Summer has been beautiful, but your patio, not so much. Big or small, there are budget-friendly ways to make your outdoor space pop.
Whether you love to entertain friends or bask in the sun with a cocktail and a novel, here are 6 easy ways to inject new life into your little corner of nature.
Add colour to a concrete patio
The biggest eyesore in most backyards is a concrete block patio that’s cracked and full of weeds. After weeding, rejuvenate that dilapidated patio with colour in a can. Try painting it a bold, bright colour or a fun pattern, like chevron. You can also mimic the appearance of upscale stone patios with just a bit of paint and some stamps.
If you want to let your creative juices flow, try mimicking a carpet or even a game board, such as Twister. At the very least, a new coat of concrete stain will give that tired concrete a fresh look.
Too much trouble? Buy an outdoor rug! Done. Yes, it will cover the weeds, but we recommend you pull them anyway.
Plant perennials instead of annuals
Flowers are a sure (and budget-friendly) way to add pops of colour and eye-catching beauty to perk up a down-in-the-dumps patio. When you’re deciding what to plant, the first decision is annuals versus perennials.
Annuals have their pluses. They mature faster, so you’ll see lots of blossoms soon. And they appeal to the fickle among us (you know who you are). You get bored with an English cottage garden one year and want to switch to a Mediterranean look the next.
But in the long run, perennials are a better investment, and they grab just as much attention as annuals. It’s true they’re more of an upfront investment, but the flowers return year after year. Even though some bloom for just a few weeks a year, others bloom more than once, or, like bleeding hearts, are long-term bloomers.
There’s another budget and maintenance benefit: After perennials are established, they don’t need as much water. They’re especially compatible with drought-prone areas (and there’s no shortage of those these days!).
Hang simple string lights
Why limit lights to holidays when you can add string lights to your patio or backyard and bask in the magic for several seasons of the year?
Don’t be afraid to get creative. Sure, you can hang light strings on trees. But what about suspending them above a dining area, maybe in parallel rows? Or illuminating your whole backyard by anchoring the lights to a large tree and the roof of your house? You can even drape them over a privacy fence to liven up a functional backdrop.
When shopping, check whether the bulbs are removable for replacement and whether they’re incandescent or LED. Opt for outdoor string lights that are durable and safe to be used outside. That means they should be outdoor rated and designed for all weather conditions.
Solar string lights run on energy from the sun, and if you don’t have an outdoor outlet, they may be what you need. The charging panel will need to be in an area that gets a lot of sun.
Both solar and LED lights are cool to the touch, unlike incandescent bulbs, which heat up in seconds. So, there’s less chance of getting burned. Another selling point for LED and solar: You’ll use less energy.
Shade your space
No matter how much you love being outside, when the sun’s scorching, you’ll want to grab your drink and sunnies and head for the AC. Unless you have shade, that is. A shade option will help you get the most out of your patio and yard.
One solution is the natural route. Planting trees and hedges not only cools off your patio but also adds beauty, a relaxing vibe, and privacy. (Some trees can even be in planters.) The downside: It’ll take a while for new plantings to get established so they offer much protection.
A quicker-growing natural choice is vines that can be trained to climb trellises. Experts say vines that work well are morning glories, hops, sweet peas, clematis, and black-eyed Susan.
While you’re waiting for your new plantings to mature — or instead of them — consider a pop-up gazebo. It’s less expensive than the permanent version and can be easily moved where you need it. If you’re looking for shade for entertaining or sun relief in a smaller area, think about adjustable choices like offset umbrellas. They allow you to direct the shade more than the standalone versions do, but they’re more expensive.
Mix and match seating instead of buying a patio set
If your outdoor furniture needs a refresh, buying a patio set isn’t the only way to go. You don’t need a whole set if you have a table and a chair or two that look (almost) new, but others may look a little too — uh, lived in. How about that chair leg your dog, Sophie, used as a chew bone? That one has to go.
Or maybe you don’t have condition problems, but you don’t want a cookie-cutter look.
A great option is to mix and match your patio seating pieces for a more personalized, interesting look, according to designers. The trick is to use a material, colour, or pattern to tie things together.
Patio furniture is usually made of some combination of metal, wood, wicker, or resin. You can mix pieces but still make them look related if they have at least one material in common. For example, if you have a glass table with metal legs, you could add metal chairs. Wood and fabric-covered chairs can complement a wood table.
Colour connects your outside pieces as well as it does your inside furniture. Pick a colour or colours and use them on cushions or in painting the chairs themselves, even though the chairs aren’t identical. (Spray paint works especially well on wicker, but use may be restricted in some areas.) You can carry out the colours or patterns from your patio plants or even find cushions or pillows with a pattern that resembles a wicker pattern you’ve used elsewhere on the patio.
Build a fire pit on a budget
Sometimes the best way to distract from a patio that needs some love is by drawing attention to a feature that does nothing but delight. A mini fire pit can serve as an arresting visual focal point while adding more fun and function to your patio.
Creating your own outdoor s’mores-making oasis doesn’t have to take much time or money. Try DIY blog Young House Love’s super-cheap, pint-sized pit, which requires only heat-resistant pavers (also called fire bricks), which cost about $5 per stone.
Stack two layers of them in a small circle about six bricks in circumference on top of a stone slab, and there you have it: a mini fire pit.
Make sure your patio is constructed with fire-safe materials before attempting this project (sorry, wooden deck lovers) and follow local fire codes.
Time to grab a few marshmallows!
— Houselogic.com