Here’s a Home Improvement Project to tackle this Labor Day Weekend: Create a Backyard Haven

Labor Day weekend is a great time to tackle all the projects you’ve been putting off in the name of summer fun. With fall rapidly approaching, now is the time to buckle down and check all your home improvement plans off the to-do list before the cold weather hits.

Don’t know where to start?  Well, do you find yourself wishing you spent more time in your beautiful backyard, if only it were a little more inviting? If so, a great extended weekend project is to take some time to Create A Backyard Haven for yourself – an area where you and guests can chill out among nature.

First things first: update your old outdoor furniture. Backyard décor isn’t what you remember from your childhood, and no longer do you have to sacrifice style and comfort for function. You can easily find beautiful and cozy recliners and sofas and even daybeds that are made to be kept outdoors.

If one of your biggest obstacles to hanging out outdoors is lack of a sturdy foundation underfoot, lay down a pathway of pavers or stepping stones so that people can get around without having to navigate wet grass or dirt.

If you live to grill, how about creating a dining area or even consider building an outdoor kitchen? And, if you don’t have many trees and your yard gets a lot of sun, add in some artificial shade for your space. A big patio umbrella placed near your seating should do the trick.

Also think about adding a pergola or some other sort of garden feature to help give your space structure. Pergolas are wooden structures often used to create an open, shaded area in a garden. Place one over your dining or seating area and decorate the pillars and beams with vines to create a peaceful, garden-escape vibe.

Make sure there’s plenty of lighting, whether it be wired or solar powered. If you go with the pergola, string lights on the beams will add a warm, glowing ambiance at night.

If your backyard is more open and you’re looking to add some privacy to your oasis, putting up a lattice wall around one or multiple sides of the area can be a classy way to achieve this. You can also plant a few more trees or some big flowering bushes to help obscure the view while adding to the back-to-nature vibe.

—
Photo Credit: Klem Mitch / Shutterstock.com