So, you and your hubby have already found and bought your dream house (congratulations!). It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious kitchen, dining and living areas, a two-car garage, and a big but well-maintained backyard. Everything is perfect for you—except for that backyard. You feel that there should be more than grass in that open space to make it more functional.
There’s no need to worry if you feel this way. Big outdoor space at home is at a premium these days, so you’re only right to feel that there should be more to your backyard. If you’re thinking of making some changes in your backyard, here are some helpful tips for making this outdoor space more functional.
Start a garden
When making some changes in a backyard, starting a garden is the first thing that usually comes to mind. And why not? Besides being environmentally friendly, gardens make outdoor space more attractive and inviting. And the great thing about gardens is that there are many types you can choose from. For example, you can have a flower garden and make your outdoor space look more colorful and cheerful.
If the sight and sound of flowing water soothe you, then a water garden is perfect for your home. Better yet, you can start a vegetable, fruit, and herb garden, so you’ll be 100% sure that the food you put on the table will be fresh and chemical-free. Or maybe have a butterfly garden to attract butterflies to your backyard. Just be sure to run the idea of having a lot of butterflies flitting around your backyard by your hubby first!
Build an outdoor living area
Another good way to make your backyard more useful is by transforming a portion of the open space into an outdoor living area. This way, you’ll have another place to entertain family and friends aside from your living room. This will be especially practical on those days when it will get too hot inside the house. And when you and your hubby have kids, the outdoor living area will be a great place to have some bonding time.
Start the transformation by having a patio built in your backyard. Make it big enough to hold outdoor furniture like chairs, a rocker or two, and a table. You can also add a ceiling fan to make the area cooler and breezier (set the rotation to anticlockwise). When building a patio in your backyard, retain some green space, so everyone can still enjoy the open air.
Construct an outdoor kitchen
Aside from an outdoor living area, you can also have an outdoor kitchen in your backyard to make it more functional. This is the better choice if you and your hubby are more into food than simple relaxation when you’re outdoors. If you incorporate a small dining area, your outdoor kitchen can likewise be a great place to entertain family and friends.
So apart from your grill station (or even a cooker, for that matter), sink, and worktop, have an island with stools or an outdoor dining set, so you can also all enjoy eating outdoors after grilling some food. With an outdoor kitchen and dining area, you’ll never have to worry about how you’re going to entertain your guests because a barbecue will always be an option.
Have a play area
If the first three suggestions don’t work for you and your hubby, then maybe your backyard needs to be a place where you can have more fun and livelier activities. And what better way to achieve this than by making your backyard a play area? For one, if you already have a patio, instead of turning it into an outdoor living area, convert it into a game area, with a dartboard, Ping-Pong table, Foosball table, or even a snooker table.
Or maybe you want to engage in more strenuous activities. Then, go put up a basketball hoop, a field hockey goal, or a football goal. You can even have a lap pool installed in your backyard! What’s good about these strenuous activities is that they’ll not only let you have fun but also help you stay fit and active at home.
Don’t Let Your Backyard Go to Waste
Not everyone gets to enjoy having some big outdoor space like a backyard at home. So if you’ve got one, don’t let it go to waste by just having grass there. Turn your backyard into something more functional. And you can do this by starting a garden, building an outdoor living area or kitchen, or having a play area in your backyard.
