Creating Outdoor Rooms from Scratch, on a Budget! / Backyard Play Area

Creating Outdoor Rooms from Scratch, on a Budget!
by Kathleen Wilson ~ Used by permission

Creating an outdoor living space is no longer just about increasing property values or impressing the occasional guest. It is about creating a warm, welcoming, nurturing place to come home to … a place that soothes the stress of out daily life, and brings us closer to nature and spirit.  And we have to remember that decorating our home should not stop inside our front door!

It doesn’t have to be complicated to create your own outdoor haven, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money! Follow my step by step instructions to create a personal outdoor space from even the smallest nook, the tightest budget, and with beginning skills.

Step One: Find a spot in your yard that could provide privacy, a view, warm bathing sun … whatever most appeals to you for your special place. This could be as little as your overhang near your front door, a slice of ground in your side yard, to a corner on top of your apartment roof! If space is at a premium, look for areas where a shrub could be removed, or a barbecue stored, or even a privacy screen erected to provide your “room.”  A small space is  actually easier to decorate, and more intimate!

Step Two: In order to give the sense and security of a “room,” you need to provide some structure in the form of walls. No, this isn't the construction phase! In fact, no construction is needed for this room, just some creative ideas! Walls can be created out of a row of  planters, existing wood fences or walls, living plants in the garden, or a lattice panel supported by two posts. These walls need not be solid structures, just the mere illusion of a wall to stop the eye is enough.  Use the patio or porch structure as your walls, and add potted plants as needed to create intimacy. Plant a trellis in a rectangular planter with some morning glories or other fast growing vine, and you have portable walls that can easily be moved to expand, or enclose the space, depending on the occasion or use.  If your special place is away from the walls of porch or house, cement two four by four posts into the ground with quick setting cement (no mixing required, you do it right in the hole!), and attach a simple lattice panel found at your home improvement center.

Step Three: Add a floor and ceiling! Floors in your outdoor room can consist of anything from gravel to decking to concrete! If your outdoor room just has dirt floors and money is tight, add a bag of pea gravel or mulch to dress it up. Nylon throw rugs hold up pretty well to the outdoors if they are out of direct sun, but no fabric will last forever outdoors, so go for the cheap ones you don’t mind throwing away at the end of the season. If you have concrete floors, paint an area rug right on the concrete! Use foam brushes, mask out your shape with tape, and try to  choose natural colors that go with the surrounding or your home’s colors. Use stencils on top of the  base coat for a custom look. Use the chisel edge of the foam brush to tap “fringe” at the end of each rug. Seal with polyurethane formulated for outdoors, and it should last years! 

As far as ceilings go, the sky works for me! If you have an overhead structure, consider growing a fast covering vine for shade and ambience. Morning glories are a great annual that fits the bill! You can also hang light fixtures from beams or hooks … look for old chandeliers at garage  sales you can strip and transform to hold candles instead of electricity!

Step Four: Now, we need to furnish the space. Consider what you will be doing in your space … will you need a table for dining, will it just be a private retreat for one, or will you be entertaining guests here? If the area is covered such as a porch or patio, feel free to bring out some interior items, provided they are not too precious. This would be a great place for thrift store finds. If all you can afford is the cheap plastic stuff, never fear! Krylon makes a new spray paint called Fusion that adheres to plastic without priming … use that to customize your colors, then add accessories to dress it up!

Step Five: The best fun there is … accessorizing! There is no reason to treat your outdoor room much different from the indoor ones … except you have to make allowances for weather. Benches and seats cry out for fluffy pillows and cozy throws for those cool nights out star watching. Outdoor fabric is available, but I just use cheap twin sheets on sale, and stitch up accessories I don’t have to stress about! (Hint: Use ties for your pillows if you live in an area with wind!)  Candles are ideal, or you can make your own firepit by simply lining a debris free area with sand or gravel, then edging it with stone or bricks. Remember to NEVER leave a fire unattended, and always have a water source nearby. Make paper mache sculptures and coat with linseed oil to waterproof them, and use them on tabletops or hung from ceiling beams. Containers of plants gathered in corners, windchimes from the dollar shop hung off a branch, and my favorite … birdhouses … are affordable and ideal for outdoors. I pick up wooden birdhouses from the craft shop and decorate them myself in different themes, then cluster them on tables, or hang them in groups on garden walls.

