Planning Your Backyard Oasis

Creative Tips for Enhancing Your Backyard Pleasure

The weather has turned cold, and it’s a great opportunity for planning your backyard oasis for this spring. Building or adding to your backyard to make it a place for you and your family to renew, recharge, and relax is a great DIY project.

Some of the smallest changes in your backyard can have tremendous benefits to curb appeal, property values, and your family’s enjoyment of your backyard space.

Add a Pond for Your Backyard Oasis

Adding a pond to your backyard is a great DIY project. Digging out the pond area can be easier in wetter weather. There is planning that goes into installing a pond in your backyard, such as location, near partial sun and power, digging out the pond area for proper depth, installing an underlayment, and a liner.

The creative part starts with adding rocks, features such as a waterfall, wildlife access, and adding plants such as water lilies or rushes for a natural ecosystem look. You will also need a pump and filter for proper water circulation if you intend to stock your pond with fish.

Build a Gazebo

There are so many styles of gazebos to choose from for your backyard. Building a gazebo in your backyard involves planning, keeping to local regulations, and a series of construction steps. You can choose between a prefabricated gazebo kit or develop a custom design of your own liking. Some likely steps you might go through:

• Check Local Building Regulations & Get Permits: Permits are usually required in most areas if a building is going to be over 100 square feet.
• Choose Your Location & Size: Be sure to plan your gazebo with scale in mind. Take a look at your available space and make sure your gazebo will fit comfortably and not overwhelm the space.
• Select Materials: Gazebos can be constructed from a variety of materials like wood, vinyl, aluminum, or composite, with each offering different costs and maintenance needs.

Add Fencing to Your Backyard Oasis

There are so many reasons for adding fencing to your home. Adding fencing to your home provides security, privacy, and boundary definition. Adding fencing to your home can also enhance property values, curb appeal, and create added safety for children and pets by creating a contained, attractive, and protected outdoor space.

Fencing can help block views from other neighbors, deter intruders, keep pets and kids safe from the hazards of busy streets, and fencing can reduce noise and utility costs. You can read about some of our fencing ideas in our previous blog.

Add a Covered Porch

Adding a covered porch to your home or outbuilding can have many benefits. Covered porches can give you a protected area to enjoy the outdoors, the view, entertain, and so much more!

Adding a covered porch does involve some planning, including permits, foundation work, framing, roofing, and finishing. This can be a great DIY project if you have the skillset, or hiring a contractor may be your best solution.

A covered porch requires permits for structural changes, design compatibility with your home or outbuilding, and adherence to local building codes for safety and building practices.

Renew Your Landscaping

Renewing your landscaping by updating the physical look of your yard can make a sizable difference in curb appeal and home value. Second to repainting your home, updating your landscaping can give your yard and home a beautiful new look!

This is a simple DIY project that’s fun and creative. Updating your yard with new plants, lighting, or hardscape can make a huge difference in how your home looks. Adding flowering plants that bloom in different seasons can give your yard a boost. Adding different shapes and sizes to your backyard and front yard landscape can make your yard more eye-appealing.

Build a Treehouse

Treehouses have so many benefits for children and families. We have written a number of blogs on treehouses, so take a look. Treehouses range from simple platforms to elaborate structures that can see your children well into their teen years and beyond. Treehouses built for longevity can be a guest house in your trees after your children have left home.

Treehouses help foster creativity, problem-solving, and physical activity for kids. A treehouse gives children their own space for stress reduction and nature connection. Treehouses encourage outdoor play instead of hours spent on games on a tablet or desktop, and it gives kids an imaginative space away from other distractions.

Build an Outdoor Climbing Wall

Building a climbing wall can be a fun and creative DIY project that can involve the whole family. One of the most important factors to measure for your children’s hand reach span and leg reach span for the proper positioning of the climbing mounts.

In building an outdoor climbing wall, you will need to construct a wooden frame with 2x4s, cover it with high-grade exterior plywood sheeting, and attach stainless steel T-nuts to the back of the frame. Figure out the size and width of your climbing wall, and buy supplies. and then construct your frame, attach the plywood to the frame, drill holes for the T-nuts in back, and then attach climbing holds onto the T-nuts in front. When you are done, for longevity’s sake, it’s best to paint or use deck stain on your climbing wall, and allow for ventilation points along the wall to prevent moisture buildup.

Install a Porch Swing

Installing a porch swing is a couple-of-hour DIY project unless you want to build your own porch swing. Building your own porch swing has its benefits. You have a design that is uniquely yours, and it fits the space perfectly that you have chosen.

To install a porch swing, first locate and drill into sturdy ceiling joists, then install heavy-duty eye bolts or hangers that can take the average weight of two people plus the weight of the swing. Next, attach chains or ropes to the swing’s mounting points, connecting them to the ceiling hardware, then adjust the length so the seat is 17-19 inches off the deck floor, allowing for ample clearance and a comfortable swing radius.

Enjoy your wintertime DIY project planning and take a look at Shed Windows and More products to help you finish your DIY projects.