Earlier this year, we shared some spring home improvement tips to take care of your beautiful home after the winter weather. If you worked hard to prep your house and yard for spring, now it’s time to enjoy it!
Summer is a great time for outdoor living here in the Carolinas, and naturally, you want that space to be as inviting as possible. But chances are, you don’t want to spend a fortune on backyard improvements. So here at True Homes, we did some cruising around the Web to find some low-cost home improvement projects to spiff up your patio and backyard living areas. Here are eight tips, tricks, and ideas on how to make your backyard a summertime oasis without breaking the bank!
- Pick up some pavers. Whether it’s an entire patio or just some stepping stones to connect your outdoor living spaces, pavers are an
affordable material for adding style to your backyard. Check out this tutorial for adding your personal style to pavers! If you’d like something that looks a little more natural or rustic, check out patio stones and flagstones. - Set the mood with lighting. It’s the simplest thing, but there’s just something magical about a string of lights hanging over a patio. If you don’t have a way to do that, try adding lights to a patio umbrella. Here’s a tutorial on how to wrap lights around tree trunks and columns. Check out this blog post for some unique outdoor lighting ideas! If you like the tin can lanterns, here’s a tutorial for making them yourself. Or, make patriotic luminaries for July 4th!
- Create a get-away. Most of the time when people talk about an outdoor room, they’re referring to an outdoor space — and that’s fine. But you can also have an actual room without spending a fortune. It’s like having your own beach cabana in the backyard. You can get one at any home improvement store and personalize it to your heart’s content. You can define the space with some patio stones and an area rug, add some outdoor curtains for additional shade and privacy, outfit it with some simple furniture, dress it up with some plants, pipe in some tunes with a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, add a cooler or a cute beverage cart — it’s totally your call!
- Make some hang time. Is there anything more relaxing on a summer day than lying in a hammock? Whether it’s tied betwe
en two trees or on a sturdy stand, a hammock adds an inviting spot for mastering the fine art of chillin’ out. Want something with a little more structure? Check out this super-easy and comfy outdoor sofa that you can make yourself. Can’t you just see yourself taking a summer siesta here?
5. Bring on the bubbly. Lest you think we’re speaking of fizzy beverages, we’re talking about water features. There’s something so calming about listening to water splashing in a fountain, and it makes a great
focal point for a backyard. Column fountains are becoming popular because they’re easy to install and maintain. Plus, they’re safer for children to be around because there’s no standing water.
6. Add interesting planters. Plants truly are a way to make a backyard an oasis. But there’s no rule that plants have to live in boring containers. You can make planters and hanging baskets from almost anything. Check out this oh-so fun planter made from an old bicycle.
7. Invite feathered friends to join you. A backyard bird feeder can bring hours of quiet enjoyment, and you can make your own from any number of items you have around the house! To get the ideas flowing, check out this blog post on 20 unique birdfeeders you can make.
8. Sing around the campfire. There was a time when the choices for a backyard fire were pretty limited. You could make a campfire or you could spend thousands of dollars having someone build a stone fire pit for you. Today, there are thousands of 
choices for fire pits at all price points and styles. Wood, charcoal, gas, gel, lava rocks, tabletop, coffee tables — whatever you can imagine, you can get. And a fire pit will be even more enjoyable come fall.
So there you have it — eight home improvement projects for spiffing up your backyard. Some involve some sweat and elbow grease and others just involve a few clicks online to get a package on its way to your home! And we’re willing to bet that reading through these ideas have given you a lot more of your own. Have a great time this summer enjoying your backyard!