The key here is to remember that creating a space to enjoy nature is not only easy, it can be inexpensive and fun! We all need that time to absorb what the outdoors has to offer us, and no one should, or needs to be deprived of that based on their income.

Kathy Wilson is an author, national columnist, and editor of The Budget Decorator. For hundreds of free budget decorating ideas and to sign up for her free online newsletter, visit her at www.TheBudgetDecorator.com   Author of "Quick Decorating Ideas Under $20"

BACKYARD PLAY AREA 

Dollar Stretcher - http://www.stretcher.com/stories/05/05apr25a.cfm ~ Used by permission

Question:

I am a single mom of a 10-year-old girl. She is very athletic and wants a fort type, climbing structure. I can't afford what I've seen out there. Are there any suggestions about using/finding items to make a recycled play area? I would be doing it myself. I know it's a big job, but she needs an area for herself. My yard is not that big, but I do have two large orange trees. Ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated. ~ Betty C.

Answers:

Search Online - Go to www.craigslist.org and select your city and search under things for sale. Craigslist is a non-profit website where people can post things they want to sell and buy. Since you search in your city or one nearby, there are no shipping costs and you arrange with the seller privately for payment, pickup/delivery, etc. I've found it to be cheaper than eBay and full of things for kids! ~ Mary in Colorado

A Climber's Delight - I saw a wonderful idea in a book about children garden designs from my local library. They installed two 6x6 posts that were buried below the frost line and went straight up about eight feet. They were about six to eight feet apart. Three or four holes were drilled at parallel distances up the pole starting about two feet up from the ground. A heavy nylon rope was then strung to form horizontal lines between the poles. Another rope was spiraled around the front of the parallel ropes and tied wherever two ropes met forming a spider web climbing area. Another post was secured across the top of the two poles, overhanging on one side far enough for a swing. Perfect jungle gym and swing for the price of three posts and some rope. Ensure that the posts are secure and all knots are tight for safety sake. ~ Jennifer

Make Known Your Need - I suggest that you make flyers stating your need and place them on grocery store or church bulletin boards. Many parents would rather have their expensive play set used by someone who really wants it rather than have it unused or thrown away. You could also place an ad in the penny saver/local shopper. I have seen similar ads for items wanted by people in need.  ~ Tiffany

Recycle an Old Deck - My family built one by recycling an old deck that my uncle was tearing out. We only had to purchase the 4x4 posts (5) to support the structure. It is a two-story structure with the deck railing around each story and it has two swings. We bought a reject can of stain to stain it when it was finished. It was a weekend project that was fun for all. ~ Gayla V.

Talk to Realtors - Check with local realtors to ask if when they sell a house with a play structure that the new owners don't want, they would give them your number. Also, check to see if your local paper has a "free" section, as I have seen these advertised for free as long as you do the hauling.  Until you are able to find the type of structure she wants, consider getting a few big appliance boxes that she can cut, decorate and otherwise form into a fort. If that doesn't last for long, consider getting a few 2x2s and a spare sheet and make a teepee. These ideas will give her at least part of what she wants, a fort, and are very cheap and easy to change as whim dictates. ~ Eric

Join a Freecycle Group in Your Area - I belong to a Yahoo freecycle group in my area. People often request and offer these kinds of items. The items must be free. You will probably need to arrange to transport and rebuild the swing set yourself. The giver of the items just supplies the unwanted stuff. I have given away a handful of items and received several for my home just by signing up and reading the offers. ~ Deborah, RI

Used Tires as Building Material - When I was a kid, my favorite playground was the one at my elementary school, which had been built by volunteers out of used tires. They formed all kinds of interesting structures for climbing on, including a central castle with four "drawbridges" and, in the primary school section, a crouching dragon. There were also tire swings hung up horizontally by three chains so you could recline in them. Obviously you won't have room for anything this elaborate, but do look into used tires as a building material. It's amazing what you can do with them. ~ Amy

From Pallet Topper to Play House - We have built a couple of great play houses using "pallet toppers" from a local bindery. Pallet toppers are solid pallets that are used on top of pallets of books or paper to keep them from being damaged. They are very sturdy and can come in large sizes. ~ Elisa