I’ve always been drawn to gates. They’re more than practical barriers to keep people or pets where they belong; the right gate can feel like an invitation into a secret garden. Even a simple gate with a bit of charm can change the whole feel of a home.
I love hunting for interesting gates when I walk through neighborhoods. You might have noticed a couple of gates I photographed during those strolls. If you missed the drive-by posts, they were shared previously. But if you’re wondering about our own gate…
We’re still without a proper gate on this side of the house in Seattle. Yes, it’s taken longer than expected. Years ago I mentioned how excited I was to add a gate to our side patio.
At one point we had two other gates installed: a double gate between the side yard and backyard, which we recently painted, and a single gate on the opposite side of the yard.
The side patio gate, though, never got finished due to a string of delays. For now we’ve been blocking the opening with a bench and garden supplies to keep the dogs in — not exactly ideal, but it works until the gate is installed.
Good news: we finally hired a new contractor through Lowe’s contractor service, and I’m confident they’ll complete the job. They’ll build the side gate and wrap the porch posts with wood trim to give them a more finished, substantial look.
The photo above shows the posts before wrapping and before the railings were installed. Notice the pallet serving as our temporary gate in the background — a humble placeholder until the real thing is ready. We’re in the home stretch and optimistic the work will be done soon.
The gate and the porch post wrapping are the last items on our list for this stretch of outdoor projects. Most of the other tasks have been small-scale, like tending our veggie barrels.
We’ve used these same chemical-free planting barrels for several years. They’re compact, easy to plant, and fit nicely in our limited space. With many projects already underway this season, we decided to keep these barrels another year rather than start a larger garden project.
We planted lots of kale and lettuce. Because we started late, we bought young plants rather than growing from seed. Watching them grow has been a simple joy, and we look forward to harvesting them. We also get many vegetables from a weekly delivery box from a local organic farm, but it’s rewarding to grow some of our own food.
Lily’s fragrant little garden has really filled in over the past few weeks. It’s been satisfying to see it come together.
We set up deck furniture, planted flower pots, and tended to miniature rose trees we bought last year. They were decimated by aphids this spring, so I cut them back and assumed we’d wait until next year to see blooms. To my surprise, they bounced back and began blooming again. Aphids returned, but a homemade spray using essential oils solved the problem without needing to introduce predators. So far the roses are doing well.
After arranging all the furniture, rain moved in and we had to bring cushions and rugs indoors — a familiar Seattle dance. When prolonged wet weather is expected, I store cushions and some rugs; otherwise I don’t worry about a little dampness. Overall, the season has been kind to us.
I’ll share photos of the furniture and flower pots soon, and I’ll show progress on the porch posts and gate as the work moves forward. I may have some updates in the next week.
Many readers have asked about staining our side patio concrete. We’re nearly finished with that project as well, and I’ll provide an update when it’s complete.
We’re planning a virtual deck party to celebrate the big reveal. I’m excited to see the dishes everyone offered to bring. I’ll announce the winners of the Simple Gatherings books this week. If you haven’t entered yet, you can still share what you’d bring to the virtual party in the previous post about our deck progress.
We’re looking forward to spending more time outside and enjoying the entire outdoor area once these last projects are wrapped up.
You can catch up on our deck and exterior projects here:
Painted Brick Exterior and Outdoor Projects
Outdoor Projects Part Two
Designing and Shopping for our Deck Project
Trex Deck Building Process