Where do you keep your garbage cans? I know some people keep them in their garage, but that’s not an option for me. Waaaaay too much crap in there. Plus, they’re dirty and stinky and I’d rather keep them outside. But who wants to look at garbage cans? Or AC units for that matter? Have you ever seen those dinky little white vinyl lattice contraptions that are supposed to fix this issue? They’re like 3 feet tall and my garbage cans are way bigger. I can just imagine if I put it around my AC unit, it would look like an AC unit with a vinyl lattice around it. I’ve seen people in my neighborhood use them. Most of the time the thing has blown over and, look, there’s an AC unit behind there. These are the kinds of issues that make me lie awake at night. I wish I were joking.How to hide my unsightly garbage cans and AC unit in an attractive manner? At first I thought I needed to build an enclosure with some sort of gate, but then realized I didn’t even need a gate if I made it wide enough. Does it ever happen to you — you think and think about something and when you come up with your great idea you can’t believe that wasn’t the first and only thought you had? Happens to me all the time. Unless it’s one of those thoughts I later decide sucks. But not this time. I love my garbage can/AC patio. We store our tandem kayak in there too.
Before I overload you with a million pictures, let me give you the low down on how this simple, yet effective, beauty was created. There are separate tutorials about the arbor and gate.
Supplies:
- 6 – 8 ft tall pressure treated 4x4s ($6.97 each)
- 4 – 4×8 ft lattice privacy panels ($22.37) I used pressure treated spruce, but there are tons of options
- 3 – 80 lb. bags of concrete mix ($3.80 each)
- 1 – post hole digger (try to borrow one from a friend if you don’t have one)
- 16 – 1x4s to attach lattice to ($4.97 each) I used a 1×4 on both the front and back of the lattice, you could just use something more substantial on one side, like 8 2x4s
- deck screws ($6.71)
- small deck nails ($4.78)
Total: $206.80 – Not a bargain, but totally worth it if you ask me.
Optional – if you want to put down a paver floor:
- patio pavers ($1.51 each, but they often go on sale for $.98)
- gravel (paver base – $3.96/bag)
- landscape fabric
- hand tamper (borrow one! or pay $25.98)
How to build it yourself:
- Set posts — Dig the first post holes next to the house. It is recommended to dig a post hole 1/2 as deep as the post is high. In other words, bury 1/3 the total length of wood. We want a 5 ft post, so we need to dig the hole 2.5 feet deep. Since we bought 8 ft posts, you can either cut off 6 inches or dig your hole 3 ft deep, which will just make it more stable. Insert a 4×4 in each hole, making sure they are level and at the same height. *The ground may not be level (mine slopes away from the house), so it’s more important to make sure the heights are equal, not the length of wood sticking out of the ground.* To set posts in concrete, have one person hold the 4×4 in place, while the other person dumps around 40 lbs of cement mix into the hole. Make sure to evenly distribute it. You can also add gravel to the bottom of the hole to aid in drainage. Then add water to the hole a little bit at a time. I like to “stir” the concrete with the end of a broken shovel. Allow to set overnight.
- Add lattice – If your 4x4s happen to be 7.5 feet apart, then you don’t have to trim your lattice, otherwise cut it to size. Use small nails to attach to the front of the 4x4s.
- Reinforce lattice – The lattice will be really wobbly in step 2, so you need to attach wood across the top and bottom to stabilize it. (At the very least the top) I attached a 1×4 to both the front and back of the lattice, like a lattice sandwich, then screwed through all 3 pieces. *I added solar lights to the top of the posts, I got them at Target on clearance for $4.
- Add patio floor – level*, then compact the soil with a hand tamper. Lay out landscape fabric. Add a gravel base. Lay paver stones. Fill in cracks with composite sand. *Level for me was at an angle away from the house.
