Evolution of the Playroom

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There is a place we named the Playroom when our kids were small. 

It was a magical space where the kids had fun!

There are hazards to keeping things in this space. It is outdoors, although it has a roof. 
When it rains a lot, it can flood. 
When it snows, the snow blows in.
A squirrel once thought that a cloth pumpkin decoration we stored there would make a great nest!

In spite of the hazards, as the kids got older and played out there less, the space became more of a storage space than a play space.

Occasionally we would clean it up... 

(Picture from 2008)
but it always got dirty and messy again.


The fence got old and started to lean and sway. The gate got harder to close. The green indoor/outdoor carpet got old and stained and frayed. We started to remove it bit by bit and discovered that the concrete underneath it was cracked and ugly. The whole space was cluttered and crowded. It wasn't a place we wanted to hang out in anymore. It wasn't even a place we wanted to go into unless we had to. It might have still been a magical place... just not in a good way.

Last September we talked to the HOA about having the fence replaced. Since they needed to remove the old fence, leaving the space exposed, we had to clear it out, moving most of the stuff we wanted to keep to the garage and getting rid of a lot of stuff we decided we didn't need anymore. The HOA replaced the fence and painted it an orangey red. They also painted the hardware on the gate, and Steven has spend some time removing the paint to make the hardware black again.

When we learned that one of our neighbors does epoxy flooring for a living and would do our floor for us at a discount, we decided to go for it! Since we had removed most of the stuff we had been storing there when we had the fence replaced, it wasn't too hard to empty it out completely to replace the floor.

Before:

After:

What is next for this space? The shelves have been returned - it will still be used for some storage.
 Steven has plans for a new tool bench and work table. It may once again become a magical space - a place where ideas can become reality.

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