Budget Backyard Refresh


Do you ever look at a space in your home and say to yourself, yep, I know exactly what I'm going to do here?

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No? Me neither. But when we moved into our new rental home I definitely looked at the backyard and said, yep, I'm going to be using that space. We're lucky enough to have not one but two good size trees near each other in the back yard! If you've never seen what yards look like in Las Vegas, let me be the first to tell you we're not known for our greenery or yard size here in this lovely city. Houses are stacked almost on top of each other and backyards are generally a  concrete slab the size of a postage stamp (ok maybe I'm exaggerating...but not much!)

Anyway, we've been lucky and found 2 rental homes in a row with large back yards. Our last one didn't have any shade at all, but this new one does! After move in I started looking online and was absolutely astonished at the cost of patio furniture. Stores were asking hundreds of dollars for basic sets and I just couldn't justify spending that kind of money on a brand new patio set. Instead, I moved my search over to Facebook Marketplace.

Facebook Marketplace is my go to for buying (and selling) and since it's linked to people's profiles it feels a little less sketchy than Craigslist. So far I've had really good experiences both buying and selling from there!

It took a little searching but I got lucky: 2 wicker chairs and a matching table, for $75, and the guy offered to deliver if needed. I certainly took advantage of that, and ended up getting the set for $60 (a total steal!) At about the same time I ran across a fire pit that someone else was selling for $50. I had to drive across town to get it, but the guy threw in a couple bundles of wood for me too. Worth it!

Once I got everything into the backyard the set up was looking pretty good!

budget backyard refresh table, chairs and fire pit

budget backyard refresh table, chairs and fire pit close up

I did decide there was one thing missing that evening...lights! Unfortunately this area of my backyard is pretty far from the plug, and I didn't want to run an extension cord across the yard every time I wanted to turn the lights on. I did a little research and came across a solution that uses the sun Las Vegas has almost all year round: solar lights! Amazon has some great options, and I've also seen them at Walmart!

Hanging them was a bit of trial and error until I got the look I wanted, but I'm really happy with the price and quality of them! The last thing I found was 2 little green containers from the dollar store and a galvanized metal one that was left behind by someone else who lived here. I eventually plan to plant something hard to kill in them, but for now they're just sitting and looking pretty.

budget backyard refresh - solar lights

budget backyard refresh - solar lights

And here's the view at night!

night backyard view


All said and done I spent just under $150 to give my backyard a makeover and turn it into usable space. I'm looking forwards to throwing my birthday party this coming weekend and having this space available for guests!

I'd love to hear in the comments what you think! Thanks for visiting!


Linking to: Inspire Me Tuesday

budget backyard refresh pin


2 comments

  1. LOVE your backyard! Can't wait to sit around the fire drinking wine!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here! Just need the weather to cool off enough so we can have a fire!

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