15 Outdoor Projects For Your Back Yard
I love interior decorating, but I have to admit that lately, my mind wanders towards outdoor projects more than indoor projects. Of course, the reason is because if everything goes as planned, I’ll soon have my very own back yard for the first time in almost eight years. Oh, I dream about that back yard, and I can’t wait to get there and start working on some projects. Here are just a handful of the things I have planned for my own back yard, and I thought I’d share the inspiration with you as well.
Create an outdoor walkway and play pen for your indoor cats
I am absolutely in love with this idea from Cuckoo 4 Designs, and it’s on the top of my list for the new house. We have two indoor cats, and since one of them has no claws, she’s not allowed to roam around outside (since she can’t defend herself if she runs away). But my cats love the warm sun, and I just know they’d enjoy going outside during the spring, summer, and fall. So this seems like the perfect solution.
Build a chicken coop
This is also at the top of my backyard projects list for the house. I shared some pretty amazing chicken coops a few weeks ago, and I found this one from Living and Learning With Luisa just a few days later. I like all of them! It’s going to be hard to decide what design I want to use.
Make a paver stone patio
John and Sherry at Young House Love are serious DIYers, so while this might not be a “beginner” project, they show the necessary steps and tools to make a gorgeous paver stone patio that you’ll enjoy for many years.
Turn an old light globe into a modern birdfeeder
I’ve had this project in my “to do” stash for quite some time now, ever since seeing it on Design Sponge a couple of years ago. I’ve even gathered a few old light globes to make these birdfeeders. Now all I need are my very own trees!
Build a birdbath
There are a thousand different versions of DIY birdbaths, but my favorites tend to be the ones that are more natural-looking and not too fussy, like this brick birdbath from Robin’s Nesting Place.
Make a vertical herb garden out of a shipping pallet
It’s always so nice to have fresh herbs on hand, but if you don’t want your herb garden taking up lots of patio space, consider this unique vertical herb garden made from a shipping pallet from DIY Showoff.
Add no-sew drop cloth curtains to your covered patio
Light and breezy curtains can add some much needed softness to a covered patio. Plus, they just look so pretty, don’t they? These no-sew drop cloth curtains from Scattered Thoughts Of A Crafty Mom make for an easy project for those who don’t know how to sew (or simply don’t want to).
Make some pretty planter boxes
Planter boxes can be so pretty sitting on a patio or deck, and you don’t have to spend a fortune for them. DIY Design Fanatic has instructions for building these pretty little planter boxes for a very reasonable price.
Build an elevated garden bed
This is one of the two elevated garden beds that I built last spring, and we’ve loved having them! They’re perfect for those who live in apartments or condos, and don’t have much outdoor space. They’re also great for people who simply don’t want a large garden, but would like to get their hands in the dirt and plant a few veggies. We haven’t decided if we’re going to have our current ones moved, or if we’re going to leave them here. So it’s possible that I’ll be building new ones in the future.
Paint an outdoor rug
Last summer, I painted a cheap (as in, less than $20) outdoor rug for our courtyard area using leftover latex paint. It’s been out there for almost a year now, through the fall, winter, and spring, and it still looks good! This is a very cheap and easy way to add color to your outdoor seating area.
Make a hanging daybed for your covered patio or porch
Unfortunately there are no instructions included with this hanging daybed idea from HGTV Remodels, but I wanted to include it because I know many of you could certainly figure out how to make it. And I’d love to try my hand at it when I have a back yard of my own.
Give your terra cotta pots a beautiful aged look
There’s just something beautiful about an aged terra cotta pot with the natural patina that age brings to it. But if you don’t happen to have any on hand, you can create your own, and All Things Heart And Home will show you an easy way to do it.
Make hanging outdoor lanterns out of baskets or clay pots
Outdoor lanterns can add such great ambiance to your back yard, whether you’re enjoying a quiet evening with family, or entertaining friends. The Art Of Doing Stuff shows you how to make these beautiful lanterns from items found at the Dollar Store.
Make a pretty container water garden fountain
I actually dream of having a big pond with a waterfall one day, but something tells me that that day is in the very distant future. So in the meantime, I’d love to create a beautiful container water garden fountain like this one from Aquascape (found via Hometalk). There’s just something about the sound of a fountain that’s so relaxing.
Build your own potting bench
If you love getting your hands in the soil outside, then you’ll obviously need a convenient place to work. Potting benches can be quite pricey if you purchase them ready made (and then you generally have to put them together). But Centsational Girl made her own using a tutorial from Better Homes & Garden, making some improvements along the way.
Looking at all of these projects makes me so excited about having a backyard of my own!! And if our plans work out, I’ll have a HUGE backyard, so I’ll have lots of fun projects ahead of me. I can’t wait!!
Do you have any outdoor projects you’re working on or planning for this summer?
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Lots of great ideas! I love the palette herb garden – never saw that before but it would be easy and space saving. My husband and I did a paver patio and once we worked out the pattern, got the sand foundation in, it was pretty easy to finish. We love it 4 years later. Keep collecting ideas and things will fall into place!
