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First, I'd stain the deck/stairs/etc. It will make the whole area look much more finished, polished, and put together. Unstained, it kind of looks like new construction or something to me.
Second - I'd ditch the rocks under the deck (again, seems kind of construction like) and plant a bed of hostas (and maybe some other plants). Hostas will give great color and interest to the area and they're really hearty so you won't have to worry about killing them. They're also very shade tolerant so being under the deck won't be a problem for them.
Also, I'd either extend the mulch bed beyond the deck to the area of dead grass (I think the extended bed would look really nice) or I'd re-seed /re-sod that area. (I'm sure you're planning to fix that already but figured I'd add it).
Lastly, I'd put some nice outdoor furniture to create a welcoming sitting space. You could also hang some planters from the long edge of the deck with pretty flowers. I think that would make the whole space very warm and inviting.
Hope this helps!
@Mrs.KMM: haha it all pretty much is still a construction zone... Well what my husband was thinking with the rock was to prevent the rain from the washing the mud down and the mulch away so I think the original idea was the back half area area was suppose to be rocked in to about where the stairs are... then he killed the grass where you see because he was going to extend the flower bed out past the deck and then create a border with rocks.... hoping this would help retain the dirt and mud and prevent everything from washing away with the heavy rainfall we can get here. The others just strawn about are there just to hold down the black landscaping Fabric you see. I am just not sure I am loving the Idea...
My concern with nice outdoor furniture is there is no cover to protect it from the elements so I dont know what would work the best.
You may want to get some quotes from professional landscapers in your area.... worst case scenario... you know what a pro would do so you can DIY :) i.e. how to deal with mulch on a downgrade ;)
I agree with staining... I think a nice rich cherry color would look great with your red shutters and give some color.
As for furniture etc... it's hard to tell from this angle what space and the layout is like up there.
@FutureMrs.Harless: Nice outdoor furniture is designed to withstand the elements so I wouldn't worry about that too much. We always take our patio furniture in during the winter with the ice, snow, and freezing cold but it is designed to withstand wind, rain, storms, etc.
I like the idea of bordering the flower/mulch bed with the rocks but I wouldn't put them over the back half. I think just the border would be better.
I would add some wood siding material to enclose the underside of the porch, then all around it I would build a knee-high stone wall and fill it with a vareity of shrubs and flowers.
hostas will only do really well in that location if there is lots of shade, especially during mid-day through the afternoon. I only note that because this late afternoon/early evening picture looks like near-full exposure. Just a thought.
what exposure is the deck? (east, west, north, south?), if you want to leave it open and put in a planting, take your daily sunlight into account & consider plant varieties that do well on slopes.
If you think you might like to skip the lattice and go for a full enclosure like @snmcdowell: suggested, you will create some extra storage space for yourselves. If storage space is unnecessary, or you dont like the look/concept, what about just laying some river rock or crushed gravel under the deck & re-sodding the area up to the deck?
Those rocks you have would be great to re-use in a hardscaping project like walls or creating an edge to future garden beds etc.
Can you take an updated picture from farther back so we can see what exactly it looks like? The angled shot makes it difficult to offer suggestions without a more full view.
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So its the middle of winter so that means it is that time of year where me and my husband start making plans for our summer projects... the last two summers has been to build a really nice stone walkway and a rock garden and waterfall feature in the backyard Which was completed and we had hoped to Do something about our front porch and underneath of our front porch but due to our wedding and our husband being hurt and off his feet for a few months the summer before that it just has not been accomplished. Well I am so tired of looking at our porch. the back side of our house looks so nice but we have no neighbors so we are the only ones that can see it. I wish to make the front of our house look nice I want it to have "curb appeal" because even though we are situated off the main road and live on a private drive you can see our house very well do to it sitting atop a hill.
We own about 3.5 acres but almost none of it is flat except for the area where our the horse lot and barn is. Most of it is wooded area behind our house. It slants uphill in the backyard and downhill in the front yard ....
Our main summer project this year and my husbands only summer project as he states it... is we are wanting to make a nice patio entertainment area at the other end of our house . We plan to build a stone patio to match the stone walkway and wall running along the back of our house and have some of the area shaded probably will build some type of arbor or pergola and we plan to have either a built in fireplace or fire pit area.
So when this is done the porch infront of our house will no longer be serving the purposes it has previously... Place for the grill... trashbin... and a small table and seating outside. Underneath was nothing but dirt and mud till we started on it last year Husbands plan was to rock in some of the area leaving room to plant some flowers or small greenery plants and then mulch in around them... but not only did we run out of rock we ran out of time. So right now it just looks a mess. I am not sure I am sold on this idea though.... but I dont know of anything that will look better and i definately do not want to lattice the whole thing in like i see some people do.
Other than a few loose nails though it is in great shape... We just need to pretty it up... bc no only does it not match the rest of the landscaping and such around the rest of the home it will look 10 times worse when the patio gets done... bc it is the main thing you see when you look at the front of our house and as you enter our home.
I found the 2 beat up wooden chairs at a yard sale back in the summer for $1 for both and while I had no clue what to do with them I thought maybe I could fix them up a bit and use them as a decorative feature.
I would appreciate any ideas... suggestions ... pictures would be great.
Here is the only picture i could find of the deck... see im so ashamed I dont even take pictures
The deck is long and fairly narrow it goes about halfway across the middle of our house... It has Stairs on each side and the area underneath it is just open and it stands almost 2 stories tall in the very front. As you can see it is a mess.