Inspiration for our Slow Moving Backyard Reno

THE RAVENNA HOUSE Our tiny backyard renovation is moving slow. Really, really slow. It feels like we renovated half of the house in the time it's taken us to remove a garage, lay some gravel, and cut down a few trees. Now it's October - just about rainy season here in Seattle - and we find ourselves with a giant dirt and gravel pit in our backyard.

It's not looking like much. In fact, our backyard is plain depressing. Sure, in my heart of hearts, I know that it's going to look beautiful someday. But I just hope that day comes before the zombie apocalypse hits and we no longer care about patios. Or, on a less dramatic note, I hope we get this project done before we buy a new house. Because at this glacial pace, that's a real possibility.

What we need around here is some good old fashioned inspiration. So I spent a little time on the web and compiled some backyard eye candy:

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Our entire lot is less then 3000sf, so the backyard is quite small. Maybe 1000sf. But I actually kind of like that about the space. I think it feels intimate and cozy, or at least it will when we put in a fence, patio, and landscaping. Like a rustic retreat from our urban surrounding. Kind of like these:

Victoria Pearson via Style Files