When you love your backyard, you get to soak up every morsel of summer. And when your backyard is functional, it opens up seamless transitions of inside and outside, giving you more living space. It’s like getting extra square footage! There are a few simple projects that you can accomplish this summer to help you love your backyard.

Covered Areas

It feels like more than half of the year is taken up with winter, so when the warmer months hit, we want to spend as much time as possible outdoors. But when it’s raining or drizzling, we’re forced to take shelter inside. Or, are we?

By creating covered areas outside, you can continue enjoying your backyard and the beauty of the outdoors, while staying comfortable and dry. Having a shaded area is also a great idea if you happen to be the kind of person who forgets to slather yourself in sunscreen periodically throughout the day.

This year, you can connect with a renovator or handyman and ask about building a covered deck, pergola, or gazebo in the backyard so that you can continue to enjoy outside, whether the sun is pounding down on you or it’s raining cats and dogs.

Landscaping

If your lawn grows more weeds than grass, then you can’t enjoy running around on lush grass barefoot in the summertime. Those prickly weeds are NOT fun to step on. And if your garden is overgrown or unsightly, it can be hard to just sit back and relax, when you think about all of the work that it’s going to take you to deal with the mess.

When your lawn is lush and your landscaping is aesthetically pleasing, you’ll ENJOY being outside at home. Instead of being a burden, your backyard and front yard will become an oasis that is calling you to just relax.

This year, get a professional to help you deal with your landscaping! You’ll find yourself making up every excuse in the book to get outside and enjoy your backyard.

Furniture

One of the best ways to extend your living to the outdoors is by getting patio furniture that actually fits your lifestyle.

Comfortable, good-quality outdoor furniture will invite you to stay and relax. Create a conversation corner, with comfortable chairs and coffee tables. Or for the outdoor bookworm, maybe a hammock or outdoor chaise is the way to go. How about a couch for the family? Or a really good outdoor dining set?

By upgrading your outdoor furniture to fit your lifestyle, you’ll find yourself transitioning seamlessly between the indoors and out all summer long.

Patios or Decks

Having a deck or patio will give you more outdoor enjoyment. It provides you with a level area that is an extension of your indoor living area. By adding or extending a deck or patio, you can give yourself more space to enjoy. Maybe you want to have an outdoor dining area AND an outdoor lounge area. By adding on or extending a deck or patio, you give yourself the option to have your backyard fit in better with your life and interests.

Through the pandemic, we learned the benefits of backyard visits, and spacious patios and decks became our go-to gathering spaces. Having a spacious patio gives you opportunities to entertain outdoors.

On top of all of that, a deck will improve the value of your home and is a good return on investment!

This year, hire a professional to build you the deck of your dreams.

Outdoor Cooking Stations

When it’s hot outside, no one wants to be heating up the house by turning on the oven or cooking on the stove. A beautiful outside cooking station allows you to soak up the sun while avoiding racking up your cooling bills while you offset the heat of an oven.

While a bbq and prep table can help you whip up delicious summertime meals, what about adding a pizza oven or a flattop or even an outdoor washing station? A local renovator can help you create the outdoor kitchen of your dreams!

Fire and Warmth

There is nothing better on a summer evening than sitting around a fire talking and roasting marshmallows. It’s the quintessential summer experience that many only get to enjoy on a camping or cottage trip. By adding a fire table or fire pit in your backyard, you’re able to fill your nights indulging in s’mores or talking late into the night while staring into the hypnotic flames.

The other benefit to fire tables is that it allows you to still enjoy your backyard on cooler days and nights. You can also extend your enjoyment of your backyard by adding backyard heaters.

Privacy

If you haven’t built a privacy fence for your backyard yet, hiring a local professional to build one for you this summer will change how you enjoy your backyard. A privacy fence makes all the difference. If your neighbours have balcony decks, you can even create privacy walls to give you areas that feel completely just yours.

Lighting

If there is something that can transform your backyard into an escape it would be the lighting. Lighting can make all of the difference in helping you enjoy your outdoor space all through the summer evenings. You can do garden solar lights, twinkle lights, string lights, or LED fence lights.

Final Thoughts

If the idea of DIYing these outdoor projects sounds overwhelming and stressful, then give yourself a break and hire a local professional! On Locorum you can find verified local professionals and check out their reviews from other locals in your community for all of your home projects. Oh, and did I mention that you’ll be rewarded for hiring a local professional to complete the project? As you browse the services, you’ll find the dollar reward amounts that you’ll receive by hiring them. Once the service is complete, your rewards will be automatically loaded onto a physical Mastercard that you can use anywhere online or in-store! You can learn more about it here.