Provident Home Design

Decor, DIY, and Interior Design

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About PHD
    • Contact Me
  • DIY PROJECTS
  • DESIGN 101
  • PAINT
  • HOME TOUR
  • DESIGN INSPO
  • DECOR TIPS

GET NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL WHEN THERE'S A NEW POST!

The Trick to Hiding your Outdoor Uglies

Hello!  I hope you’ve had a good week!  Earlier in the week I was at Remodelaholic.com sharing the steps I took to make a Cornhole Set from a pallet.  I love how the  game turned out and will share some sneak peeks of it at the end of this post.

Today though I want to talk about the uglies in our yards that we have no control over!  Yes, the water meters and other utility fixtures.

Ideas for Hiding Outdoor UtilitiesHow to Hide a Water Meter - Copy

I know they serve an important purpose and are functional but they sure don’t make them aesthetically pleasing (where was the landscape designer at that meeting?)!  As shown above I have one on the side of my house and one on my back patio.

They’ve got to figure out a better way to do it (and not only for the aesthetic reasons)!  Earlier this month I was out in the back weeding the flower beds.  I was having a peaceful break from the kids until I heard a loud man’s voice right behind me from out of the blue.  I about had a heart attack and made an audible “aahh” and a noticeable jump to my feet.

Oh, sorry, Ma’am I was trying not to scare you…just checking the water meter!  Ugghh, little did he know he almost got Kung Fu chopped!:-)

Thankfully though I’ve got a great DIY solution for those pesky, unattractive utility fixtures!

While on Hometalk recently I was inspired by the photo below.  This is a photo of  some old shutters pieced together to hide her utility fixtures.  I thought it was brilliant!

outdoor-repurpose-shutter-screen-gardening-outdoor-living-repurposing-upcycling

via HomeTalk

I didn’t have any old shutters but I did have some wood in my garage that I could use.  I decided to craft my own shutters.  What do you think?

Before:

How to Hide Utilities Before - Copy

After:

How to Hide Utilities

This is a very simple, easy project even a beginner could do.  I had some wood on hand but an excellent option of wood for this project are the pressure- treated 6ft. fence boards found HERE.

 

DIY Shutter Landscaping Ideas - Copy

Some old wood I re-used for this project.

The fence boards are only a $1.20 a board and since they are 5 1/2 inches wide (mine are 7 inches wide) I would do 3 on each side for a total of 6 boards (I used a total of 4 boards because my boards were wider).  I cut my boards to a height of 62.5 inches.

Assuming you will use the fence boards set the boards down next to each other in two groups of three.

Exterior Home Decorating Ideas - Copy

Next lay a 1×3 cut to width of each shutter panel.  If you do two panels of three boards of fencing then you will need (4) 1×3’s  cut to 16.5 inches long.  Mine were 14 inches long.

DIY Ideas to Hide Outside Utility - Copy

Drill 2 inch screws in each board as shown below.  Do the top section the same as the bottoms.

DIY Utility Cover - Copy

Best Landscaping DIY Ideas - Copy

On the backside of the boards attach two more 1×3’s on each panel to reinforce the ones on the front as shown below.

DIY Shutter To Hide Utilities - Copy

 

Now drill in 2 door hinges to hold the panels together.  Make sure the hinge can close all the way towards you before attaching it.

Utility Cover

Now you can paint or stain it to your hearts content!  I thought bright yellow would be a fun pop of color until I got it in it’s place and stepped back.  Paired with the brown grill it reminded me of two things– McDonald’s (?) and potty words.

Landscaping Ideas

Hence, I painted over it in a bright light blue!  Much better than the yellow and definitely much better than utilities.

Landscaping Ideas and Hide Water Meter

And when the water meter guy comes again to scare me he can easily pull back the panels to read the meter.  Think you will give this a try?

As promised here are your sneak peek photos of the DIY Cornhole Set.  The kids have been enjoying it (as well a certain adult).

DIY Cornhole Game for Kids

Cornhole Set Made from Pallet

You can find the tutorial for the cornhole set, Here!

Hoping to get the laundry room makeover I’ve been working on done in time for next weeks post!  As always, thanks for being here!

Signature

The Trick to Hiding Outdoor Uglies!

