You’ve all heard of the Better Homes & Gardens 48 Hour Challenge, right?  It’s where five top bloggers were chosen to makeover their porch in 48 hours with a $500 gift card from Home Depot, at the chance of winning a $5,000 bonus.

Today was Mr. CG’s birthday, so while the tots stayed a bit late at school, for his birthday I spent 4.8 hours redoing the outdoor balcony he shares with his male business partners.  Yes, you heard me, I said FOUR POINT EIGHT hours.  I was entrusted with the job and given the same budget of $500 from the office, and all of my purchases came from Home Depot as well. 

This merry band of men have the pleasure of a wonderful outdoor balcony, but it is a community spot that rarely gets used, because the space is, how shall I say this, boring.  And they have THIS AMAZING VIEW of the neighboring green. 

Here’s the view:

Totally breathtaking, huh?  I mean, with that view, I’d be out there everyday with just a floor mat and a plastic cup of water.  But I digress. 

So here’s the CHALLENGE:  $500 budget from the office.  300 square feet of barren balcony, except for a few pieces of neutral furniture.  Four point eight hours (before the kids need picked up).  I accept. 

I like to call this space “Zen for the Men”.  Before anyone gets upset that this title is gender specific, relax.  I chose it because, well, it sounds good.  And this is my blog.  Oh, and all of the business partners at this office are men.  But there is one part-time female who shares the space:  our Aunt Colleen.  More on her later.  So chill friends, feel the zen, and enjoy the photos. 

Here’s the space Before:

One naked wall:

Some basic neutral pieces of furniture:

Step One:  Rugs to define the seating areas.  At Home Depot, I purchased two 5×7 outdoor rugs for $59 each.  Then I also purchased one can of spray paint for $4.  With a bit of painter’s tape, I gave the neutral outdoor rugs a dark red band around the edge.

I also purchased some red and tan patterned pillows for $13 each to accent the loveseat and the chairs.  Observe the “custom” rugs and the pillows below. 

Loveseat Before and After:

Chairs Before and After:

Next, I purchased some “Oxblood” colored fiberglass planters for $39 each, and some plants to fill them.  Because this was a “zen” space, I chose bamboo plants ($20 each) and a dwarf palm ($15).  I topped them off with ‘borrowed’ river rocks from the gigantic supply in the rock garden on the first floor.   River rocks on top of soil help make great mulch. 

Notice those rugs below.  Fab !

Then I created a mini garden in a $12 pot with $1 succulents, some aloe vera, and a red blooming cactus.  I also added the rock fountain from the office’s interior, and my own rock sculpture (that’s just river stones stacked on top of one another). 

Gorgeous !

Then there was the naked wall.  I found some $13 Adirondack chairs and added some pillows, a plant stand, a lemon tree, and some draping ground cover.  Don’t forget the golf balls in the basket.

Before and After:

Bonus Makeover for Free: The BBQ Zone

Before:

For no money, I added a few towels and bowls they already had in their mini kitchen, and some plants to a few coffee mugs.  I filled one bowl with golf balls in a nod to the view. 

Golf, anyone?  

And don’t neglect this little corner: 

Just for fun, I also brought in two hummingbird feeders with nectar (the red dye is safe for the birds). 

Charming, huh?

The business partners were very pleased with the transformation. 

That’s our lovely Aunt Colleen who works with all of these great guys, always with a smile on her face.  She is a treasure.  She has the best laugh on the entire planet.  And I know she will take care of those plants !

Here is the pleasant new balcony space for the office mates:

The deep red adds the necessary burst of color.  The river rocks and bamboo add “zen” as well as the succulents garden.  The rugs, planters and pillows unite the whole space. 

The merry band was so fond of the transformation, that I’ve been awarded another $100 to soon purchase an umbrella for in between the Adirondack chairs. 

In sum, I spruced up not one, but five corners of a balcony with less than $500.  And I did it in less than five hours.  Rugs and paint = $123; Plants = $90; Planters and Soil = $130; Adirondack chairs and 6 pillows = $104; Bird Feeders and Nectar = $13.  Total without tax = $460

You know, I could sure use that $5,000 bonus from Better Homes & Gardens for myself.  But for the real contestants, there is still a chance to vote in the official contest.  My personal favorites are John and Sherry’s porch from This Young House and Nicole Balch’s porch from Making It Lovely. 

And if you like this makeover, wait until you see my Centsational Girl Blog Makeover.  Hope it happens next week (fingers crossed).

I think Mr. CG’s having a Happy Birthday:

So what do you think of my five hour transformation?   Oh, excuse me, my 4.8 hour transformation. 

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Tags: mulch, outdoor decor

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at and is filed under Before & After, Decorating, DIY, Drab to Fab, Garden, Spray Paint: My BFF. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.