Transform Your Backyard This Summer & Start Planning Now!

When the summertime hits, it is now a chance for you as a homeowner and a parent to reap the benefits of all that work you’ve done maintaining a backyard throughout the rest of the year. Having friends over, eating outside, setting up a hammock to relax in the sun, the possibilities are endless. At least, they are if you’re willing to make an investment. Taking a little time during the summer to add new items and transform your backyard will mean the things you do with it can increase exponentially.

Start With A Visual Plan

Let’s talk about some visual ideas first. A lot of people don’t feel comfortable having people over in the yard for visual reasons, but there’s a surprising amount of things you can do to work around this hurdle. One good example is the strategic use of mirrors. Mirrors, you ask? Yes, this may sound more like a bathroom tip than a backyard tip, but the same mirrors that make your bathroom look bigger play the trick in a smaller backyard.

Get creative, putting these mirrors behind planters, along a fence, or as general yard décor. The harder part is going to be taking care of them. Not only do you want something made of weather resistant material, but away from where birds are to avoid collisions. One small change that makes a big difference as well is stone walkways. Arrange these tiles however you want, and combine them with gravel and greenery for different looks.

Get Creative and Have Fun!

But perhaps your concerns are about function, not form. Depending on your yard’s privacy and your creativity, it may be possible to actually rig up a homemade outdoor movie screen link in this tutorial. Despite the amount of time and expense it seems like it may take, the tutorial version takes roughly only $70, and that may not be a bad price to pay when it comes to putting a new spin on movie night for the rest of the summer.

Another thing you may want to do, depending on what you have lying around and how much time you have, is using some household clutter and junk to make a homemade obstacle course for younger children. It’s always a good idea to try and encourage more outdoor play, and this makes a great way for you to do without spending a dime. Just be sure that what you use is safe for play, in case of any surprise slips and spills.

At some point, you may want to consider upgrading what you get as well. Some of the steps we mentioned before are good if you want smaller-scale activities in the backyard, but what if you’re thinking about something more, especially for the summer? If you were to buy a backyard jungle gym, you suddenly have something that allows for a wide variety of activities, in your backyard, at any time. Best of all, after installation, there’s very little extra work to be done on your part.