As you may know, we bought a fixer upper last year and have been working hard on renovating our home. The interior is finished now and we’re getting started on the garden. We don’t have the budget to hire someone to fully landscape the space for us, so we’re doing the work ourselves on a budget. There’s a lot to do but we’re hopeful that it will become a beautiful space for us all to enjoy in summer.
Here are some of the ways we’re transforming our outdoor space…
1. New patio area
A new patio area is a great way to spruce up your garden. Whether it’s paving, decking or decorative gravel, it’s bound to make a big difference to your space. We are paving a large area so have opted for budget friendly grey concrete slabs.
2. Demolish old outbuildings
The previous owners left us with an old brick built playhouse, as well as a greenhouse made from breeze blocks and timber. Both had to go but we had no idea where to start. After a little research we bought a jack hammer and got to work. It was much quicker and easier than we expected and we now have a blank canvas to work with. So, if you have old outbuildings in your garden that you have been ignoring for a while, demolish them! It’s far easier than you would think and will make your garden feel much bigger.
3. Install bifold doors
We knew before we even moved into our house that we were going to install bifold doors. We had ours fitted last summer and love how they look. They are a great way to open up your home and make the most of your garden in summer. Value Doors offer aluminum bifold doors in anthracite grey, which is what we have and couldn’t be happier with them. Try their bifold door builder to see how they would fit in your home.
4. Add plants and flowers
A pretty obvious one but something that makes a big difference to a garden. We’re currently researching what plants we should have in our garden, as we have rabbits so need to make sure that nothing is poisonous to them. We’re also not great gardeners so we need to choose plants that are easy to maintain.
5. Decorate
Just like your house, your garden can be decorated with rugs, cushions, mirrors and other accessories. This really helps to make the space feel like an extension of your home. I already have an outdoor rug that will be going down once the garden is finished. I’m also adding garden mirrors to disguise our ugly garage!
6. Invest in new furniture
This is something that we will be doing next year as the wooden furniture that we currently have is starting to look a little tired. Garden furniture is so important when it comes to enjoying your garden, you need a comfortable spot to sit and enjoy the sunshine. It’s definitely worth investing in good quality furniture.
7. Install lighting
Lighting is something that is often overlooked in a garden but it really does make a big difference when you’re enjoying your garden in an evening. Again, making your outdoor space feel like a part of your home.
8. A new shed
We currently have a shed that was left by the previous owners and it is really big, too big for us in fact. It takes up too much of the garden. We are lucky to have a big garage so don’t need a shed for storage but it’s where our rabbits live, so we do need a new one. The new shed will look great painted and look much neater in the garden than the existing one.
9. Fencing
If you can afford to install new fencing I would definitely recommend doing this. Fencing can really make or break the look of a garden so it’s worth putting the money in. You can consider cheap fence panels to complete your garden transformation. We don’t have the budget to replace all of our fencing this year but we are installing a new slatted fence to cover an old hedge. The existing hedge is dying so is unsightly and very gappy, so no good for keeping the bunnies in the garden.
10. A lick of paint
A lick of paint goes a long way in a garden. We have a lot of painting to do but we know it will be worth the effort. We’ve invested in a paint sprayer to make the task a little easier. We have decided to paint our garage exterior, the garage door and window frames, shed and fence panels. I just need to decide on a colour!
Are you planning to transform your garden this year? I would love to know your ideas. Leave me a comment and let me know!
Thank you for reading.
I also need to re-do my outdoor area and somehow it is getting delayed because of budget. Going to follow these ways now. Thanks