Since we got the porch installed, the side entrance has been great for bringing in groceries and taking out the trash. Yep, it’s been great! Except for…
- all the mulch, leaves and dirt we’ve been tracking in
- the recycling has basically just been piling up and spilling over
- and the garden hose ends up in a pile and the trash container and keeps getting tangled in the wheels when we take it up to the curb.
So except for those minor things, the side entrance has been wonderful!
Ok, so I needed to address a few things to make it really work for us and live up to it’s full potential. Wes installed some concrete pavers which helped tremendously then it was up to me to get a handle on the recycling and garden hose situation.
I went out and found a garden hose that blended in with my porch and house and I’m using a Scotch Garage Organizer to hang it behind the garbage container.
It was as easy to install as it looks. The steel bracket has two holes for mounting screws with anchors to use if you are not going to hit a stud. I selected the portion of my wall that was backed by solid wood so I drove the screws directly into the wood.
I marked the location of the holes and predrilled for my screws and then screwed them in. Finished that in less than 5 minutes.
The heavy duty bracket is steel construction with a hook and loop (like velcro – but stronger) strap and will hold up to 20 pounds.
Seriously – so – much – better!
Ok, now for that recycling. Remember those X-leg benches I built? (Free plans here) I put one here on the porch and found some storage bins that fit underneath — that are the exact color of my house. You don’t even see them, do you?
Boom! The lids are black but so is my bench so they almost disappear under my bench. Now we put all our recycling into the bins and take the bins to the recycling center at the end of the week.
No more messy porch and no more neon garden hose strewn about the walkway and tangling up in garbage can wheels.
Not to mention no more leaves, dirt and mulch getting tracked into the house since Wes installed our little walkway. Things are coming together!
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Much better! I was thinking Sanford and Son there for a bit. Glad you got your space cleaned up. Wouldn’t want you to be the talk of the neighborhood for loud construction/sawing AND actual trash in your front yard! 🙂 Happy belated Mother’s Day and hope you are feeling almost back to normal.
Thanks Kristin. Luckily our house is quite hidden from the street so even when it was out of control, not too many people saw it. It mostly drove Wes and I absolutely nuts and we are SO glad to have it cleaned up.
dang yo. and from a guy who’s been doing extensive porch work and exterior organization. great solutions especially on matching the hose to the house and how to hang it.
I love your recycling bench idea! So practical! You have a bench to sit or temporarily drop your groceries while fumbling for your house key, and the recycling containers are hidden (sort of) and out of the way, and already outside!
Great job and you already had the bench that was exactly the right height! Almost like it was meant to be. 🙂 I like the concrete squares as well. Hopefully, you don’t have to water too much with all the rain that your area gets. Nice stash of hose tho. It’s the little things that sometimes make the most impact.
We don’t water our lawn at all. We generally only use the hose when we are planting or when we’ve had a long, dry spell and need to water the flowers.
Love it! I wish you would slow down adding projects to MY to do list! lol
Ha- but I’m crossing them off MY to-do list. 😀
Sandra you really know how to go at it…nice