The after picture shows our bright blue door and updated light fixture.
Cottage DIYs Fall Seasonal

Back Porch Makeover

Got half a day and a few bucks?  How about a DIY back porch makeover?

Mr. Muse and I LOVE to work on our house, improving it step by step.  Sometimes we take on major projects, but usually, it’s the little things like this fun DIY.

What to change….

Our back porch was just ok… not in horrible shape but not great either.  It is just off the family room, which was added to the house years after it was built. It looks like the owners at the time enlarged and enclosed the original back porch to carve out this much-needed hangout space. So all that was left for a “porch” was this little set of steps. The raw wood steps were hard to keep sealed, the light fixture was too small, and the white door never looked 100% clean.  These are little things, I realize– but why not fix them and add a fun pop of color as well?

A before picture of our DIY Back Porch Makeover on a budget
Not the worst… but rather boring.

First things first

First, Mr. Muse painted the steps.  This was a challenging decision. They were raw wood with sealer on them, and I like elements of raw wood here and there. But they were so hard to keep sealed, and showed wear and tear, so we opted to paint over them with Sherwin Williams Black Emerald, an exterior oil-based paint.  I wasn’t sure about the color– a grayish-green. The same color is on the shutters on the front of our house, so we already had a leftover can in the basement.  I think now that I like the color on the steps, but not the shutters. We’ll have to take care of that soon…. 😉 While he was painting the steps, and the door was open, Mr. Muse came up with a solution to keep our dog and cat from getting out/stepping on them– a baby gate!

a white dog and a black cat looking out into a backyard through a baby gate
Keep your baby gate after your baby grows up– you may need it!

A pop of color

I wanted to paint the door the same as our front door– (Behr Ocean Boulevard).  Mr. Muse, however, had another idea, and I thought why not just go with it? So we used Behr Beacon Blue, and boy did it pop!

My new motto is “Go bold or go home!”  

The bright blue door goes perfectly with yellow or orange mums and pumpkins.  Mr. Muse was careful to tape off the windows to avoid scraping paint off later.  I’ve heard soaping the windows also works–the excess paint washes right off with the soap– but I don’t know about that.  I think I’d rather peel tape off windows than wash off soap.

The after picture shows our bright blue door and updated light fixture just after our back porch makeover.
“Go bold, or go home!”

I love the new, larger light fixture too!  We got it on sale at Home Depot and it came in a 2-pack, so we replaced the one at the front of the house as well.

Just in time!

“We” got the project finished right before my outdoor movie night, which took place right outside this door.   More about that in my next post!

Total cost for this project was:

  • Door paint: Behr Beacon Blue exterior satin $18
  • Steps paint: free (extra from basement) Sherwin Williams Black Emerald.  (The color has been archived, but you can go to your local Sherwin Williams store for a custom mix.)
  • Mums and pumpkins:  local market, approximately $20
  • Total:  $56

Proving that a back porch makeover, or any makeover, doesn’t have to be expensive!  

What could you do with $56 in half a day?  I’d love to hear your ideas!!!

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