Last weekend we had a couple of friends over. (Yay for fully vaccinated friends!) We sat on our renewed back porch enjoying the evening. Our back porch is quite small and had never been a stunner but pressure washing, primer, paint, four plastic Adirondack chairs from Target, a rug, small tables from Ross and World Market, and that porch was ready for the cover of Southern Living Magazine. The only thing missing was a pitcher of sweet tea with a sprig of mint and a floppy hat perfectly framing my delicate features.

The difference between a charming, comfortable porch and one that had become a catch-all for sporting equipment and extra shoes, was my setting a goal to get the job done by the time Matt got back from Yellowstone with Benson’s class. I love a good surprise, and it had been a year since I could do anything that would actually surprise him…because, Covid.

I started the project as I do all decorating projects, with graph paper from which I cut a simple floor plan and miniature scaled furniture possibilities. I enlisted my mom and my daughter as fellow shoppers and sounding boards, and we hit the floor running.

We had never been in one of the stores on our list before, and I suspected it might be a bit outside my budget. Turned out the price for a cushioned, outdoor-seating set cost more than Mom’s car. So, after gawking at the all-American price tags as though we had just arrived from Berlin and needed to convert dollars into deutsche marks without a calculator, we headed for the exit…and reality. In the car, we did a little comparison:

• Four perfectly comfortable, plastic Adirondack chairs at Target, $100.
• Four “resin” Adirondack chairs at The Store That Shall Not be Named, $2,760.

Wow! or as they say in Berlin, “Beeindruckend!” I don’t speak German, but I’ll bet their version of “Wow!” translates to “Have they been drinking?” as in, “Had they been drinking when they priced this furniture?”

What, you ask, is the difference between plastic and resin? As near as I can figure, about $665, plus tax.

The point is, whether you’re getting your house Pinterest perfect to sell or you just want a prettier outdoor space for summer, you don’t have to break the bank. A fresh coat of paint does a lot of heavy lifting in any design plan. If you are sprucing to sell, go neutral. If not, maybe have a little fun with paint colors like Grandma’s yellow refrigerator or a bright green like Golly Tamale! Full disclosure: I will not be using those particular colors in any design plan ever, but the names are killer, am I right?

For more details on my little makeover (and lots more) 🎥 watch this video 

EVENT ALERT! Our annual EvoReal Family and Friends BBQ is coming up, Thursday, June 24! Here’s the link to RSVP and learn more about it.