Your backyard is probably where you’ll spend most of your summer days, whether you’re lounging in the evenings after work or you’re on a break from work for the summer and using the time and space to relax and recuperate. Either way, you’re sure to be spending a lot of time in your backyard and you’ll want to make it a space that you’re excited to go into and spend your time in. You’ll want to make it a fun, playful space that gives you everything you need. If you have kids, you’ll want to consider them too.
There are a few things to consider when designing or redesigning your backyard space. How much space are you working with? What is missing from your outdoor experience? How much money are you working with? Could you do more with less?
If you’re on a bit of a tight budget, then there are several options available to you to save money while making the backyard of your dreams.
Get planting, look up
One of the cheapest and simplest ways to add some charm to your backyard is to get planting. Far too many people approach gardening from a 2D perspective – if you have high fencing, it might be an idea to plant some climbing plants. These plants will add colour and scale to an otherwise ugly, plain fence. You could also consider installing planters onto the fence itself and adding in some of your favourite flowers or herbs.
Recycle and reuse
Buying patio or garden furniture can become a costly endeavour, but it doesn’t have to be so – one of the easiest ways to save money when redesigning your backyard space is to reuse old materials for a new purpose. Pallet wood can become deck furniture – it’s a few screws and a YouTube video away. Similarly, leftover quarry rock can become your new garden path. There are various other materials that can be reused to create something incredible in your space – and they are often free or very cheap.
Light up the night
Most people will spend time on their decks and in their backyards in the evenings after a hard day’s work is done. This is a time of relaxation and adding the right lighting can set the ambience. Lighting your deck or backyard at night doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. A couple of sets of simple fairy lights strung up the fence is enough to make a difference, or you could opt for lit up fountains or pendant lights hanging from the ceiling. There are abundant options.
Do it yourself
Landscaping and outdoor design may seem like a world away now, but realistically, there is plenty that you can do yourself. And if you have the time, then why not venture into the unknown? One of the most satisfying things you can do for yourself is complete a project yourself. Planting a garden, building new things – it’s not that difficult; it just requires patience, time, tools and more patience.
Get rid of the grass, or let it grow
One of the most expensive things that we’ve ever put in front of our homes is grass. Lawncare eats up quite a lot of money at the end of the season. Anywhere from $500 to $2000 per season. That’s quite incredible, considering that we are socially engineering to care about the length of our grass. So, you have two choices. Get rid of the grass – this can be replaced by things like topsoil and gravel, or let it grow. This might be useful for certain sections of your back garden – you shouldn’t let it grow into a jungle, but simply keep it cut to a certain height that you can manage to trim yourself.
Install a pool
This is an excellent option if you have children and some space to fill. Your swimming pool doesn’t have to be one of those big, in-ground ones. In fact, if you have little children who’re just learning how to swim, then a smaller pool might just be the solution you’ve been looking for. It’ll give them a place to be so that you can relax, and a place to learn to swim that’s relatively safer than a larger pool.
No matter your budget, you can create the backyard of your dreams, you just need some ingenuity.
