The One Room Challenge is almost over! It has been a LONG eight weeks in more than one way! I am so grateful that we have been able to busy our bodies and our minds with this project, although our hearts are still uneasy and heavy.

This week we focused on DIY floating outdoor curtains for our patio area. Our patio is tiny and while I once saw that as a limitation, I am now learning to see all of the possibilities instead. I wanted to add curtains to create a cozy space for family dinners, a romantic set up for date nights, and to add some additional privacy when needed from our neighbors. Thankfully, my husband was on board with this addition to my initial one room challenge plan. Check out all the previous weekly One Room Challenge updates below (note: week 5 was cancelled):

Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4 // Week 5 // Week 6 // Week 7 // Week 8

Once I had done a little research and had a solid plan, I added the necessary materials to an online cart and scheduled to pick them up the following day. The list was not too long and the materials were not that expensive so that made this project relatively inexpensive. That was a major win for me with my hubby! After seeing the numbers and the ease of the build he thought it was a great idea!

Materials:

• 1/2 in x 3 in Zinc Plated Steel Hex-Head Sleeve Anchors
• 3/4 in. Black Iron Floor Flange (2-pack) – 2 of these
• Post Base for 4×4 Lumber
• 4 in x 4 in x 8 ft Pressure Treated Wood
• Outdoor Curtains
• Black Steel Pipe
• Exterior Wood Screws

The most challenging part of this entire ordeal was drilling through the concrete. We actually had to go back to the store to purchase a new drill bit to get through the concrete. This was definitely the longest part of everything. Once we got through this everything else seemed to flow very smoothly.

We first measured the distance between the wall and the end of our patio slab since that is how far we wanted the curtains to reach. We marked those points on both sides and drilled four holes into the concrete (according to the spacing on the post base). The post bases were then installed at these points.

Next we attached the flanges about a 1/4 inch from the top of the wood post using four 3 inch exterior wood screws. We also attached them to the other side of the pole (we are using these as outdoor curtain rods). We then screwed the pole into the flange and lowered the wood post into the post base.

When we lowered the post into the post base we discovered that we (read: he) would need to do a little more work to get the post to sit fully into the post base. There are several sets of holes that the wood should be visible in on the post base and initially we were unable to see anything in those holes. So he had to go up the ladder and basically pound the post in with a mallet. After several minutes of pounding the post went all the in and was visible in all of the holes. He then had to secure the poles in the post base by tightening everything. Once these were up I could really see our DIY outdoor curtain set up taking shape!

Prior to attaching the other side of the pole to the house we had to make sure everything was perfectly level. Once we were sure it was level we attached it to the house.

The final thing we needed to do was add the curtains. With this set up we did have to unscrew the poles from the house to add the outdoor curtain panels. I purchased grommet top outdoor curtains instead of one with hooks or some other way to hang them. That was definitely a bit of a headache but overall, still not difficult. If I could, I would have purchased curtains that could be removed and added without unscrewing the pole. I also contemplated ordering sheer curtains, but hubby vetoed those as they would not have added as much privacy as we were desiring for this area. I think if it were up to him, he would have chosen blackout curtains!

I really love how these DIY Outdoor Floating Curtains turned out. I love adding decor to outdoor spaces. My only outdoor decor prior to this consisted of plants! I think it may be time to start considering other pieces. The curtains make this space feel so cozy and charming! I am currently on a mission to make this space feel like a living room outside. Now head on over to the One Room Challenge blog and check out the updates from the other participants!