Update: Florida Room & Backyard

Before we bought this house, the Florida Room looked like this:

Today it looks like this:

We removed the ugly crossbars, replaced the screens and screen door…

…we even installed a doggie door. After replacing a few key pieces of the frame, and some fresh paint, the exterior wall looks good as new.

Behind the pool we’ve planted a Traveler’s Palm. As you can see, its still suffering from a combination of transplant shock, and Hurricane season.

Assuming it survives and flourishes, one day it should look like this:

Back in September 2007, the backyard looked like this:

Today, it looks like this:

We’ve installed a gate to our neighbor’s house, and started edging the lawn. Eventually there will be a brick path winding its way around the entire house.

As you can see, the lawn has grown back, thanks to a very rainy few weeks.

The Barren Wasteland

Fixing up this dump has been, without a doubt, the best exercise I’ve ever gotten. For example, check out these guns:

The bushes beside the pool were pulled out the old fashioned way: cheap, Irish labor. Then we continued the fence:

Now we have a small area beside the Florida room for the essential barbeque.

Sadly, now that I’ve torn out everything to make room for the fence, the only thing left is our small hibiscus tree.

Did you notice the snake living there?

His name is Fred. He’s going to be crashing with us for awhile (he’s looking for a new job).

Jungle Oasis

This is what the swimming pool & Florida room looked like when we got the house:

This is what it looks like ten months later:

Every week the plants start growing back. They spontaneously generate from the soil itself, and reach a foot in height overnight. I think we’ve got them on the run now, but I’ve been proven wrong before.