Have your children reached an age where you need to update their children’s play area and take out the play equipment and possibly add a pool, deck or pond area for teenage parties? Has your dog or cat decided to rearrange your plants and shrubs? You may also have lost a few plants or trees to age or illness.
photo credit: mezuni

Whether your backyard is in its beginning planning stages or has reached the backyard oasis paradise that you planned there are always small projects and changes that you may need or want to make.

Backyard Ideas

• When working with your backyard its always a wise to draw up an idea and project list to keep your plans and backyard design ideas moving forward smoothly and to get the best value for your dollar.
• Is there a part of your yard that doesn’t seem to meet the needs that it was originally created for? Would a few simple changes make it usable or do you need to re-design the area?
• You may have decided that yard work takes more time than you anticipated and that adding a larger patio or a garden area with mulch and ground covers for easier maintenance would add to your backyard enjoyment and relaxation.

Backyard Projects

• Is it time to enlarge the garage, add the workshop or put up that sunroom or greenhouse you have always wanted? These projects usually are best to plan for the spring or fall when your entertaining and backyard use has calmed down and if the yard becomes cluttered with wood and ladders it won’t interfere with a party or yard work.
• Backyard projects usually take the most time and money so take extra time with their planning. You may also need to get a zoning permit or take in to consideration the effect of your project on the trees and shrubs in your backyard area.

Backyard tips

• If your yard could use a fresh look or design it’s best to start slowly. Look at a few gardening or landscaping books or magazines. Its amazing the new look you can get with just a few new shrubs or a small fence or trellis. You can even re-invent the patio with container gardening and a small water fountain.
• Plan for the future and make your new backyard design work for years to come with only a few changes needed. A perfect example for this would be if your children were at an age where they will be outgrowing toys and need less of a play area. Think of creating an entertainment area where those changes can be made easily.
• Plan for multiple uses for different parts of the backyard. Patios, garden rooms, garden areas and terraced area create separate area of a yard.and make the yard seem larger. A child’s play area can be used for adding tables for parties.
• Keep your backyard plans simple. The main purpose of a backyard is to create an outdoor living area where family and friend can enjoy quiet times or family events. Your backyard is your oasis away from the world. Keep this in mind when planning your yard.

Backyard Oasis will be sharing DIY plans for gardening, patios, and backyard buildings. So stop by to see what new backyard ideas, tips and project plans will be discussed.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 at 2:59 am and is filed under backyard design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.