Fall 2021 One Room Challenge - Week 1: Side Yard "Before"
/If you’re new to our work and our blog, hello and welcome! My name is Carley Brandon, Strategy Manager for Canada’s best telecommunications company (and the most philanthropic company in the world) TELUS by day, Redesigner by night and “Love” to Grant and “Mommy” to Matthew and Lily around the clock.
This will be my 9th One Room Challenge as a guest participant after transforming my daughter Lily’s room (Spring 2017), my Bedroom/Office (Fall 2017), our Stairway Library (Spring 2018), my Niece Audrey and Nephew Clark’s rooms (Fall 2018), my son Matthew’s room (Spring 2019) , our Cottage Bunkie (Fall 2019), Laundry Room (Spring 2020) and Outdoor Living/Dining (Fall 2020).
After a brief break from the One Room Challenge this Spring, here we go again! Last Spring we added some major curb appeal to the front yard through landscaping, new lights, painting the front door and replacing the eavestrough and chimney. Last Fall we created a stone courtyard in the backyard with a full outdoor living and dining area surrounded by gardens. That leaves only one more area outside to transform … the side yard.
This area was home to some big, beautiful ash trees until the emerald ash borer made an appearance and left them lifeless. It was a sad day but thankfully we hired an amazing company, Wes Tree Service, who confirmed that we were doing the right thing by removing them.
Side yard before the removal of the ash trees
A blank slate post tree removal
A perennial garden just waiting to happen
It’s Week 1 of the One Room Challenge and over the next 5 weeks we’ll be transforming this now blank slate! We’re hoping to work around the weather and give this space some love starting with:
a cedar hedgerow
ornamental fence & gate
perennial gardens
tree planting
new grass
winter & summer chicken coops
Yes you read that correctly … chicken coops!
Follow along here and on Instagram for all the behind the scenes action in the coming weeks. Please also follow along for what will be the best One Room Challenge yet!
Carley
