Be a tremendous backyard DIY'er in 8 easy steps Working with your hands can be intensely satisfying. Most hardcore DIYers love to rework their backyard as it acts as a showcase of their skills. However, renovating your backyard is not a small job. It requires planning, design, plumbing, gardening, and so on. If you are an avid DIYer, you already know this but take a good look around your backyard. You might have started the project but do you see something wrong?  Do you see several projects left in different stages of completion? Are you finding that you lose interest in your DIY projects midway? Doing maintenance or DIY projects on your backyard can be a prudent way to save money. However, to be an effective backyard DIYer, you have to be smart and resourceful or you will end up wasting your time and possibly have an eyesore to look at until you fix the unfinished idea. Here is what you can do to be an effective backyard DIYer Step #1 – Evaluate Your Space Before you even move a stone in your backyard, you have to assess the amount of space available for different uses. For example, your child may want a part of the backyard as a play area, while your spouse may want his barbeque and outdoor workout spot, and you may be yearning for a small lounge and fire pit to relax with friends and family. As a result, start your backyard remodelling by measuring the space available for this endeavor.
DIY backyard project plan
couple planning backyard project
Step # 2 – Know Your Parameters It’s easy to lose yourself in details and dreams but local rules will definitely limit your dreams. For example, if you live in a community, you may have to follow home-owner association rules and regulations. Zoning and building codes may also be applicable on your backyard. All these parameters seriously limit any type of backyard remodelling. Make sure you have planned for everything you want in your project and stick to these parameters. Step #3 – Budget Over the last five years, statistics have shown that US home-owners spent more than $10,419 on their backyard renovation projects. Spending varies according to the type and expansion of the project. As a DIYer, you will be saving most of your labor costs but you will have to pay for materials. In that case, you have to plan your project, estimate what materials you require and budget accordingly. Step #4 – Design Once you know what your family members want in the backyard, you can plan accordingly. Try the architectural style of your home to the outdoor area as well. Using too many design accents will just extend the timeline of the project. As a result, stick to the basics like a fire pit in one area, a seating area, a small play area for your child and an outdoor gazebo. If you require more features, you can easily add them later on. Step #5 – Plan Your Project and Start Working Once the backyard design is ready, it’s time to plan and execute your project. Create timelines and stick to them to ensure that you complete on time. In case you fall behind, evaluate your timeline and reassess accordingly. Before starting subsequent parts of your project, make sure you stock up on the raw materials and then start working. Try to give at least three to five hours daily to your project to ensure that the renovation is completed on time. Step #6 – Landscaping The aim of designing your own backyard is to create a relatively fuss-free garden space. Invest in attractive but hardy plants and shrubs to prevent problems and pests. Don’t forget to bring in planters, pots, creepers, and flowers to make nooks and crannies seem interesting. Step #7 – Call in Professionals Not everyone is an all-rounder. Assess your own skills and call in a professional to deal with areas that you cannot manage. You can call in a professional at any time during the DIY process and pay them a consulting fee. For example, call in a landscape designer, a gardener, a plumber, an electrician, a carpenter, or other professionals as needed for a consultation or to work on parts of your DIY project. Step #8 – Choose the Furniture Your backyard is ready. The landscaping is in place and you are ready to enjoy what you have created. It’s time to add tables, chairs, lighting, and any other accessories such as a pergola that you want to finally make your backyard ready for use. Well, now that you know how to start and what to do, what are you waiting for? Make sure you stick to your budget and plan your backyard remodelling details as much as possible. If you do so, you will complete your backyard renovation in time and within budget. With rigorous planning and hard work, you could be relaxing in a gorgeous, green backyard by next summer.
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DIY Backyard Project Redefining and making your backyard look exotic yourself is a marvellous way to add a personal touch to any space. Whether it’s a chic, fantastic, or sparkling outdoor area you want to entertain guests in, or a rustic haven you would like to retreat to when you want to get away from it all, a DIY backyard project is beneficial for a variety of reasons. 1. It is more affordable than a professional project A professional landscaper comes at a premium, so be ready to cut a large dent into your checking account for your professional landscaping needs. On the other hand, a DIY backyard project is far more affordable in comparison. You can make use of materials you have laying around the house, so the cost of outsourcing materials is reduced. Since you will be doing the job yourself, the cost of labor will also be non-existent. What is wrong with a little exercise either!? You can always DVR that baseball or basketball game as well and watch it to cap off a constructive and magnificent day. 2. You can put your creativity to good use If you have been craving to find a creative outlet for yourself, but haven’t found an appropriate enough project to put it in, why not infuse it in a backyard DIY project? A DIY project is a fabulous opportunity to let your creativity shine through. You can improvise on design, the materials you use and many more, to make your DIY backyard project your own. 3. You can reflect your own tastes in your backyard Your DIY backyard project is a sterling place to personify your personality and taste for anyone to see, certainly yourself! Are you a person who loves the rustic charm of the great outdoors? Or maybe you are someone who adores the stylish, minimalistic, and classic style. Whatever your tastes might be, you can have them reflected in how you do up your backyard. With large planters and the addition of giant allium flowers, you can add that much-needed rustic touch. For a classic look, you can add a crisscross of trellis adorned with fairy lights. 4. You have a space that is unique A backyard project that you do yourself is something that is unique and not run-of-the-mill. A professional landscapist, while adept at creating backyard projects, possibly has a one style that he is most proficient at and probably recreates that across the different projects that he undertakes. If you do your backyard project yourself, you can be sure that no one else has a space like you have. Your unique project will be yours alone and representative of your own personal style. It will be a conversation piece for everyone who visits. 5. It is something to do with the whole family A do-it-yourself backyard project is a fantastic way to include every single member of the family, regardless of age. It is a significant and marvelous time for family bonding, with kids helping out as much as adults. On the weekends, or after school, have your children help out with the weeding, or the clearing up of the yard. Make sure to give the little ones light tasks to undertake and keep the risky ones for yourself. As a treat, why not promise to build them a tree-house which they can call their own. But that is another chapter entirely! They have their wiffle ball bats and balls and bicycles to keep them plenty occupied. 6. It is a fantastic conversation starter If you plan to entertain guests in your backyard, imagine the awesome conversation starter it can be if you can tell them that all this work and creative energy expunged originated from you. A do-it-yourself backyard project is an interesting thing to talk about, and even slightly boast about if you want to go down that route! Do not be ostentatious though, everyone you invite over will probably have accomplished some outstanding task(s) in their life as well. Your guests will be interested to know how you went about getting your project done, about the materials that you used in creative and imaginative ways, any movie or TV themes you may have employed, and how your family contributed as well. 7. It is a great way to relax Just like how some people say gardening is an astounding way to relax, so is working on a DIY project. Taking the time out to just focus on the task at hand, and forgetting about all your other stresses can be a wonderful way to spend some time. You can concentrate just on your DIY backyard project and watch it take shape after a few weekends of work. This will offer you a healthy retreat and get you ready for your job come Monday morning. 8. It is something to be proud of Your DIY backyard project is something that you have done all by yourself, with a little help from your family of course. Right from the idea and the sourcing of the material to the actual execution – it is all you. This is something to hold your head high above. It is quite an accomplishment and something to be proud of, to do your own backyard project, which will increase the value of your home and last for many years. That is why, instead of choosing a team of professional landscape artists to take care of your landscaping and backyard needs, choose to do your backyard project yourself and wait for the compliments to pour in.
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