I’ll be looking forward seeing to your craftiness when y’all DO manage to get everything settled out for your new house ! Is your new spot zoned for chickens (farm animals) ? Might need to check on that before you dive off into THAT particular project ! lol !
We’ve checked the city ordinances. We’ll be fine. 🙂
Thanks for collecting and sharing all these great ideas! I see a few I just might try.
I’m so excited for you to have the home and yard of your dreams. You
will of course be sharing all your DIY tricks at your new digs for all
of us to enjoy and copy so we benefit too. May the coming seasons bring
you more than you could wish for.
Fun ideas, Kristi. There’s something about Spring that makes a person just want to play in the dirt. How’s the living room coming?
I’ve been stalled on it the last few days while I’ve been packing up stuff and moving stuff into storage.
Kristi, you are such a thoughtful kitty Momma. I can’t wait for you to get you new home.
This is a great roundup of ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Great ideas! Love the rug idea. I have an old sisal rug that I’ve been wanting to paint and keep out on the patio. Thanks for sharing these!
I was just looking these projects over again. Did anyone else notice the cute ladder/birdhouses in the background of the chicken coup photo? I love that idea and may give that one a shot in my own garden!
I completely missed that! How cute is that?! I as too fixated on the adorable chicken cutout on the front of the coop to notice anything beyond it. 🙂
Love all of the ideas and here’s hoping that you get that backyard sooner than later. 🙂 A note about that hanging day bed; you must visit ana-white.com! She offers free plans for all types of items and one of them is a hanging daybed! Love her site! We’ve made several of her items, but my fav is the outdoor sectional and there are different styles for those as well.
Love these ideas! I am working on my outdoor living space right now so I can’t wait to tackle a couple of these! Thanks!
The vertical herb bed is just divine. It’s such a simple idea (and easy to do) but one I’ve never even thought of before. I think I’ll do this one. We live in England, so we don’t get that much sunshine – even in the summer. However, I think the herb bed will survive.
Gee whiz, Kristi, what will you do the 2nd week!!! 🙂 Can’t wait to see your projects in the new house!
hey there, I found this article through Google. Im a Realtor in San Antonio, and so im always looking for nice ways to make the front or back yard more appealing to potential home buyers. These tips are great, the curtains, flower box, the smallest things can make such a big impact, when your trying to sell a home.
Thanks for the tips! Definitely going to implement a couple of these for our properties in Texas!
First – keeping my fingers crossed that your plans work out, Kristi! So exciting!
What a great round up of projects! Makes me want to take the weekend to implement them all! lol! I need that bed and a chicken coop! Thank you so SO much for including our pallet herb garden. It is so handy having fresh herbs right outside the kitchen door. 😉
I am in love with the hanging day bed and the cat walk! We just added a custom patio cover to our yard and it made such a difference! I can’t wait to implement a few of these ideas next. 🙂
I love the pallet garden!
Kristi, I love that you’ve included these outdoor ideas on your design blog! We’ve been looking for a raised bed idea like the planters you built. Going to share this one with hubby! Thank you! (Also love that birdbath from bricks!)
So when you make the elevated planter do you put something down as a base so the water and soil don’t go through the boards and warp them?
We did line it with landscape cloth just to keep the dirt in, but we wanted the water to be able to drain.
I made a hanging day bed out of an old water bed frame, the wood is perfect and the corner pieces on it worked great to keep the bottom slates attached to the side rails, I left the front open and used the headboard of the waterbed as the back , it is amazing
Fab idea and looks great! This is so creative and elegant. I am absolutely in love with your thoughts. Your interior décor is so amazing. Thanks for sharing this.
UNA HERMOSURA TODO LO QUE MUESTRAS, ESPECTACULARES IDEAS!!!!!
PRETENDO SACAR ALGO PARECIDO A TU MACETA COLCANTE PARA FLORES, QUE ME ENCANTO!!!!
DESGRACIADAMENTE VVO EN UN LUGAR MAS DESERTICO, Y CUESTA MUCHO MANTENER LOS JARDINES, CLARO QUE CON DEDICACION, TODO SE LOGRA, MUCHAS GRACIAS POR COMPARTIR ESTAS PRECIOSAS IDEAS!!!!!!!!!! ESTARE ESPERANDO NUEVAS PUBLICACIONES, BYEEE!!!
Such pretty things! I just love the vertical palette herb garden, light glove birdfeeder and old baskets hanging lanterns! These ideas are so easy do to and so inexpensive!!! Every year my husband and I try to do something new in our backyard/garden. These fun projects get to be such fun conversation topics when we have family and friends over. I found another good article with great suggestions: http://www.prohome1.com/blog/unique-and-easy-do-it-yourself-outdoor-project-ideas/#more-1200 You can also try these out…. There’s still time!
Girl i love that you made a blog for yourself to share with the world your a virtual genius! thank you! suscribed!
These are some great ideas on how to update the backyard! Now that it’s warm out I definitely want outs to look good.