Tips for the Best DIY Small Backyard Makeovers
No matter how big or small your backyard is, there are ways to make it a beautiful oasis for your family to enjoy. If your backyard is small, you can have a compact, cozy space full of greenery and light. And while you can bring in professionals to do the work, you can also do a lot of it yourself. If you want the best DIY small backyard makeovers, here are some things to think about as you plan.
Protect Yourself and Your Home
As with any construction project, you need to make sure you’re doing the work safely and legally. Before you do anything, make sure that you know what you’re doing. Find out what kinds of permits you might need and how to go get them. You’ll also need to talk to your insurance company to make sure that your plans are covered under your policy. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a situation where your home insurance does not cover your needs. Once you’ve gotten any permits and discussed the situation with your insurance company, you’re ready to move on with DIY small backyard makeovers
You also need to make sure that you work safely. Don’t do any kind of construction unless you know exactly what you are doing. When it comes to things like plumbing and electricity, you must hire a licensed professional to do the work, even for DIY small backyard makeovers. Otherwise, you could get severely injured or killed. When it comes to things that you can do on your own, make sure that you’re wearing the right kind of protective gear for the job. By preparing yourself correctly, you can prevent most of the potential injuries that might occur during construction.
However, accidents do happen. And sometimes you could be blamed for them. If someone is injured on your property, whether during or after the backyard makeover, they might try to sue you for negligence. In this case, they might have personal injury lawyers to help them. You should make sure that you have a lawyer you can talk to in this kind of situation as well. Other professionals can help with DIY small backyard makeovers. While you should always do your best to make sure that no one will be injured on your property, you should also consider how to protect yourself and your home in case it does happen.
What You Need for the Project
What kinds of things do you need for DIY small backyard makeovers? Before you begin, you should get an answer to that question. As mentioned previously, start with permits. Get your permits as soon as you can. If you don’t, you might not be able to complete the project. From there, figure out what kinds of supplies you’ll need for the parts you do yourself. These costs add up, so make sure that you go over your list multiple times and don’t leave anything off of it. Consider things like soil and sod, but also things like deck chairs and decorations. You don’t necessarily need to buy everything right away, but you’ll want to budget for when you do need it.
You should also consider what supplies you’ll need to buy versus what you can rent. For larger machinery, you’ll likely want to rent it instead of buying your own. With a rental, you can pay significantly less money. While you won’t have one of your own to use in the future, you likely won’t need things like rototillers or other standard rental equipment often enough to make the investment worth the cost. Compare the cost of renting versus buying as well as considering where you’d keep the equipment and how often you’d use it. This will help you decide if it’s worth renting or purchasing whatever it is that you’re using.
However, for smaller equipment like shovels and rakes, you’re better off purchasing decent versions and keeping them somewhere safe. These kinds of things will come in use even after DIY small backyard makeovers, so you want to be sure that you have them available to help you maintain your new yard.
Adding or Upgrading a Pool
Whether you’re adding a new pool or repairing an existing one, you need to be careful when dealing with backyard pools. To start, make sure that your pool and the surrounding area follow local laws. Many places require you to have a fence around the pool for safety reasons. If you don’t, you could get in legal trouble. Install any fences or security measures that your community requires before you do anything else. This will get it out of the way and allow you to focus on my enjoyable parts of pool ownership.
If you’re repairing an existing pool, you’ll want to consider things like pool resurfacing and whirlpool repair. Tasks like these require a professional to come in and complete them for you, even during DIY small backyard makeovers. Make sure that you budget for that and schedule someone to do the work. If you try to do it yourself, you might end up damaging the pool even further. The best way to figure out what your pool needs is to have an expert come in and inspect it for you. They can find problems that you might not be aware of and recommend the best ways to repair them.
When you’re upgrading your pool, you also need to consider the area around your pool. What kinds of things will you need while you’re relaxing or playing in the pool with your family? Look into things like lawn chairs and pool equipment. These could be as complex as waterslides or as simple as life jackets for small children. But if you have these things easily available, they’ll make your pool time more enjoyable.
