A backyard transformation could be in order if you’re tired of the way it looks and feels. If a blah backyard patio has got you down but you don’t have a ton of cash on hand to add curb appeal, don’t fret. There are all kinds of ways to enhance the natural appeal of your outdoor space without breaking the bank in the process. You might not be able to install the water slide your kids are begging for or the outdoor furniture  you saw in the Pottery Barn catalogue, but you can always hit up garage sales for furnishing and décor items (that can easily be fixed up with some spray paint and new cushions). And in terms of making the overall space more appealing, here are a few budget-friendly tips to try.

Budget-Friendly Ways to a Backyard Transformation

Colored concrete for your Backyard Transformation

If a fancy mosaic of pavers isn’t in the cards due to the cost of materials and labor, then consider colored concrete as a viable option. Whether you want to spice up your current patio by having a pro come out and stain it for you or you’d like to create a unique pressed mosaic by laying your own concrete slab, embossing it with a mold while wet, and then hand-staining it yourself, this is a less expensive way to get the custom look you crave and add some visual interest to an otherwise bland backyard.

Backyard Sanctuary ideas – Create islands.

Planting is a great way to add color and variety to your yard, but limiting yourself to beds and garden planters around the perimeter of your house and fence line can be a bit passé. Instead, draw a scale model of your yard and experiment with the placement of islands. Once you’ve found a configuration you like, tear out the sod, add a mound of dirt, tamp it down, and then plant. You can add trees, shrubbery, and a variety of flowering plants that will bloom in different seasons. And all you have to do is add cypress wood mulch or wood chips for a finishing touch that will keep the plants in place and help the soil to hold moisture until the ground cover fills in.

Patio arbors and pergolas.

Building a covered deck or installing a motorized awning simply might not be in your budget. But if you want some less expensive cover that will also add beauty to your yard, a pergola or arbor may be an ideal solution. They’re not terribly difficult to build (although you can find some low-cost prefab options) and you can train a variety of vines to grow up and over the slats in order to create a leafy, shade-giving roof in the summer.

Improve your landscaping and lawn areas:

Brown, patchy lawns are uninviting and off-putting. Weeds create a miniature backyard jungle harboring unwanted pests and rodents. Nobody likes a dead lawn or one that is infested with crabgrass. Basic, fundamental lawn care practices can help bring life back to your backyard without breaking the bank on expensive fertilizer programs. For example, is the right type of grass planted in your backyard? The backyard is usually where all of the gathering takes place and definitely where the family dog spends most of his or her time. So, homeowners are going to want to have a traffic resistant grass type in their backyard. For example, homeowners in a place like Birmingham, Alabama are most likely going to want to have Bermuda grass because it’s fast repairing, handles traffic well, and requires less maintenance than most grasses. To save money you can use seed instead of uprooting the entire lawn and replace it with sod. Because Bermuda grass (though a beautiful lawn choice) is also one of the world’s most pesky weeds it can easily overtake a lawn by spreading enough seed. Of course, other things come into play like mowing once a week and watering deeply and infrequently. However, switching your type of grass can be easy to way to boost your backyard aesthetic.

Hanging Lanterns and Outdoor Lighting

Installing lighting fixtures and outdoor lighting. throughout your outdoor space can be incredibly pricy, but luckily there are less expensive ways to implement the illumination needed to keep your afternoon soirees going late into the evening. You can purchase colorful paper lanterns at import markets or even dollar stores, in some cases. And hanging them is a cinch. You can either place poles strategically throughout the yard and run light strings between them (hang the lanterns on after) or you might dangle individual bulbs from tree branches. You could even hang lights from the edges of your pergola! From there it’s easy enough to hide the main power cable under the turf as it runs back to the outlet on the side of your house.

We love these outdoor lighted planters for your backyard.

DIY water features for your Backyard Transformation

Adding custom logo water features to your yard won’t help you to save money, but you can still get the serenity of a garden water feature by implementing your own aquatic installation. There are all kinds of tutorials online that will help you to create a water wall, koi pond, or drip system, just for example, and many require just a few basic items from the hardware store and a little creativity on your part when it comes to adding a touch of beauty.

For more outdoor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.