While having the money to buy expensive garden furniture and accessories would be great, there’s something nice about transforming your backyard all on your own. You become creative and at times really inventful since improving the looks and function of your outdoor environment on a budget does take some thinking. Often research too.

Do you know what else? Transforming your backyard without breaking the bank doesn’t only make you creative but also often helps you declutter your home or shed and repurpose old items – hence, helping the environment.

Should we give you a few ideas to get you inspired?

Clean, fix and paint

Cleaning, fixing, and painting is the miracle-trio for transforming all spaces – the interior too. The backyard transformation starts by sweeping and washing the outdoor decking or patio, fixing its problems (protruding nails, rotten parts, broken tiles, etc.) and adding new colors to the nearby walls.

Add string lights & lanterns

Buy string lights and put them around the trees. Or, decorate the deck railing. Today, there are many string light styles and most of them will look good lying on the outdoor coffee table or in old glassware too. Add lanterns as well. They surely look good on deck staircases. Since most lanterns are easy to move, you can change the outdoor décor whenever you feel like it.

Repurpose old items

Decluttering is good. Giving away and, often, throwing away are also good things. But now that you are on a budget and still crave to fix the backyard, try to use your imagination. Go around the house – or check out the shed, to see if there’s some old furniture or small items you can use for a different purpose. Old pots and pans make great planters. An old sofa can serve outside before it is tossed. Use an old cabinet to store things.

Change the looks of your wooden pergola

Repaint the wood pergola to match the repainted deck. Even if there’s no deck – or it’s not painted, you can change the color of the pergola. Also, you can buy a hammock to hang from the pergola’s rafters. Or change the cloth you drop over the semi-open pergola roof. Of course, you can add curtains and hang potted plants to make it airier and more natural.

Paint the deck

If you already have a wooden deck but it’s rather old and you cannot replace it right now, why not paint it? Or, stain it? This way, you can breathe new life into the old wood deck and change the looks of the backyard, at the same time.

Bring furniture outside

Is your living room crowded? Or the shed so full you can hardly tell what you keep in there? Time to declutter. Bring the old furniture to your yard. If the pieces are outdated, you can fix and paint them. You can’t imagine what a fresh coating of paint can do!

Use pasta drainers for flowers

If you’ve got some old pasta drainers – or find some cheap ones in beautiful colors, you can use them instead of flower pots. Not that the pots are expensive but if you already have them, why not use them? Plus, they make an excellent outdoor décor idea.

Get wooden pallets

You can find wooden pallets in some hardware and home improvement stores. But you can also ask if your neighborhood’s grocery store has some that can spare. The pallets may serve many purposes since they become tables, partitions, and planters. You can mount a wood pallet on the wall and create a mini herb garden. Or, you can put one over another and create a stool. Their natural color is usually very attractive but depending on their condition and your taste, you can also paint them to bring some extra color to your yard.

Use wooden crates

You can be equally creative with wooden crates. Put them one on top of the other and you’ll have an easy-made bookcase or storage space. They can also serve as side tables or help you transport various things, especially if you add wheels. You can also nail some crates together, buy a slab to put on top, and thus, create an outdoor bar. With a hinged door on the open side and a cushion, the crate may serve as a footstool too.

See? There’s a lot you can do and although it won’t cost you much, it will look great and will show your personality.