DIY Patio Area with Texas Lamp Posts | i should be mopping the floor
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DIY Patio Area with Texas Lamp Posts

This post for a DIY Patio contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

Our DIY Patio Area (with "Texas Lamp Posts") is finally complete. We brought it to life with lots of colorful flowers and decor. We're really proud of how this space turned out. It has brought us outside so much more! Come see how this DIY Patio Area came together.

DIY Patio

We put the finishing touches on our little DIY patio last week. I'm in love with our new Sturdy Planted Posts (or "Texas Lamp Posts" as a friend named them). Adding hanging baskets and vintage strands of lights to them have really brought the entire area to life. We absolutely love hanging out here and are thrilled that it's ready for summer entertaining and relaxing.


DIY Patio Area with Texas Lamp Posts

Texas Backyard

This DIY Patio has really come together as a fun and playful expression of our eclectic tastes. For years, we've avoided the backyard (like the plague, I tell ya), but now, we just can't get enough of it! The flowers and plantings really completed the space. And it's now a much larger space, too.

Grassy Area for Patio

Creating Your Own DIY Patio Area:

We started out wanting to make the space next to our existing covered patio more functional. It was water-heavy due to the poor placement of a French Drain from the previous owners. It was honestly a muddy mess. This patio area was a solution to the problem. 



Making a Pea Gravel Patio

DIY Patio Options

Our first step was to create an actual area that would serve as our patio. And we knew we needed a new surface (besides the muddy grass). Concreting this area would have cost an arm and a leg, so we DIY-ed it with pea gravel. You can see our entire tutorial for How to Create a Pea Gravel Patio Area.

Just FYI: we use Round-up Extended Control Weed & Grass Killer on the DIY patio area to keep stray sprigs of grass from peeking up through the pea gravel. This is a great product but it really kills everything, so be careful. Shield any plants you want to keep!

Good DIY Options for Patio Areas:


Planted Posts with Lights

Simple Ideas for a DIY Patio

We showed you how we constructed our Texas Lamp Posts here. They are really an interesting set up...the posts are "planted" into cement to withstand our crazy Texas storms. My husband just added brackets to each one of them to place some beautiful hanging baskets. We predrilled them, then just screwed them straight in. With the way we weighted these planters, we're not worried about the weight of the hanging baskets.

Decorative Hanging Baskets


Decorative Elements

    I dressed up the planted posts we made with a few "prettier" items (including a bird feeder on the post to the far right in the above photo). Find these items (or similar ones) through the links below (they are all available on Amazon):

    Feeding Plants


    We have always used the Miracle Gro LiquiFeed All Purpose Plant Food to give our flowers all of the goodness they need. My patio flowers always look lush and beautiful! 

    Orange Marigolds

    These big barrels of bright flowers bring so much life to this little DIY Patio Area of ours. We used standard whiskey barrels (halved for planting) from Home Depot. Again, see how we planted the posts in them here


    Easy Pea Gravel Patio
    You can see in the above photo, as I previously mentioned, I also tucked that little bird feeder against one of my Texas Lamp Posts. This is probably why I can't keep a few squirrels away from this area. But, I love seeing all of the birds swing in for a bite, too.


    Firepit Patio
    The lights give it such a lovely glow. I love sitting out here in the evening and just enjoying the space, in all its party light glory. I also created that Texas State Art on the right brick wall using a homemade projector. I just really thought the space needed something extra right there.



    Cookie Cutter Home Backyard
    Above is the entire before & after (I had to use my phone to grab a panoramic shot so it would all fit). I'm so happy with this area. It's such a great extension of our living area. And in Texas, we're pretty much able to be out here nine months out of the year. We etched and painted the patio floor, too (it turned out FANTASTIC!). 


    Porch Swing
    And along the lines of a budget-friendly patio, we grabbed the wooden swing off of Craigslist. I often sit out here and enjoy my morning coffee. 

    More DIY Patio Ideas:

    Colorful Lawn Chairs

    Happy Summer from Texas, y'all! 

