They tell you it’s not worth “keeping up with the Joneses” because you’ll live outside your means. But, who’s to tell you not to take pride in your yard? Your yard is one of the best parts of your property so it makes sense you’d enjoy it as much as you do the home’s inside.
There’s a lot of landscaping mistakes you can make if this is your first real experience putting work into it. Yet, there isn’t any real damage you can do since it’ll grow back anyway. That said, knowing some ways to make yard improvements does help — which bring us to the topic of this article…
More of an Indoors-Type? Try These Yard Upgrades
You could spend a fortune upgrading your yard even if you’re an experienced “yard crasher”. Plus, the activity gets tedious and uncomfortable if you’re not exactly an outdoors type of person. Getting your hands dirty is high on your list of things you don’t prefer.
Try one (or all) of these smart upgrades:
Lighting
Lighting completely changes the look, feel, and mood of your yard and home. Harsh, recessed lighting could make the place ominous. Or, soft landscape lighting could make it welcoming.
Numbers on Statista.com has lighting as the #5 item for “most important front yard upgrades”. This boosts curb appeal (making your home value go up). The upgrade also adds a nice touch of privacy.
What you don’t want to do is go overboard with the lighting. Making your yard light up the same as it does during the day will not only annoy neighbors, it makes the space uncomfortable and wreaks havoc on your electric bill. It’s important to accent your home’s features — not overpower it with brightness and colors.
Outdoor Kitchen
An outdoor kitchen could become the center-point for parties and events. This addition isn’t nearly as expensive as you think — that is if you’re willing to stay flexible with the design and features.
Most work requires laying a foundation, building an island, and furnishing the spot. You could swap the deck project in place of the outdoor kitchen. However, it’s important to plan where it’ll go not just today but in 10-years time — will this upgrade be a selling point or a cost sink for the new owners ripping it up?
Add a Theme
A theme could add some much-needed liveliness to your front/backyard.
Thematic items could include:
- Outdoor artwork
- Rock beds vs grass
- Sweeping colors
- Geometric lines
You could theme based on a region such as adding a French-style garden. Or, use a color palette or time period as the basis. There’s really no limit to how you could transform the yard. Doing so could create a seamless transition from outside to a similarly themed inside!
What you don’t want to do with the theming is force a design unfit for your location. Placing tropical features in the middle of the mountains sticks out like a bad thumb. Plants not indigenous to the area will also cost more because of upkeep.
Need to Go Easier and Cheaper? Consider the Following
Let’s use the last bit to quickly cover some easy-peasy upgrades that are dirt cheap:
- Swap the outdoor kitchen for a mini bar
- Add a nice fire pit and bench seating
- Buy and layout yard games for a “fun zone”
- Paint stepping stones to add some visual flair
- Start making pruning a regular activity
- Resurface walkways or blast them with a power washer
- Sprinkle insecticide to get rid of nasty, plant-eating pests
- Add late-blooming plants to give some color before winter
Remember, this is your yard — be proud of it!
The upgrades don’t need to be done over the weekend. Part of the fun is seeing how things come together throughout the years. What you plant and do today will have amazing displays and results down the line.
Over to you… What yard upgrades would you make?
