DIY Utility Meter Cover

Having a deck or patio extends outdoor spaces into pleasant living areas... unless there is an ugly beast attached to it. And that is what lives at one area of our decking. This huge gas meter is just a big, old, ugly... eyesore. 

As we are re-siding the house from a pale yellow to a new "greige" (gray with brown tint) something had to be done to update or hide the utility meter. 

I had exterior paint mixed to match our new siding and painted the nemesis. (Today's technology is amazing. I took a small piece of the siding to the paint department and had them match it.) It's perfect.

But the gas meter is still quite bothering. The hunk of metal and pipes can't be disguised with paint alone. Why was this ever put here? What were they thinking? It made my stomach hurt looking at it because I know I can't move it. My eyes twitched from seeing it, yet I pretended it wasn't there most times. But it was. 

This monstrosity is haunting. 

The siding, as you can see, is incomplete. We are doing other sections before using leftovers for this bottom portion.

So I considered building a "box" around it by framing it and attaching the new siding to it. Along with that idea, it became more complicated, such as hinges and doors, like a cabinet. The more I thought about it, the heavier the build became. It was not my intention to take two people to move it when needed to do so.

That's when I decided to go "light" with something that can just be pulled away. Like these plastic or vinyl shutters. They were trash, on the side of the road, that I originally intended to paint and use on my garden shed. Being weather resistant, this idea should be a perfect solution.

The shutters alone would be too flimsy so it needed to start with a frame. Two iron fish tank stands, welded together was the perfect width and height for the framework. Strong enough to withstand snowfalls and heavy enough to not get blown way with high winds.

And they were cheap. One was free and the other a $5 yard sale find. 

For the top of the unit, I chose to use ceramic floor tiles attached to cement board. It too, will stand up to weather conditions. 

They were leftovers from another project. 

Then, all I had to do, was measure the height, cut the shutters, and attach them together to box in the deck monster. Testing the look after cutting the shutters, it was looking good so far.

I drilled holes through the sides of the shutters to attach them together with nuts and bolts.

Then tried the box unit around the fish tank stands to make sure it fit. 

It did. 

Finally, cleaning and painting! 

I also painted the floor tile for the top of the unit. 

And the ugly meter is finally hidden.

In fact, the new "cover" doubles as a side table!
Bonus!

The "shutter cover" or "meter disguise" can just be pulled away and the tile top can be lifted off anytime with ease. 

It can rain and snow all Mother Nature wants. The materials can take a beating.

The deck monster is tamed. My stomach feels better. My eyes stopped twitching.

A one day project, with almost no cost, has brought new joy. 

After other outdoor projects are finished, we can go back and build a permanent cover for this using the actual siding, but I didn't have the patience to wait. I'm a woman. That double "X" chromosome and hormones forces impatient decisions upon females. 

This suffices. It's a much more pleasant looking space now.

Do have any utility meters that you have disguised? What did you do? I'd love to see or hear about the different ideas!

Our Outdoor Living Space

It's the end of summer and today I'm sharing our outdoor living space because it's where I've been devoting so many projects since we moved into our fixer upper. It's also where we spend most of our time during the very short summers we have. You may remember my Spring post earlier so this is a follow up tour.

The front entrance was once a deplorable wooden porch of poor construction and water damage. From the day we moved in my first vision was to have a stone siding and a heavy wood door. After removing the walls and porch, here is what has become of the nightmare. 

It's now a garden entrance with a little pond and waterfalls. It gets decorated for each holiday, but summer flower arranging is my favorite kind of creating here. 

Especially when I include blue hydrangeas. I think they are my favorite.

I don't usually put pinks into the theme, but I did this year because this hydrangea is so vibrant.

I like tucking in a little rock garden with succulents. 

While at the garden entrance, a glimpse of the side gardens are showing. It exhibits rhododendrons, lilies, a few varieties of sedum, lavender, bridal wreath, trumpet vines and plenty of evergreen. It also contains my toy horse to garden sculpture project.

The landscaping extends all the way into the backyard with hostas, azaleas, mountain laurel, and wielgia

... and, never ending weeding ...

I planted this mountain ash tree a couple of years ago and love it when the berries turn a deep orange. It's turning now.

When we first moved here, the entire front was exposed to the road. As you can see the evergreens have grown tall enough to make the property cozy and more private. They were all just small containers of trees, shrubs and perennials. Now they are maturing so much that I need to shape them and split up some of the flowers. Sometimes I can't believe I put all of this in because the grounds are transformed entirely different from what we first had. 

The growing quote is always true with perennials: "First year, sleep. Second year, creep. Third year, leap!"  

The hostas and shrubs are choking out the Stella lilies, so I'll move that little splash of sunshine into the front of the area and they will thrive again.

While I have been landscaping and adding more to the property each summer, my husband and I have been working on the wrap around deck and patio together. The backyard is a huge living space. We added the area for entertaining and our own personal enjoyment. Sometimes I refer to it as our "staycation". When I first started this gigantic project my husband couldn't understand why. Once I told him why not enjoy where you live after working so hard? It didn't take him long to agree when he needed to just sit and actually relax.

Sometimes he falls asleep somewhere back here.

Re-siding the house is on the "to do" list. The current pale yellow is disturbing me. I tried some staining and painting techniques on it. 

Epic fail! 

Would you agree with me that stone siding is best to go with the timber and decking? 

This section is what I refer to as the "Barbecue Throne".  I built the area using 4x4's, concrete blocks and five lattice panels connected together. Then I topped them with solar lights. It looks awesome at night. This summer I planted wisteria at the lattice. I can't wait to see it growing over the pergola with draping flowers.

The grills are on poured concrete while adjoining the deck because I intend to change the area into an outdoor kitchen with layered stone. It will be complete with a mini fridge and small sink. 

It's a nice spot to sit and relax in my makeover chairs.  By having three patio tables and plenty of chairs there is room for grilling and mingling with guests.

The fan I transformed from indoors to outdoors is a nice touch on the pergola. 

I finished this solar light wall this year. It's a room divider that had votive candles. I switched them all out for cut wine bottles and inserted solar lights. I'll add that post some time. You can find all of my solar light projects here.

The garden pond provides a relaxing view. I get to enjoy it all year long because I put it in this spot to see it from the kitchen table as well.

This larger area of the deck is more like a living room.  

It's complete with a solar light chandelier that I put together.

The area is also a pass through to the hot tub deck.

After a soak in the spa tub (remember that project?), lunch can be found at this bar I built. It holds a mini refrigerator, sunblock and bug repellents.

I didn't plan on squeezing any perennials in here, but for some reason I couldn't resist. 

I planted these Asiatic lilies in pots in the ground. After losing about 25 of them our first year, I've learned to find a way to keep the moles away. (Now if there is a way to keep the rabbits from eating the liatris and tulips... )

I love using the bright yellows, oranges and reds to keep the place bright and cheery.

The cone flowers are red and yellow too.

Variegated hostas also brighten up the grass as a border.

No "staycation" is complete without lounge chairs and a fire-pit.

Summertime also brings tall blooms on the hostas and yucca bushes. I only keep them for a few days then cut them off.

I like how yucca stays green in the winter and the blooms are amazing for the short time they are around. They look like mini hanging tulips.

It's lovely how flowering plants and landscaping brings so much pleasure to outdoor spaces.  The backyard was always under some kind of construction. Now that it's come together, it's a matter of some paint, stain and regular maintenance to keep it enjoyable. Oh... and that new siding would be nice!

I hope you like our cozy outdoor living space. Thank you for visiting!