6 Easy Backyard Makeover Projects to Inspire a Budget-Friendly Outdoor Transformation

Carley and Eric Storm love spending time outdoors with their son, George. So it only makes sense that they’d want to make their own backyard oasis. To make that happen, the couple removed an ugly pool with a determination to have more greenery. “We saw the potential, and we broke it down to smaller projects: remove pool, grow grass, start landscaping, redo and expand the deck,” Carley Storm, a branding expert, photographer and video producer, tells Woman’s Day. “I just kept adding plants — I have local garden centers that I buy most of my plants from and my pots are from Home Depot and Home Goods.”

“Greenery and flowers are what make a beautiful yard,” Storm says. “Just keep layering them.” The duo recently added a door, stairs and two windows to the back of their house for better access. “It made us feel like the yard was a part of our lives,” she adds. While they did hire pros (Cleanscape Construction, a New York and New Jersey-based contractor) for the build, Carley designed the landscaping and layouts.

Jenna Sue of Jenna Sue Design Co. transformed her backyard space over the course of one-and-a-half years with no prior landscaping experience but plenty of determination to DIY on a budget. “The space was a non-functional, pieced-together mess before, but we turned it into a tropical oasis with designated zones for dining, lounging, and relaxing by the fire,” she tells Woman’s Day. The work included taking down old concrete, building a fire pit, removing old tile, stenciling the patio floor, installing string light planters, re-landscaping, mulching, working on irrigation, adding new shutters, painting, and furnishing.

“Make sure there’s proper irrigation in place to keep your landscaping alive, and really consider how you want to use the space in the years to come,” Sue tells future DIY-ers. “Backyard renovations are much more involved (and usually more permanent) than interior renovations, so it pays to plan ahead.”

Suggested Products: Adirondack chairs ($87, Lowes); fire pit ($219, Lowes); string lights ($40, Lowes)

Bonnie McGuire, of BohoBonnie.com, created the ultimate outdoor living room in her backyard. “We knew we’d be spending a lot of time in the backyard this summer so it was important for us to create a backyard that felt like a home away from home,” she tells Woman’s Day. “We built this DIY gazebo with custom fire pit and we’ve really enjoyed our evenings making s'mores under the stars.”

McGuire believes the backyard is a great place to invest money and hard work. “If you’re looking to complete your backyard makeover on a budget, utilize options like Facebook Marketplace and the Habitat for Humanity Restore to find the materials and outdoor furniture,” she says. “Making over gently used items is a great way to save money and add your personal touch.”

Husband-and-wife team Adrian Mailloux and Shelby Hallman Mailloux of Earth and Sole based in Toronto were the masterminds behind this wood oasis. The complete backyard makeover consisted of a new pergola, low-profile deck, flagstone patio, new fencing, gardens with columnar beech trees, porch redo, barbecue deck, pea gravel, and flagstone walkway and gate.

As a pro team, their main advice for those looking to do a total revamp of a backyard is to plan ahead. “There is a shortage of materials due to Covid-19 and contractors are booked up due to an increase in interest in landscaping because people are staying home and not traveling,” they tell Woman’s Day. So keep that in mind when booking and planning.

Nicole Bowman of Bowhouse Design Co. felt like she was limited in options as a renter on a tight budget. “I wanted to figure out a way that I could turn this once very awkward space into a little oasis of my own,” she tells Woman’s Day “Instead of hiding the pavers with a rug I decided to make them a focal feature and transformed them to imitate cement tile. I was going for a very laid back California vibe so I kept my eye out for items that gave me that feeling.”

Bowman used a stencil and paint to add the accent flooring to this backyard revamp, in addition to lovely ceramic pots.

If you’re thinking of doing something similar, Bowman says to just go for it. “No one feels super confident when trying something new, but you just learn as you go,” she tells Woman’s Day. “This is the perfect beginner DIY because at the end of the day it’s just paint, if it doesn’t come out the way you hoped it would you can paint over it and try again.”

Suggested Products: “Star Quilt” tile stencil ($20 for 12" x 12" tile, Royal Design Studio Stencils); Acapulco weave chairs ($173, Overstock)

Hayley McDonald’s backyard wall would get filthy from her sons hitting, kicking, and throwing balls against it, so she came up with an idea to make it art. So she created the multi-colored geometric painted wall in one weekend.

“First, I marked up the wall with builders chalk line and then used painters tape to mark up the lines. Then, one color at a time, I used a roller to paint the wall. It took two coats of each color to get right coverage as the wall was made of rough render,” she tells Woman’s Day. She doesn’t want other DIYers to be afraid of bold colors. “Paint is the easiest and cheapest way to transform a space and if you don't like what you've done, you can always paint over it,” she says.

_________________________________________________________

Subscribe to Woman's Day today and get 73% off your first 12 issues. And while you’re at it, sign up for our FREE newsletter for even more of the Woman's Day content you want.