And there you have it… a nice project for a novice DIYer. Go ahead and crash your own yard! No Ahmed required. 🙂Some more before pictures…
You see the random remnants of a sprinkler system sticking out from the side of the house? I had a plumber remove that. I don’t like to mess with that stuff. You should be able to tell that I started with the back panel, then the sides. The front panel is wider than the rear panel. Because they are offset, it helps cover the inside and I decided I didn’t need a gate on the corral area. I later built the connecting arbor and put a gate on that. I later moved the rectangular Belgian blocks to the front of the house, and added my signature leftover stones along the path in front of the lattice. That’s hardy kiwi growing on there. It goes crazy in the spring. No fruit yet, even though we’ve waited 3 summers and I was sure to plant a male and female. Maybe this year. It’s pretty none the less.
I don’t think you can see it in the above pictures, but I added this PVC drain for the air conditioner condensation. It was dripping out the side of the house, sometimes a lot of water, so I just extended the PVC down to the ground, then ran it under some dirt. It pops out under the rock and drains into the gravel. It was another one of those, duh, why didn’t I think of that before kind of things. Stay tuned for posts about building the arbor and gate, installing gravel pathways, replacing window wells, building kayak storage, and building retaining walls. You can see pictures of the yard last summer, by checking out the 2013 weekly garden tour. Also be sure to check out the full yard transformation, starting with 2009. 2010 posts are here and here. Things really start to get interesting when we had the asphalt road torn out in 2011 and a new driveway installed. A new stamped concrete porch and landing happened in 2012. Never a dull moment around here!! More on 2011 here.Just to keep it real, this is what it looks like right now…
This project was featured on: BetterAfter.net
Be sure to check out more of my outdoor projects!
Jessica says
I love this! I think it’s totally worth every penny and hard work. Great job.
SmartGirl says
Aww thanks!! I love it too. Sometimes it’s the simple things, you know?
Julie at Being home says
Woo-Hoo! Congrats on the feature at Better After! 😀 Lookin’ good, Liz! Great way to have curb / yard appeal. I need to buy a window well cover instead of having plywood on top of it. Yeah, it does not look pretty. Luckily, it is in the back of the house…but still. 🙁
SmartGirl says
Haha. I thought of you as soon as the feature went live. We were just talking about how BetterAfter.net is one of our favorite blogs. Lindsey is so funny!!! And yea, buy a stinking plastic cover, that’s like a 2-second project and I’m sure your basement will appreciate the added light. 🙂
julie at Being Home says
LOL! Yes, mam! Guess, I have been told. 😉 It is on my to do list along with the kitchen. I will need to have someone come out and measure the well. Luckily, I only need one.
SmartGirl says
Checking in to see if you cover that window well. Spring showers are coming! I am sooooo excited!!
heather says
Visiting from Better After…great job! Thanks for the PINspiration!
SmartGirl says
Thanks for visiting. I loved being featured on Better After, it’s so fun to get new people stopping by. I hope you come back and visit again. 🙂
Leslie Loring says
Hi Liz,
Thanks for the inspiration! Fred (hubby) and I have taken your lattice/trashcan idea, along with some of your gardening tips and designed the West side of the house around it! We have a big area and lots of space. We live in the canyons 40 miles west of San Diego so we “Westernized” some of the plantings to fit our climate. We are in the midst of our project so please keep us inspired with more ideas! Oh and poo poo on the neighbor (lol). If your beautiful yard is his biggest problem then he doesn’t have any problem:) Will post pics when done if possible. Thank you, thank you!:)
SmartGirl says
Oh Leslie that is so cool! I haven’t written much about the yard recently but you’ve definitely motivated me to pick it up again. I can’t wait to see your pictures. I’d love it if you did a guest post on my blog. I would love that. Let me know what you think! Thanks, Liz
Zequek Estrada says
I love the way you hid your garbage cans and air conditioning unit. It turned out really cute. If I ever get an air conditioning unit I’ll have to build something similar.
Cristal Lawrence says
Wow! Just wow! That’s a lot of work but totally worth it.Not sure how long it will take to finish such but I seriously need to hide my trash cans! I place them at my backyard and honestly, it isn’t a pretty picture.
Thank you for this useful DIY! Good job!