Essentials for your Backyard

Look outside your back door to your backyard area. Do you like what you see? Does it inspire you to throw a barbecue and sit around with friends and family to unwind? Backyards come in many shapes and sizes. They should be a place to sit back and relax. Create an oasis to escape the stress of everyday life without having to leave your home. Having a place to be active and play together as a family. A backyard is an arena to build memories. From playing a game of catch, water fight, tag or building a fort, all of these can happen in your backyard with some planning and elbow grease. 

Fire Pits

The atmosphere created from sitting around a fire builds relationships and connections. Making s'mores or just sitting around telling stories and laughing, fire pits bring people together. For a small patio, a metal pedestal fire pit with a grated cover will work well in these areas. The cover will protect the surroundings from fire embers. If you do not mind digging a hole in your yard, you can create an in-ground fire pit lined with stone or bricks. For a more ambitious project, build an above-ground pit by layering the stone or brick into the desired shape. Always keep in mind safety, choose an area free of any fire hazard.  

Seating Areas 

Creating a seating area is a great idea. A dedicated space that you spend quality outdoor time enjoying and makes your backyard more inviting. No matter what the size of your yard, it can turn into a place of relaxation. You want to create opportunities to have conversations. Seating should be comfortable to use but also mobile in order to change arrangements or put up out of the way of bad weather. There are different styles and materials to choose from when it comes to seating options. Seating areas on the patio, garden, poolside, fire pit and need different kinds of seating. Your local weather patterns also have a lot to do with what materials you choose. You are limited only by imagination, space, and money.

A fire pit or seating area is not the only way to create a comfortable backyard experience. A few more ideas are:

- Water feature

- Flower garden

- Vegetable garden

- Hammock

- Built-in barbeque

- Awning or pergola

- Gazebo

Go through some open houses in your area this weekend and see what others are doing in their backyards.