Do you live in a home with a backyard? If so, consider yourself blessed! Backyards are fantastic for anyone who can put them to good use. Whether you’re single and want your backyard to be a place where you can relax and have friends over, or you’re married with children and you want to create a place for your kids to play, there are many excellent options for making your backyard truly your own.
Backyard Size
Naturally, the size of your backyard is going to have a huge impact on what you can put there! So, keep it in mind as you go over these ideas. A very small backyard might be perfect for a few chairs and a grill. In a huge backyard, you might have a pool, playground, gazebo, and more.
However, in a small to medium sized yard, you may be able to fit more than you expect, depending on the size of the various accessories.
Outdoor Dining
Want to throw parties for your friends outside? Here are some things you might want to get.
Gazebo
Gazebos are great for when you want to relax outdoors in the shade, or even hang out in your backyard on a rainy day. Prices vary greatly, but you can expect to pay between about $500 and $2,500. Shop around, because gazebos can differ quite a bit. For example, this
this model actually has a feature that softens the patter of heavy rain
Outdoor Grill
Everyone loves a good barbecue or grilled meal, and when cooking outside, you can still enjoy the company of your guests. An outdoor grill, like this
six burner gas grill, gives an air of professionalism and has all you need to cook outdoors.
Pizza Ovens
Who doesn’t love pizza? The best pizza comes not from an ordinary stove, but from a pizza oven.
Of course, pizza ovens can be expensive (you’ll likely pay between $1,700 and $7,670), but if you can afford one, and you enjoy cooking pizza for yourself, your family, and friends, it can be worthwhile.
Furniture
Whether you get a gazebo or not, you’ll need some outdoor furniture. Prices here can also vary greatly, from about $700 for this
4-Piece Wicker set with chairs and a table, to this $2,450
9-Piece Bronze Aluminum set with a full table and eight chairs.
Again, shop around. Thrift stores, like Goodwill or Salvation Army, are a great place to look for outdoor furniture options.
Playground
When I was a kid, we rented a house with a big back yard, and with the landlord’s permission, my dad built us an amazing playground with a swing set, balance beam, and three-level fort. Now, my dad knew his stuff when it came to construction. He worked for a telephone company and acquired old, but still strong, telephone poles and used those as a base for everything.
You may not have those resources, but today, there are all sorts of amazing outdoor playground options.
Backyard Discovery has small forts, swing sets, and more. The site even has a web app called
Swing Set 3D Configurator that allows you to design a playground before you buy.
Another site with some amazing options, including safer trampolines, is
Total Playgrounds. They have plenty of budget friendly options for climbing equipment, swing sets, and slides.
Swimming Pool
Wouldn’t it be nice to cool off in your own swimming pool?
At the top of the article, I mentioned that even if you have a smallish to medium sized yard, some things you might dismiss aren’t actually out of the question. This is certainly the case when it comes to swimming pools, as there are a surprising amount of small options for those who don’t have a lot of space.
Decoist has some gorgeous examples of yards with small pools, perfect for relaxing in.
Of course, if you have an especially large yard and love swimming, you may be able to afford a large pool. Check out these fantastic photos from
Home Stratosphere for what you might want to do if you own your dream home.
Please keep in mind that swimming pools pose a safety hazard to children. So, if you have kids, make sure of two things: that they learn how to swim, and that they can’t get to the pool without you. The first will keep them safer if they do, somehow, make it to the pool alone. Children with autism are especially attracted to water and prone to drowning if they don’t know how to swim.
With these suggestions, you probably have tons of ideas of what you’d like to do with your backyard now. If you’d like to share with us, feel free to post a comment!
