Backyard Staging

Backyard Staging

First things, first: the cleaning. Chances are if a house has been vacant for a while, things in the backyard landscaping probably need some TLC.  Trim the hedges, make sure it's getting mowed regularly, and of course clean out any grass or weeds in the flower beds.  Some properties may have been REALLY neglected, but in my experience, CLEANING was all it needed.

Example: the backyard where my daughter was renting was horrendous. But it was so big, it was too overwhelming for her to do anything about it. That's where I stepped in. Out of all the work we did to that back yard, 80% of it was cleaning.

Here's a before pic of the concrete patio in the very back of the yard. Totally unusable:

Not sure if you can tell from this photo but there were two giant rolls of metal fencing material on the concrete, along with several inches of dirt and weeds covering most of the patio.  I had the fencing hauled off (Freecycle! So it was put to good use) and took a weed eater to the concrete to get all the dirt and weeds off the surface. After it was edged, I cleaned it off with the garden hose sprayer.

I had two outdoor chairs and an outdoor table (Freecycle again!) and this was the end result:

Price of this project: $0.00!

Now if I owned this house, this would be the perfect spot for a Pergola! I would repair and do a decorative concrete treatment, stone edging and more landscaping. String white lights and maybe even add a fire pit, wouldn't that be cool?

Here is another perfect example of a patio just teeming with potential. First: cleaning. Always. Suggested staging ideas:

• planters on each side of the back door
• a 5'x7' indoor/outdoor rug ($35-$200 depending on where you shop)
• ask if you can paint the door (optional, but would add so much)
• a small bistro table set (Freecycle, thrift store, or buy new.)

Here's an idea for the painted door. It even looks cute from the inside!

This wicker outdoor bistro set sells at www.target.com for $170:

And here's a cute idea for the 2 planters. If you know someone handy with building boxes, this could totally be a DIY project:

Expenses

Now you might be cringing at the thought of buying things for your staging needs. Keep in mind, these things belong to you and will be returned to you after the sale. You can use these things over and over, house to house and they will more than pay for themselves. 

Tip:  When not being used for staging, bring this stuff home with you. If it's furniture, use it! If it's containers of plants, decorate your own porch or interior of your house.  I have been known to take things out of my own home to stage a property!  As long as it's in good shape, make use of it. Just remind the agent to mention to potential buyers that the furniture and landscaping containers don't come with the house. Anything you put in the ground stays, obviously. ;)

Next: Windows

Porches

No, unfortunately we are not talking about Porsches. Although this one would look smashing in my driveway.

 

Porches

Yes, Porches. The front and sometimes back areas of homes just outside the door. It's what sits between the doorway and the yard, and they come in all shapes, sizes and styles. In this post I wanted to showcase some spectacular porches which would be something to aspire to once you buy your property, or if you own already.  Secondly, I want to show porches with potential, so that when you are looking at properties you can picture all the wonderful things that can be done to front and back porch areas. I will also include staging ideas, of course, since that is the point of all this. ;)

Front Porches

Large front porches are more commonly found with older, southern style houses. Wrap around porches are truly a valuable commodity if you can find them. Here are some photos of some nicely outfitted front porches:

This porch is plain concrete and not very big, but the owners have made the most of it by adding lantern lighting and gorgeous planters on either side of that beautiful wood door. This is what I call making the most of what you've got. Picture this without the lighting, planters and with an ugly white metal door. Terrible, but that may be how they found it, and look what a difference a little style can make! 

Next up is a larger, covered porch where the residents probably do a lot of sitting and visiting. I know I would if my front porch was this lovely! Notice the homey feel that those two indoor/outdoor rugs give the space. Really I think the rugs are the key to what makes this porch fabulous; otherwise it's just a couple of black metal chairs, really. See what a decorator's touch can do? Hmm? I think you do.

Tip: Great resources for indoor/outdoor rugs are Target.com, Home Depot, Lowe's and BallardDesigns.com just to name a few. The rugs' popularity is growing, and you can see why. Gone are the days of ugly mats outside. Now you can have a Persian rug outdoors if you like!


Now here is a LOVELY space that is stunning, but in reality very very simple. Besides the covered front porch, there are only two elements, the swing and a planter, yet it is breathtaking! Who would not want to curl up on that swing with some tea and a good book and just sit for hours?

Now this is one is almost too perfect, but it was on Pinterest so it has to be real, right? This porch was obviously made for entertaining. Who wouldn't want to have a party out here? I can't see the rest of the house but I can almost guarantee it is a stately Southern mansion. I just love the dark finish on the wooden slats of the porch base. This has obviously been very well taken care of. It would be beautiful even without all that furniture on it; just that floor and those planters are enough.

Back Porches and Pergolas

Back porches are typically not as stately as the front porch, because fewer people see it. But making the most of your back porch really adds to the character and welcoming factor of your back yard space. Here is one I just love, and in fact plan on doing something very similar to this to my own house, just without the fire pit. We don't need anything any more flammable than the grill that close to the house:

Here is a creative way to make the most out of a small, otherwise unused space on a back porch:

I can see my daughter, Alex planted right there with a book or her computer for hours!

Porch Floors

I don't know if "porch floors" sounds right, but you all know what I mean, right? The deck part. Or concrete. Or exposed aggregate. Whatever your feet are touching when you walk out there!

Painted Wood

Here someone got super creative and painted their own rug right onto the planks of their porch and I LOVE IT! I have a feeling this will only look better with age, too which is always a good quality to have in a decorative element:

Concrete

There are many ways to treat concrete, from simply painting it with exterior paint to really getting artistic with it.  Here are a few examples of each:

I love this one! And so easy to do. You mark off the design with painter's tape and do one color at a time. So charming!

Here is the same design on a larger scale: {LOVE THIS}

Here is a very simple but pretty painted border on a concrete porch:

The thing about concrete is that it's everywhere, and usually ugly. But that means it has *Potential!* And with the right set of instructions (do your research!) you can do this yourself.



When staging a house, of course you need the home owner's permission and probably funds to do something like this, but if it's something simple and you present it right, it really can add value to the property if done correctly.


Remember, aaaanything is better than this:

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