colors and ingenius DIY projects, and she clearly has a killer eye for design. We knew Grace would create a gorgeous space for our Style Challenge, so we were thrilled when she agreed to take on our Patio Style Challenge. Take a look at her awesome front porch decorating ideas, including links to the DIY projects she mentions.

I am so thrilled to be part of the Style Challenge this year, and I have been busting at the seams to share my space with you! We live in a 1921 home with our four children, who are all a year apart. Needless to say, we need to squeeze all of the space out of our home we can! One of the things that initially drew us to the house we live in now was the big front porch. “Front porch living” and the community feel of really knowing our neighbors was very appealing to us. Sadly, with all of the other projects we have been working on (old home = lots of work), our big front porch had been neglected.

A drab front porch before it gets a total makeover

I envisioned this being a space we could enjoy as a family and with friends. It needed to be inviting, cozy, and have a sense of privacy. I wanted it to feel like a room outside our door. After looking through all of the beautiful patio sets Home Depot has to offer, I fell in love with the Woodbury Dining Set. At one glance of its x-base dining table, I was sold. You can order cushion covers in several colors, but I chose the bare cushion set so I could tailor the fabric choices to my taste and have a little fun.

Woodbury Dining Set – Bare Cushions

I have to tell you, I gasped when my husband took the set out of the box. It is pretty in the pictures on Home Depot’s website, but wow, it is gorgeous in real life. We were so impressed with the quality and sturdiness for the price! And did I mention we have four little ones five and under? Yeah, we definitely need sturdy.

The exterior of the house is a cream brick with aqua blue shutters, charcoal trim, and a sunshine yellow door, so I knew I wanted to coordinate those colors for my new outdoor dining set. Of course, putting a patio together like this is so much work, but my goodness, it is such a GREAT feeling in the end! In our house, breakfast is our favorite meal so we decided to celebrate all of our effort (the kids helped, too!) with pancakes on the porch. Welcome!

A front porch decorated with sunburst mirrors, vintage tole chandeliers and a Hampton Bay Woodbury patio dining set

Tags: Dining, Dining Alfresco, guest blogger, Outdoor Dining Room, Outdoor Living, Patio, Patio Furniture, patio style challenge, style challenge

Stylish and Functional Small Space Patio Sets

Posted by: Caroline Inge on April 29th, 2013 | Make A Comment

Even if you have an outdoor space that is on the small side, there’s no reason you can’t turn it into a functional space to enjoy some sun or shade. A petite patio set is the way to go. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite small space patio sets. Which one would work best for you?

TOP TO BOTTOM:

The Hampton Bay Summerville Patio Balcony Set in yellow has a nostalgic feel, and its compact scale will give purpose to the smallest of balconies. We love the bright pop of color used in the yellow vinyl-strap chair!

Tags: Inspiration, inspiration board, Inspired, Outdoor Living, Patio, Patio Furniture, patio ideas, Porch, Porch Ideas, Small Spaces

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