The Outdoor Gazebo

And so I promised myself that I wouldn't post any other stories before I made the time to write about our outdoor gazebo. So here I am, trying to fulfill that promise.

The need for an outdoor gazebo was purely because we needed a place to put our garden furniture. With the patio converted as a dining area, we couldn't just leave our garden furniture in the rain and shine, right? And of course, the patio is oh-so-convenient whenever we host people over; that's where I put my buffet table during BBQs, dessert table during parties, and last but not least, situlah tempat the men lepak whenever the ladies are in the house gossiping.

So as mentioned in the previous post, we finally agreed to chop down our lush pokok kemboja and sacrifice the greenest plot of grass in the garden, for an outdoor gazebo. Before we made the decision, we considered so many other options - at the corner depan rumah, beside the porch... but it just didn't feel right. At the end of the day I'm really glad that we decided to take the plunge. It really is the best spot for an outdoor gazebo.

Right smack at the end of our garden. We also increased the height of our outdoor walls, to give the gazebo more privacy.

Our outdoor furniture fitted perfectly in the nook. Also, I love the squared recess of the wood decking - just the right size for a BBQ set!

The outdoor gazebo came with its fair share of drama too. Hubby wanted to minimize the budget by just having a simple cement slab as the base. I on the other hand, wanted wood decking to match the wood decking outside our new dining hall. Of course, my influencing skills won hands down. *giggles*

Hubby also didn't want a fan for the gazebo, because we had a lot of electrical problems at the patio previously, due to leaking rain water. But how can you have a gazebo without a fan, right? Can't depend purely on wind effect, kan? Also, we initially wanted a clear roof for the outdoor gazebo, but they wrongly installed a brownish roof instead. It turned out to be a good mistake, because we loved how the brown matched the matte black structure. And, can you believe that I measured the distance between the two wall lights, to fit my dessert table? #kiasumuch

The view from my helper's room. She joked that she now has her own private hosting area, as the wood decking from her room directly leads to the outdoor gazebo.

A few months after we settled in post renovation, our hands itched for some form of water feature in the garden. Furthermore, our pet tortoises (Squirtle, Blastoise and Wartotle) have outgrown their aquarium and needed a bigger space. (Hubby's alasan here.) After a few days of scouting around, we brought home... a pond!!!!! Totally Hubby's fault. Hubby has always been a fish person. I'm more of a cat person, as you can actually play with cats. Fish? What can you do with fish???

Well Hubby claims that having a water feature and watching fish swimming brings a calming effect after a long day. Uhuh... yeah right. Shopping gives me the same calming effect, darling! *chuckles*

The water feature just beside the outdoor gazebo.

Calming effect, eh?

Koi fish! My favourite is the one with the orange head and black spots. The tortoises are nowhere to be seen... probably hiding somewhere.

Our white garden set contrasts beautifully with the wood decking outside our dining hall. Also acts as our favourite breakfast spot in the garden.

Right smack outside our dining hall. You can also hear the water feature from the family hall.

And that brings me to the end of my renovation posts. InsyaAllah, we are ready for Eid! :)