5 Backyard Additions For The Spring

With spring around the corner, summer is soon to follow and as we here in Canada know all too well; Summer comes and goes fairly quickly. But as short as it may seem, it is beautiful and one of the favourite things to do for home owners is spending time with family and friends (or even alone) in your backyard or patio. Now although this can be done with something as simple as a lounge chair and your favourite drink on ice, there are undoubtedly some beautiful additions to up the ante and look forward to having people over this summer. Here are some of our favourite, not too expensive backyard additions to consider this year:

A new deck or patio:

Depending who you ask, some people will prefer a wooden deck to spend their summer days on and some will prefer an interlock or stone patio to lounge on. Both essentially serve the same purpose with different pros and cons respectively. But the end result is basically the same: a beautiful area to relax on, eat or entertain in your backyard. Adding both visual appeal and usable surface area to your home, a new deck or patio can range dramatically in cost depending on an array of variables like type of material, size, add-ons, DIY or contracting out and difficulty of work. If you are on a budget, you can get a very nice looking space for a relatively low cost and get all the same benefits as a more expensive project.

A Fire Pit:

Nothing like sitting around the fire on a nice clear night with loved ones, roasting marshmallows, spider-dogs and sharing stories or songs. There is something so incredibly relaxing about watching the glow and crackle of a nice fire. This can make for a fun little DIY project one weekend and again the cost can vary from very cheap to as high as you want it to go. You can opt for a nice interlocked area and stone pit with new muskoka chairs, and a simple iron fire pit and some lawn chairs. You can go for a nice pit to burn wood in or setup for a propane/natural gas burning fire. Build it to your taste and make sure to get lots of usage out of this. Some of the best talks and memories are shared around a fire.

A Garden or Flowerbed

Aside from being a wonderful hobby that can bring piece and serenity into one’s life, a backyard garden can be aesthetically beautiful and add an element of life and colour to your backyard oasis. Picture a nice backyard with a brand new wooden deck extending from the house through the sliding back door, lovely new railings and stairs leading down to the fresh cut grass and then, just more grass? Now imagine that same scene only the grass is then contrasted by a sharp perimeter around a rich and dark soil highlighted by bright and gorgeous colours of green plants, red tomatoes, purple eggplants, pink and yellow flowers and maybe even a nice water feature mixed in. Now we’re talking. The cost to set this up can be relatively low, however having a vegetable garden requires steady work and maintenance. It should be something you love and enjoy and not feel like a chore.

Awning or other accessories:

As beautiful as it is on a nice, bright sunny day, it can be a little annoying when you are trying to eat or read a book and have to squint to save your eyes. Solution? A lovely new awning. Not only are the practical in more ways than one, they also add an element of elegance and a nice look to your yard. They come in a wide variety of colours and sizes and you can choose from manual crank or automatic. If you are building more of a long term oasis in your backyard, we suggest the automatic awnings. They come with wind and rain sensors that automatically retract if the wind gets too heavy, preventing damage to your awning and your home. Not only does an awning give you shade in the backyard, it can also keep the sun off of your home/windows in that area and save you some cooling costs in the summer. You can even program them to your smartphone now, can’t get much easier than that! In addition to awnings, some awning companies also offer screen solutions. So if you have a semi-enclosed area such as a patio underneath a pergola or a second level deck, you can add screens that can be raised and lowered automatically (think garage door style). These can be made to just keep the bugs out and let the sun in or provide shade as well. They can get a little pricey, but a nice touch if you live with a heavy load of mosquitoes or other bugs.

A Shed:

Simple and effective. A shed is used primarily for storage of lawn and other outdoor equipment, patio furniture and garden tools/supplies. You can purchased a pre-fab model or DIY and build your own. Be sure to check your local by-laws and building codes to see if you require any permits and to see the allowed dimensions before you erect a new structure. A shed can save your garage from becoming over crowded with junk and tools, you can use it as a workshop, it makes lawn and garden care easier and is just generally nice to have. Make it look pretty and it can add a nice touch to your yard.

You probably have dozens of other great ideas of backyard additions and this list could go on for pages, we just chose 5 of the most impactful and common items that will spice up your backyard living. We would love to hear your ideas in the comments and if you have your own backyard you are proud of or are currently undergoing renos.