"Room" 2, done! Well, sort of...

Well, I finally finished what might be my favorite "room" at The House of Goodwill.  Sort of.  

It took me all of two years, but I was finally able to thrift (mostly) all the furniture I needed to get this "room" done.  Why do I keep putting "room" in quotation marks?  Because the room I'm referring to is the outside upper porch; not a room exactly, but since it may be my favorite space to pass time in - it's a room to me!

It's not a huge area, but I love that it's up high, with great views of the lake and the birds in the trees all around.

Here is the finished space:

The house came with the porch swing.  Why it wasn't installed facing the lake, is one of Pine Lake's many mysteries...

The two chairs I found on craigslist for $100 each, the side table was $10 at a thrift store.

After a long search and not being able to locate any ottomans for the chairs, I finally ordered two from Amazon last week.  It was $100 for both.

I realized I needed a central place to contain my plants; I have a tendency to collect them wherever I am, and they were scattered all over the porch.

By the time I realized I needed a plant rack, I didn't have time to seek one out secondhand.

(I bet I've passed by 100 in the last two years of thrifting.)

Oh well, I felt like I overpaid ($68) for this one at an antique store, but it was one of my few last minute purchases.  (And technically, I did buy it secondhand, it just bothered me that I knew I could find one much cheaper, I just didn't have the time to wait for it now.)

My plants look a lot more organized now.

(All the plant pots were a few dollars or free.)

The table and chairs were $250 from a guy on craigslist.

Of everything I had to search for secondhand for this house, patio furniture (in decent condition) is usually the hardest thing to find.

People have a tendency to not get rid of it until it's wearing out, unless it's an estate sale or a moving sale, etc.

I've actually had great success finding outdoor cushions and pillows at Goodwill (in great condition).

Two weeks ago, my son and I found a wicker loveseat out on the curb for the trash, next to a house having an estate sale.

We didn't take the loveseat (the wicker was unraveling), but the cushion and pillow looked brand new, so they went home with us for free.

I saw the same cushion at a home store later that week for $40.

Outdoor cushions are WAY expensive!

So why do I say that this "room" is "sort of" done?  Well, because the staircase leading up to this porch is in need of some new wooden stairs; some of the current ones are rotting.  They need to be replaced ASAP, but that is not in the league of things I can do, so, my part, at least, is done.

There's always something that needs to be done...speaking of which, I better go get another room done.  Memorial Day will be here soon!