11 Tips and Tricks to Renovate Your Backyard Before The Summer
Upgrading your backyard can enhance your property while giving you the necessary space your family needs to enjoy themselves this summer. However, not every renovation will give you a significant return on your investment. Whether you plan on selling your home or want to upgrade it and use it for recreational activities, you’ll need to know a few tips to help you create the backyard oasis of your dreams. Here are tips and tricks to renovate your backyard before summer.
1.Build a Fire Pit
A fire pit is a perfect place to enjoy quality time with your family. Plus, everyone loves roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. The good news is fire pits don’t have to be expensive, and if you make them right, they can increase the value of your home. Before you begin building your fire pit, contact the local marshal to ask what sizes you can have on a residential property. Let him or her know that it’s for recreational purposes. Once you’ve given the right dimensions, you can begin gathering your supplies, including retaining wall and firestone supplies. You can choose affordable concrete to build your walls.
Next, you’ll choose a flat area of your yard and begin stacking the bricks to ensure they fit nicely together. Ensure you leave a few gaps between the bricks for proper airflow. Then, all you need to do is add wood and fuel. Don’t forget to put a few camping chairs or outdoor seating near the firepit so everyone has a place to sit.
2.Revive the Landscape
Giving your landscaping a healthy makeover can make your backyard feel more inviting. You can hire a landscaping company or do everything yourself. The first thing to start with is your lawn. If your lawn is dead in spots, purchase fertilizer to help it grow in those few areas. Depending on your lawn, you might also need to figure out why the grass is dying in a particular spot. Sometimes, it can be because of your pets when they do their business or because of pests.
Once you’ve given your grass back some life, start adding pathways. You can purchase stones at the local hardware store to create a path, but you don’t need to have the stones next to each other. If you’re okay with people walking on your lawn, you can use the stones as a guide to tell people where to walk to get through your backyard.
You should also add plants, including trees and bushes, around your property to give yourself privacy from the neighbors.
3.Add a Deck
If your family enjoys spending all of their time outdoors in the summer, consider getting a deck where you can all hang out. A deck is the perfect place for grilling and entertaining and gives your kids somewhere to hang out outside without having to go into the grass. Decks are also a major selling point for homes, and putting in a quality deck can increase the value of your house.
4.Add a Patio
If you don’t think a deck is a right renovation for your backyard, consider installing a patio instead. Patios are another great option if you want to add space to your home’s exterior and keep your family off the lawn. They also increase your home’s resale value. If your home already has a patio, you can expand it by working with what you have. If you already have a patio, the good news is you don’t have to rip anything up and start over; you can simply add to it.
5.Get a New BBQ
If you love to barbecue your food in the summer, you probably dream of one day having a built-in barbecue. However, most homeowners can’t afford that, and their hard-earned money is better spent somewhere else. Instead, you can purchase a new barbecue for a fraction of the cost or upgrade your current barbecue by making a frame using fireproof brick or stone. Adding a stone wall around your barbecue will make it look built-in even though it isn’t, allowing you to swap out a new one each time you buy a new one.
6.Use Old Wood
If your outdoor renovation requires you to tear out wood, keep the wood you’re tearing out for other projects. For example, you can repurpose wood for privacy walls or as a simple decorative feature for your backyard.
7.Store What You Don’t Use
If you keep items outside, consider putting them in storage containers to help you contain any outdoor clutter. For example, you can put anything from sports equipment to gardening utensils in a storage container so they can be easily found later and won’t get lost. Keeping your outdoor stuff organized can help you feel more relaxed in your yard.
You can also use outdoor storage containers for construction projects, such as building a deck and patio so you have a space to store your supplies and equipment without worrying about them getting ruined by bad weather.
8.Hide What You Don’t Like
If you store your trash cans in the backyard or have ugly areas, such as an old fence you never replaced, you can hide it with a privacy panel. You can paint your panel any color to match your home so nobody sees your trash cans from the curb.
9.Add Lighting
Outdoor lighting helps you spend more time outdoors, no matter what time of day it is. It can also prevent burglary attempts by making it look like you’re home even when you’re not. Additionally, outdoor lighting can make your home look more elegant and inviting. By adding outdoor lighting, you might have to consult with an electrician. However, if your outdoor lighting is for family use only, you can purchase lanterns or portable lights your family can take with them when they go outside at night.
10.Add a Rug
If you have a patio or deck, add a rug to help define different areas. For example, you can put a rug under a dining table to highlight the food area and another rug near the comfortable seating. Rugs can also be used to help prevent splinters from wood decks that may be old so you can go barefoot outside without worrying about getting hurt. The best part about outdoor rugs is they’re easy to clean. You can simply shake them off in the wind or spray them with a hose to remove stains.
11.Add Seating
While you might have seating near a dining table outside, you should also have seating that’s more comfortable and allows yourself and guests to lean back and relax. Having an outdoor daybed or swing can make your backyard more inviting and comfortable when you’re not using it to grill.
Final Thoughts
No matter what your budget is, your main goal is to make your backyard enjoyable and comfortable. Whether you add a fire pit or more seating is up to you; just make sure it’s a space your family can use for fun and relaxation.
