We all love the big “after” moments—new furniture, a room painted in a dreamy color, or that perfect kitchen backsplash. But sometimes, it’s the boring home projects that quietly make everything feel fresh again.
This year I have shared projects that are decidedly NOT sexy and will not garner attention from HGTV.
For instance, our backyard brick paver sidewalk installation, lots of purging like the recent guest room closet and the exterior painting of our house.
Take our recent landscape rock refresh. Not exactly glamorous, but after months of staring at faded, patchy gravel, it was time.
Why These Projects Matter
The not-so-fun tasks—the ones without instant Pinterest payoff—often make the biggest difference in how your home looks and functions. Things like:
- Replacing tired landscape rock
- Removing old and overgrown plants
- Power washing the patio, cushions or driveway
- Replacing broken skylights
Each small improvement adds up to that subtle, “something feels better” effect.
The Rock Refresh
Our backyard slopes upward towards the back wall. We have a number of flowering shrubs along the wall, but the rock was disintegrating and working its way down the hill.
There were actual bare spots and it really looked bad. Did anyone really notice except us? I doubt it.
And then.
Some of the shrubs were really overgrown and running into each other.
There were two large sage bushes that could not be cut back; they had to be completely removed.
I just could not take the shabby looking yard anymore!
Jeff Martin’s team from Nature’s Best Landscape did such a nice job on the sidewalk, we had them back to do a huge backyard clean up and the refresh the rock in our entire yard.
Jeff ordered 12 tons of rock for the job and a big ol’ semi dumped it in front of the house.
After the semi left, the pile didn’t look that huge, but I won’t tell that to the strong men to wheelbarrowed it into the back and up the hill.
Exciting? Not really. But every time I look through the windows or sit on the back patio, it feels polished—like we finally finished the thought.
I forgot to take a before picture with the overgrown shrubs and the two huge mesquite limbs that were cut back, but you can see the after looks pretty nice and not bare in the least.
Power Washing
The rock project was not quite as dirty as I thought it would be, but we used it as motivation to do a seasonal power washing on the back patio and all the cushions.
Oh, and the further motivation was that my sisters were coming for a visit and we are big cocktail-on-the-patio people. More on that later!
Another boring project but the results sure make me happy.
Replacing Broken Skylights
Did I mention our monster storm with crazy hail several weeks ago?
Well, since I cannot remember, I will tell you that the 3 a.m. storm left us the almost all of our skylights broken.
I know it’s hard to tell from this picture but I think you can see the shards of broken glass.
Again, not a sexy project, and not how I wanted to spend my money, but oh well.
We ended up replacing all the skylights and the rooms that are lit by them are super bright now.
Our powder room is so bright everyone goes in there to turn off the light!
Anthem Health & Wellness Club
Subject change! And not boring!
Deb’s November meeting is coming up Wednesday, November 19th featuring a favorite speaker, Cristina Archer, speaking on gut health.
The event is free, but registration is appreciated.
Wrap Up
Not every project needs to sparkle for Instagram. Some are about maintenance, care, and pride in the place you call home. These quieter updates create the backdrop for everything else—the blooms on the cactus, the view from our windows, the cozy evenings on the patio.
So here’s to the boring projects that keep our homes looking loved—even when no one notices but us.
May God bless you and yours for a wonderful weekend.