Related Posts From the Blog:

  • Budget-Friendly Home Decor FabricBudget-Friendly Home Decor Fabric
  • 5 Tricks for Making a Small Space Look Bigger5 Tricks for Making a Small Space Look Bigger
  • Everything you Need to Know about Painting a Room!Everything you Need to Know about Painting a Room!
  • Laundry Makeover Gone GlamLaundry Makeover Gone Glam
  • Installing Beadboard Wallpaper HorizontallyInstalling Beadboard Wallpaper Horizontally
  • Springfield Antique Show- Take AwaysSpringfield Antique Show- Take Aways
  • Deals Alert ;-)Deals Alert 😉
  • Kids and Guest Bathroom RevealKids and Guest Bathroom Reveal

before and afters// decorating// DIY// tutorials// woodwork12 Comments

Subscribe

GET NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL WHEN THERE IS A NEW POST!

« Let’s Talk Best DIY Tools
My nuLoom Rug Crush »

Comments

  1. Jennifer@decoratingdelirium says

    Sunday, June 28, 2015 at 12:06 am

    What a clever solution. I love it! I love the color you chose to paint your shutters.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Sunday, June 28, 2015 at 9:46 pm

      Thank you, Jennifer!:-)

      Reply
  2. Wendy says

    Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 7:26 pm

    Very well done! You are so talented and never cease to amaze me!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 10:49 pm

      Thanks, Wendy;-) You are a sweetheart!

      Reply
  3. Jenn @ The Art of Better says

    Sunday, July 12, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    Thanks for making this look so easy that I am confident to try it! brilliant!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Sunday, July 12, 2015 at 6:20 pm

      You can totally do it, Jenn!

      Reply
  4. Marfisa Anderson says

    Monday, July 20, 2015 at 11:33 am

    You read my mind! I needed something to hide the utilities but it needed to be mobile because the AC reset button is in that area and needs easy access, not to mention the meter readers need access too. Love reading your ideas!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Monday, July 20, 2015 at 1:14 pm

      Thanks for reading them, Marfisa, it makes the time it takes to write it all out worth it!!:-)

      Reply
  5. Al says

    Monday, July 20, 2015 at 10:40 pm

    Need a 10 x 11 ( built in office unit ) with french glass doors, warm & cozy.

    Reply
  6. Brandy Martin says

    Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    What if the meter reader is new to the job? He may not think to look behind those shutters. My husband reads electric meters. Different people read different routes all the time, especially in larger cities.
    I can also tell you that if the meter cannot be found and the meter reader cannot read it, the electric company will estimate your bill, and probably not in your favor. A lot of people don’t even realize that meters still get read, but I assure you, they DO!

    I think this idea is wonderful as a temporary solution if you are hosting a party or something like that. But I do not think it should be a permanent fixture. It makes things more difficult than they should be for hard working people like my husband.

    Reply
  7. jann Carter says

    Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 9:23 am

    OK, at the risk of being – strange – what IS that cornhole thing?

    THE screen solution is terrific. Thank you.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hello and Welcome!! My name is Tamara and this is where I share my tips and tricks to creating a beautiful home! If you are new, feel free to start HERE.

Subscribe

Get notified via email when there's a new post!

Join me on Instagram!

[instagram-feed]

More Blog Inspiration:-)

  • Icon Caroline on Design

    Close preview

    Loading...
  • Icon Centsational Girl

    Close preview

    Loading...
  • Icon Decorating Delirium

    Close preview

    Loading...
  • Icon Lauren Liess

    Close preview

    Loading...
  • Icon Life on Virginia Street

    Close preview

    Loading...
  • Icon Remodelaholic

    Close preview

    Loading...
  • Icon The Creativity Exchange

    Close preview

    Loading...
  • Icon Thrifty Decor Chick

    Close preview

    Loading...

Categories


Disclosure & Privacy Policy

You might also like

The Final Before & After of our Current Home

The Final Before & After of our Current Home

New Build Update-Paint, Lighting, and Floors oh My!

New Build Update-Paint, Lighting, and Floors oh My!

New Home Update

New Home Update

New Build Update- Cabinets are in!

New Build Update- Cabinets are in!

House Update–We Have Walls!

House Update–We Have Walls!

Join Me on Instagram!

[instagram-feed num=9 cols=9 showbutton=false]

Privacy

Copyright © 2021 · Savory theme by Restored 316

Enter your name and email to get my weekly post sent to your inbox... it's FREE!
Want to learn more about DIY, decorating, and making your home beautiful? Sign up below!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.