The backyard of a home doesn’t always come to mind first when planning any home improvement and beautification steps. That’s why the backyard often ends up being neglected. Sometimes, the benign neglect goes on for several years. Then, at some point, you realize work needs to be done to bring about much-needed improvements to that eyesore of a backyard.
Don’t automatically think every step for improving the look of a back requires spending a lot of money though. The following six inexpensive and easy “backyard makeover” tips provide insights on what to do.
1. Plant Colorful Flowers
Simply growing things in a backyard is fine, but you may want a look that turns out to be a bit more than fine. Plant flowers are known for their colorful look. Perhaps you may wish to buy flowers not common in other yards in the neighborhood. Flowers that stand out brightly contribute an equally bright aura.
2. Create a Lounge
Who said a lounge for dining and relaxing has to be inside the home? Creating an outdoor lounge with chairs, tables, and a firepit can be done without much effort. Now, you could spend huge money on paying a contractor to create an exterior lounge but you don’t have to. Items to make an outdoor lounge can be found in second-hand stores. Costly things such as a raised deck aren’t even necessary. A basic setup works fine.
3. Add a Shed
The idea of putting a shed into a backyard might seem outrageous to someone hoping to save money. Home improvement retail stores list portable sheds at MSRPs of $2,000 or more. Honestly, sheds can be purchased — or made — a lot cheaper than that. Someone with basic carpentry skills can put together and paint a DIY shed at a fraction of the cost. Ironically, he/she could do so after buying the materials from the same retail store.
A nicely designed and painted shed adds something to a backyard. Even if you don’t use the shed for anything purposeful, its presence adds to the yard.
4. Trim and Style Growth
Tearing out weeds and anything else that obviously detracts from growth is a no-brainer. What about cutting unwanted trees and shrubs? How about cutting them in a creative or artistic way? Certain things growing in the yard look nice — to a point. Once vegetation starts growing wild, take the effort to cut it. A little landscaping creativity to the cutting might turn that growth into a work of art.
5. Build a Small Path
Why walk over the grass to go from the front of the yard to your garden or lounge? Making a nice stone path does more than keep dirt off your shoes. The path adds beauty and complements the landscaping. A stone path is one style. Others exist. Choose the one best for you.
6. Make a Pond with an Old Tire
The things you can do with an old tire in the backyard are pretty amazing. One of the most intriguing involves making a mini-pond with a worn out tire. Why throw out the old tire when painting it and adding a liner turns the old auto part into a nice little pond? Instead of trashing those old tires, keep looking for innovative things to do with them in the backyard.
