It’s a real blessing to have ample outdoor space to utilize however you’d like. Often, homeowners don’t effectively utilize their outdoor space. If it’s uncomfortable or if there’s nothing to do, the space won’t often be used by the occupants and it’s wasted.
Having space to spend time outdoors opens up your life to a lot of different hobbies and opportunities to soak up some sun while having a lot of fun. It doesn’t matter the age or gender, there’s something for everyone outside.
Spending time is particularly important in the modern-day and age. Screentime is rapidly becoming a problem for children and adults alike. Now, with all of the quarantines, going outside has become increasingly important for our mental health. People get used to staying inside and playing on their phones all day and getting outside may seem unappealing at first. However, once everyone puts their phones down and gets some fresh air, everyone will enjoy the change.
Having a lot of great recreational options and comfortable places to hang out will greatly encourage everyone to get out and get cookin’.
Install A Sweet Deck
If your yard is barren, it’s time to literally ‘deck it out.’ A deck adds a lot of functionality and space to your yard. A second-floor deck offers lots of additional square footage as space can be used under the deck. That space is better protected from the rain and elements so it can be used to hide from the sun or store the mower to avoid getting wet.
Decks can become a maintenance nightmare if they’re made with traditional materials. Composite materials are far more durable and erosion resistant. A newer composite, millboard decking by WalshlandScaping, is a particularly reliable material. Non-traditional decking materials have a lot of other benefits as well such as stain and fade resistance. Composite materials aren’t appealing to most insects either.
Once you’ve got your deck installed, there are a lot of different applications in which it can be used to augment your outdoor time.
Build Recreational Facilities
There are countless hobbies and activities that you can enjoy outside in your front or back yard. However, some of them need special permanent or semi-permanent constructions. Others require not much at all. Let’s have a look at some pretty great uses of the yard.
- Badminton, volleyball, or tennis netting – depending on your family’s favorite net sport you can choose to install the basics to make an amateur court. Volleyball and badminton both use the same net and they are appropriate for yards because they require no bounce and therefore can be played on the grass. Larger yards could play a bit of tennis but it’d require a clay court construction at the least.
- Other sports – you’re not limited to just net sports. You can also set up a few goals for soccer or field hockey. A basketball goal or two will also encourage some healthy playtime outdoors. There are a few other sports that can be played in the yard, but they don’t require any special equipment beyond the basics of the game.
- Swimming pool – everyone wants a pool. These are permanent or semi-permanent installations if you want anything deeper than your knee. Of course, in-ground pools are the most luxurious, but also the most expensive and permanent. Fortunately, there are a variety of affordable semi-permanent above-ground pools available at every local home improvement shop. These aren’t suitable for serious swimming but they’re great for lounging around in style. Younger swimmers will have more space to move around and can improve their basics like doggy paddling and floating.
- A grill – having a convenient place to cook outside will make it much more useful than just a sports area or a maintenance burden. Everyone loves a good bbq, so make sure to get a nice grill or two and maybe some auxiliary equipment. If your garage has easy access to the yard, put a fridge in there and make sure you have a place to easily clean up at the hose. These things make the process of grilling easier and therefore more likely to happen more often.
Make A Chill Viewing Spot
A different kind of recreational facility that will encourage household members to outside is a comfortable chill zone in the back yard or porch. Sometimes people want to go outside but they’re tired and just want to chill out. Usually, the outdoor spaces are less comfortable as the tables are usually rigid and cold with poor back support.
They also just want to hang out and watch tv or play on their phones. However, there’s no reason why we can’t have the best of both worlds.
A great idea that’s likely to draw everyone out is an outdoor theater complete with comfortable chairs and bbq. Nowadays, nice quality video projectors can be purchased for quite a bargain online. Utilizing one of these and a white backdrop is all you need to create your own outdoor home theater that everyone from all ages will enjoy. If you don’t have nice and comfortable patio furniture, you can lay down some blankets and lay back on the grass.
Whatever you do, make sure you’ve done something to combat the bugs and have recently cut the grass to ensure everyone has a good time.
There are lots of things you can do to improve the recreational capabilities and the usefulness of your backyard. Don’t forget that fun is the main goal. There are so many things you can do. If playing sports, grilling, or watching movies isn’t your idea of fun, ask yourself what you like to do and find a way to expand the features of your outdoor space. If you like doing art, get a pottery wheel or set up some easels. If you’re into music, make a little place that is conducive to practice. The options are endless.