Update the Greenery
Lush greenery can make your small yard into a beautiful, peaceful space for you and your family. If you want to plant it all yourself, that is very possible with some hard work and visits to the garden center. When you plant your garden and other greenery yourself, you can save money and customize it completely. However, it is also a lot of hard work with the potential for mistakes to happen. If you’ve got the money in your budget, you can consider landscape installation instead. In this case, a professional will come in and set up all of your greenery for you. They’ll update anything that’s wilting or unattractive, replacing it with healthy growth. You’ll likely need to do some maintenance once it is all installed, but you can also hire professionals to come in and help you with your garden tasks in the future as well.
Another way to update your greenery is to maintain the trees in your yard. If they are getting overgrown or have some branches that could fall during heavy winds, you should get rid of them during your backyard makeover. You can also have dead trees removed to free up room and get rid of any danger they present. Overgrown or dead trees can fall in bad weather, causing damage to your house, car, or yard. They can also injure anyone who happens to be in the yard when they fall. By bringing in a service to trim them back, you’ll make them look better and be safer for both your property and yourself.
Finally, consider the hardscaping in your yard in DIY small backyard makeovers. Hardscaping involves anything that is made out of stone, like firepits or walkways. If you’ve got walkways that are broken, take the time to repair them during your makeover. You can also add in things like stone seating areas and dividing walls. These additions are both practical and beautiful, giving you space to utilize in your yard while adding a unique look to the area. Look online for inspiration or go to other yards and see what they do with their hardscaping. By blending stone fixtures with beautiful greenery, you can make your yard far more interesting than just adding more plants.
Hiring the Best Servicers
Despite doing as much to stay with DIY small backyard makeovers, there are going to be things in your small backyard makeover that require a professional. This might be for both safety and aesthetic reasons. Professionals like electricians and pool technicians are experienced in handling the systems they are working with. They have access to training and equipment that the general public does not. So it will likely save you money to hire someone rather than try to do it yourself.
If you don’t already have a service in mind for your task, you can ask people you know for recommendations. If someone’s trees look very nice, ask them which tree service they use. If they liked the work, they’ll be more likely to recommend the service. This can also work in the other direction. Someone who had a bad experience with a service will be sure to tell you about it, keeping you from making the same mistake they made.
You can also find services on the internet. Look for recommendations on local websites and see what other people in your community have to say. Or you can go to the companies’ websites directly and see what kinds of services they offer. Once you do have someone with good recommendations, call and ask them for a quote. You can get several quotes from different services and compare what they’re charging for what kind of work. From there, you can choose one and feel confident that you made the right decision.
Do the Finishing Touches
Once the major work is done, there will still be smaller tasks that need to be completed. Make sure that you do all the finishing touches before moving on to the next project. The first thing you need to do is dispose of all the debris that was made by your renovations. You should consider hiring a construction dumpster for this. It is a convenient way to get rid of large amounts of garbage at the same time without worrying about bringing it to the dump yourself. Hire a dumpster for a day, then get rid of everything you can. Once the debris is gone, you’ll be able to see how the makeover looks. It will likely look almost complete but need a few more things.
From there, determine what those few things are. They might be a few more flowers to fill in an empty spot or some more decorations. Or they might be something a bit more complicated that requires a little more construction. But regardless, get it done as soon as you can. That way, you can enjoy your new backyard exactly how you wanted it to be.
The final thing you need to do is to make sure you keep up with the regular maintenance your yard requires. If you don’t, your beautiful new yard will fall apart quickly and you will need to spend even more time and money getting it back into a good state. Hire pool cleaning services to come in regularly and make sure that the pool is safe to use. Either weed and trim the garden yourself or hire someone to do it. Regardless of how you decide to set it up, your regular maintenance is essential.
A backyard makeover can completely transform your home. It can make your backyard into more living space, somewhere beautiful where you can relax or socialize. Whatever you decide to do to your yard, you’ll need to plan it out first. By considering these tips, you’ll be in a good place to start DIY small backyard makeovers and go through them successfully. Make sure that everything is legal, bring in professionals, and make decisions about what you want before you begin the work. This will save you time, money, and stress as you build your dream backyard.
