How We Took a Weedy Corner and Transformed it into an Outdoor Lounge
The house here at the ranch doesn’t want for much. It’s set a substantial distance up and back from the neighbors below, and the view from almost every angle is serene.
The original landscaping had a nice combination of drought-resistant plants, including rosemary, thyme and olive trees. When Moe took over the maintenance from a prior gardener, he didn’t want highly manicured bushes that would, for example, cut back all the beautiful stalks of purple lavender that might creep into the walking path. Personally, I adore a wild and overgrown English garden, so I was on board with the idea.
There was just one problem: he couldn’t get past the fact that many of the plants and trees were situated very close to the outer walls of the house. Depending on the type, trees planted too close can potentially cause structural damage and bring unwanted pests a little too close to the windows. I’m not gonna lie, our cats had a lot of fun in the early days trapping mice in the bathroom around 4am and I was none too pleased about it. While I hated to see one of the olive trees go, I was okay once I realized it had basically been a mouse condominium.
With a new landscaping strategy in mind, and a little help from ChatGPT to envision it, Moe set to work on a more enduring setup that would double as a spruced-up sitting area. First and foremost, he took a page from the Italian garden playbook, opting for gravel ground cover and potted trees.
The Props
We budgeted for some mid-range outdoor furniture on sale and splurged a little on a gas fire pit with an eye-catching stone base, both from Wayfair. We got some colorful plumeria, hibiscus, chrysanthemums and even a cherry tree, packed into some characteristic terra cotta planters from the Garden Center at Home Depot. The plants will all require some regular care in our Central Coast climate, but I’m really looking forward to their blooms and scents in a few months’ time.
Some Clever Recycling Obscured an Eyesore. Why Had We Never Thought of This Before??
One of my favorite transformations in the space was our treatment of the large standalone A/C condensing unit. As mentioned, AI made a nice mockup of a potential lounging area but conveniently removed the A/C from the picture altogether. We didn’t have that option. What we did have was a wooden shade we’d originally set up by our Endless™ Pool. It proved a little too lightweight for the evening winds and went straight into a storage shed. Turns out, with its broad wooden slats and framing, it was perfectly repurposable for this project.
Because Apparently We Needed a Grill
The goodies just kept on coming in our secluded spot. An outdoor lounge doesn’t feel complete without a grill. Truthfully, I was on the fence about having redundant BBQs, seeing that we already owned an Ooni pizza oven (which also works nice for rib-eyes) and an aging charcoal smoker. While the argument against using that last one is for saving the environment, I have to admit I, and my father before me, were major purists when it comes to the amazing flavor of meat coming out of hot coals and hickory. Nevertheless, Moe convinced me that a modern, chrome-style Weber would look fabulous in our cozy corner and, with some handy resistance to wind, rain, rust and grease(!), be relatively easy to keep clean in our ranch weather. I have to tell you, so far the seared steaks and chops I’ve had have been unbelievably restaurant quality and worth the purchase.
And Some Heat Relief
The Bilt-Hard Oscillating Misting Fan
This fan has already saved us during a recent heat wave of 105°F (40.5°C) plus. It’s certainly more industrial-looking than the rest of the decor, but without too much production, it produces a fine, rotating mist that’s a little bit of heaven for people or plants on a hot day.
Finally, the Theater!
The Hi-sense Mini Laser Projector and the Elite Screens Pull-Down Manual Projection Screen
Of course, the cherry on top of all of this is our makeshift home outdoor theater. We’d already played around with the mini projector and a manual pull-down screen in the guest room as a space-saving TV setup (over the closet), and it had worked great. Because the projector is so small and portable, we started wondering how well the same setup might work for summer movie watching outside. The manual pull-down screens are relatively inexpensive at $130 USD apiece, so we opted to buy one more to permanently mount outdoors and just move the mini laser around to wherever we needed it.
The whole combination has been superb.
The only missing piece of the equation is full-bore weatherproofing. You’ve likely heard the lyrics to that old Albert Hammond song It Never Rains in California — until, (man oh man) it pours.
Well, we are coming up on another El Niño winter this year. That could mean a surprisingly high volume of rainfall, so we will have to mindful about protecting that screen from water damage. And even though this corner of the house is the least windy by far and the most hospitable to outside lounging, when it does pick up, it makes the flames in the fire pit go a little bit too crazy for my taste. So I see this space as a misty summer respite in the daytime, and a cozy winter retreat for movie premiers on cold, clear nights.
Watch this space. We’ll report back with what we learn, whether it’s the good, the bad or the ugly, in typical Twenty Nickels style. ✌️
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