    Want more ideas for your DIY Patio Area? Check out my DIY Window Boxes (featured in the video below):




    33 comments:

    1. great job looking to design my back yord !!

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      1. Did you stain the 4x4’s ?

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      2. We did not...they are treated lumber posts, so they probably look stained, but that's just their treatment that they came with. Hope this helps.

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    2. Love your back yard retreat! I do have a question, what are the measurements of the whiskey barrels?

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      1. Hi Dorothy! I believe they measured 28" across. We no longer live in this home, but I do remember that part of it. Here is the tutorial for the planted posts: http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2015/05/diy-sturdy-planted-posts.html

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    3. I love this idea. On the picture that shows the cement patio area before & after, what did you use to change the color of the cement? I like the way that looks.

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      1. Thank you so much. Yes, we etched and painted the patio. Here is the tutorial: http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2015/03/how-to-paint-porch-floor.html

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    4. Hi, do you possibly remember how much you spent on this total DIY project?

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      1. Hi Daphnee-- Thanks so much for stopping by. At this point, I honestly don't remember. The largest cost was the whiskey barrels and posts...so if you can start with those and then add on the other things, you might be able to get a better idea using costs of the items in your area. I'm sorry I'm not much more help.

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    5. Beautiful DIY! Do you remember where you bought the string lights and how many you bought? This is such a wonderful patio idea. Thanks for sharing! :)

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      1. Hi Jizel-- They were from Target and I bought six packs. In our new home, I have new ones that I love even more. You can read all about them here: https://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2017/06/colorful-patio-makeover.html

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    6. bookmarked!!, I love your site!

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    7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    8. Did they really survive not tipping over during tornado season or any super strong winds?

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      1. Hi Fran! These have a nice, wide and heavy base to help keep them upright! I never had any issues with tipping! Thanks for stopping by! xoxo

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    9. Can you give me a little instructions on how you attached the lights onto the house :) thank you

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      1. Sure, Whitney! We actually just used cup hooks and just spaced them a few feet a part. Hope that helps!

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    10. Hi! We just did ours yesterday and only used one bag of Quikrete per planter (same one as yours). Do you think one bag of cement is enough, or should we add another bag today? We also used the same size wooden posts you did. So far everything came our great, my only concern is if we should add more cement. Thanks!!! Mel

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      1. Hi Mel! It's really going to depend on how much weight you want them to support. I'd say the heavier, the better! How exciting! I know you will love them! <3

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    11. How much pea gravel did y’all use for that space?

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      1. Hi Leah! Here is my post that explains how we created the pea gravel patio space! We ordered enough to cover 200 sqft, and spent about $160. https://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2015/04/diy-firepit-patio.html

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    12. Hi, I love the use of the barrels and lights and plants...but what really caught my eye is the set of colorful chairs you've added. We would like to add color to our pool area and these look especially cheery. We are Texans too, so maybe you could tell me where they were purchased. Thanks!

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      1. Hi there! They were actually from our Walmart. And I believe I've seen them again this spring. Hope that helps. Thanks so much for stopping by. xoxo

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    13. Hi! I love this! Roughly how far apart did you put the planters/posts? We have string lights already and would love to do this in our backyard!

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      1. Hi there! Ours were about 7 feet apart from one another. Hope this helps.

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    14. This looks amazing! I love it! I have been looking at different versions of these planters with posts. Your design is beautiful!!

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    15. Hi there, can we use plastic barrels for this?

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      1. I worry they may not be able to hold the weight of cement without cracking. That's my concern.

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    16. How did you attach the 4 x 4 to the barrel?

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      1. Hi there! You can find the full instructions on how we made the Texas Lamp Posts here: https://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2015/05/diy-sturdy-planted-posts.html Thank you bunches for stopping by! I hope this is helpful! xoxo

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    17. Very nice! One concern -- placing the firepit that close to the house is against code where I live. They need to be 15' feet from the house. Just saying . . .

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      1. Thanks so much. This was our previous home and the rules and zoning over there were a bit less stringent. We couldn't have done that in our current home. I do see your concern. With the hose right there, we were okay with it, but that was a personal choice.

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