Remodeling your backyard is a project that a lot of people postpone due to its high costs and labor-intensive nature. However, this is also an opportunity for you to completely change your property’s layout, value, and quality of life. It is your chance to transform your backyard into something you always wanted it to be.
The key thing you need to understand is that this project may also determine the future maintenance of the area. The material you choose for the patio, your irrigation system, the choice of shrubbery, and similar decisions significantly affect the amount of active work that you’ll have to put in the upkeep of the backyard.
With that in mind and without further ado, here are several backyard remodeling tips that you could use during your next remodel.
Adjust to Your Region
When taking a look at gardens across the globe, chances are that you’ll be able to tell the region by just taking a glance at it. Sure, you might not get the location, but you might hit the general area quite reliably. There’s a method to this madness, and you need to understand the reasoning behind it. For starters, you need to rely on the local turf suppliers when choosing shrubbery and styles. There are several reasons behind this. For instance:
- Local landscaping ideas minimize maintenance
- They look natural and fit the local palette perfectly
- It can help your backyard fit the general vibe of the neighborhood
While it may seem like you have a choice to make between an eastern and western design tradition, the truth is that the choice may already be cut out for you. Sure, no one can prevent you from going the opposite direction, but you need to ask yourself if you’re really ready for this commitment. Defying the local climate and biome is possible, but it does come at a price (in both commitment and resources), so its best to source backyard gear from reputable turf supplies Sydney to ensure you are making the best backyard decisions for your household.
Fiery Element
Ever since the dawn of time, people have spent their evenings outdoors next to a campfire. The trouble with starting a campfire in your own backyard is quite apparent, which is why you need a designated fire site. The first thing that comes to mind is having an outdoor fireplace. While highly aesthetic and great for boosting the value of your property, this idea has several downsides. For instance:
- It’s expensive
- It requires supporting surrounding features
- It’s complex and difficult for maintenance
This doesn’t mean that fireplaces are not worth it. It only means that they’re far more situational than their more popular alternative – a fire pit. Getting a classic stone fire pit is a cheaper, simpler, and more elegant solution to your problem. It also gives you that iconic campsite looks without any of the downsides.
Patio
Making a seating area in your backyard is generally a good idea. It provides you with more options, and it gives you a clean/easy-to-maintain area during the muddy part of the year. When it comes to your options, traditionally, you can go in several directions.
You can, for instance, construct a wooden deck. This is an elegant yet, relatively expensive solution. As far as the rest of the materials go, you can go with a frugal option like pea pebbles. This is a material that will roughly cost you $6 per square foot. Pouring concrete in this area is a more expensive option that gives you less work for maintenance. More expensive options are concrete or brick pavers that you can get for roughly $14 per square foot. The most expensive (but also the most durable and elegant) option are stone pavers which usually cost more than $20 per square foot.
While you could, technically, place a garden table and chairs on the grass, it is better to do so on a solid surface. It gives you greater stability and allows you to add elements like outdoor rugs to further enhance the area’s aesthetics.
Irrigation System
Ensuring that your home’s backyard is green and lavish is often a matter of irrigation. Nowadays, it’s relatively cheap and inexpensive to set up a proper irrigation system. You can get sprinklers in any hardware store, but those who really want to make a difference should consider investing in a smart irrigation system instead.
Remember, however, that the amount of water that your home is getting depends on several things. During the colder part of the year, even roof and gutter issues can affect the amount of water (through splatter) in your backyard. The key thing is that your lawn, shrubbery, and plants, in general, get the optimal amount of water. This is something that requires a great deal of monitoring and strategy.
Something Extra
Now, how do you make a backyard truly yours? The simplest answer is that you customize it in order to encompass something you’re passionate about. You could make a superb kids’ playground with modest resources if you just committed to it. Another thing you could do is make a vegetable garden and grow your own ingredients. Those who are either leisure or fitness-oriented would benefit quite heavily from a lap pool. All in all, different ideas have different price tags.
The thing is that each of these options has a different cost and a different complexity of the project. This is why you need to consider the yield that you’re getting for it. A pool is quite expensive, so it’s only worth it if you can afford it quite easily (alongside its maintenance) or if you intend to use it quite frequently. In fact, this is how you should determine the worth of every project.
In Conclusion
Generally speaking, there are two categories of improvements that you need to make when it comes to your backyard remodel. The first one is the non-circumstantial. No matter what style and ideas you have in mind, you want the area to be low-maintenance, you want to have a seating area (where you can spend time in your garden), etc.
The second group is the one that depends on your own interests and personality. Here, you can add anything that would make the place feel your own. This simple division makes things a lot easier to plan.
