Daisy

Remodeling Your Backyard Kitchen Area

One project that your backyard can improve is remodeling and updating your patio area. It might include an outdoor kitchen or BBQ grill that has fallen into hard times and just isn’t modern by any means. This helpful and inspiring backyard DIY will walk you through several helpful tips and steps. You don’t need to be an expert when getting your hands dirty either. Here’s how to get your backyard looking sharp and more enjoyable. Before getting started, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with some best practice layouts.

Replace old and outdated materials

To get started, you’ll need to strip everything in your backyard patio area. You don’t need to break everything down unless there’s wood rot or elements of a structure that need replacing. Some materials just don’t stand the test of time if they just don’t fit into the mood you want to create. Remove sections that include shelving or outdoor storage but are not limited to old roof coverings.

Additionally, you can remove old outdoor floor tiles that are cracked and broken. This should extend to countertops and food prep areas that aren’t looking good anymore. After this, it will be easier to start rebuilding and adding new outdoor equipment and an updated outdoor kitchen.

Enlarge and update your patio area

If you decide that you want to completely replace a patio cooking area, these backyard structures can be torn down. This is the first step to enlarge your cooking area or to install a new BBQ grill. If you have a lot of structure garbage that is being torn down, it’s best to rent a small garbage container that is delivered to your home. This way, all of the old structure is thrown in and taken away for an all-in-one fee.

Unpaved sections can be expanded so you can maximize the square footage for a new outdoor structure. The next step is deciding on a design that will best fit your newly expanded patio area. It’s more labor-intensive to build outdoor kitchen cabinets, but there are more cost-effective options too. Here are some great examples:

1. Finished outdoor kitchen islands

You’ll find there are plenty of kitchen islands that are prebuilt and can be added to your patio area easily enough. The good side is that these are very convenient, but you can’t do much customizing. Since these finished kits all come in different sizes and configurations, you’ll need to pre-measure your patio area to see what fits best. Some pieces are designed to fit together and are part of ready to assemble kits.

These are good if you want to have an outdoor kitchen setup immediately. Because they are premade, they are the most expensive in this category since they are ready-to-go with very little installation needed.

2. Modular outdoor kitchen kits

This is going to give you more flexibility since you can have more choice on customizing the look you want. These prefab sections will screw or bolt together forming stations. After this, the appropriate finishing touches like sinks, taps, and electricity connections are added. These come with these types of kits so there’s not much mixing and matching for a specific look. For the price you’ll pay, these modular units can be a cost-effective solution.

These modular units can come in a variety of colors and be constructed from aluminum or wood. The hardest part will be choosing the right sections that complete the functionality of your outdoor grill or kitchen area.

3. Pre-framed (ready-to-finish) kits

These kits are more work but give you the freedom to create the space and look that you want. These kits are pre-framed structures that you’ll need to add cabinet doors and countertops onto. Many of these are made from lightweight aluminum so they’ll last longer being outside but you can essentially attach whatever you want to the exterior frames. Some manufacturers also offer cheaper wooden frames made from long-lasting wood composites.

These are better suited for people who like working with their hands and want a very specific look to their outdoor kitchen patio area.

Renew and restore outdoor kitchen or BBQ

The simplest way is to replace just the essentials of your outdoor setup. This can be new BBQ grills or cooking accessories. Countertops can be replaced with newer ones that have an updated look. Some of us may prefer to repaint or restore old cabinet doors. If they aren’t damaged too much, they can simply get a new coat of paint. These paints will help protect the wood so they’ll last for many more years.

You can also get a very different look by changing the cabinet handles or knobs. Replacing the hinges may also give these cabinet doors fewer squeaks or look more attractive aesthetically.

Make use of space (you don’t have)

Some backyards aren’t as spacious as you would like them to be so you can only use a limited area. That doesn’t mean you can’t make a patio area appear larger using some very clever tricks. This involves the use of mirrors that can be added to selected areas of your patio. The angle of the mirror will give the illusion that your patio is twice as large. Depending on where you place these hanging mirrors, they can be framed like a window.

Using many framed mirrors also helps to bounce light so your patio area is much brighter as a result. If you have storage cabinets, these doors can also have mirrors placed onto them to further enlarge the feeling of your patio.

Embrace a DIY with creativity

To save yourself some money, you can learn simple carpentry skills by watching instructional DIY videos. Of course, having the right power tools can make a big difference. Cordless tools such as a good drill and screw head attachments make installing anything much faster. There are also outdoor kitchen patio kits and BBQ grill setups that you can buy in sections. They’re simple to connect together and can be added over time.

This way you don’t have to spend a lot of money right from the start. Even if you’re not very creative, you can get inspired by looking at the internet for ideas. You can also look at online magazines and websites that feature outdoor patio kitchens.

Backyard Landscape Lighting Ideas

Landscaping

When you think of landscaping, it’s usually mentioning flowers, bushes, grass, and garden modifications. But one thing that is often left out is how lighting plays a powerful role in putting the finishing touches on your backyard design. It also makes your backyard more pleasant at night and makes it more inviting. Since we’re spending more time at home, your backyard is a great place to relax without having to go anywhere.

Classic lighting accents

There is no shortage of the kinds of lighting devices that are used in your backyard. Some are battery-powered while others are solar-powered. Many of the better designs are powered by electricity. But no matter how you’ve decorated your backyard, most of the simplest ideas are among the easiest. Think about the classic look of string lights and how they tend to make any backyard appear classic and appealing.

Draping lights along the tops of fences, or stringing them randomly on tree branches invoke a festive feeling too. Without having to make drastic lighting designs, many backyard lights tend to have a special classic feel when they appear less planned. Lighting that is built-into stairs, walls, walkways, and is otherwise installed odes have a visual difference. Planned lighting is done using careful design.

Randomly placed lights have more of a home-like and human feel that everyone can relate to. Here are some great examples that you probably have seen before.

Tea lights
Portable lights
Solar lawn lamps
Portable lanterns
Path lamps
Color-changing LED lights

Improved security for your home

Let’s be honest about something that is getting to be more common these days. We don’t live in that world where we can leave the back door unlocked anymore. Perhaps there was a time that it used to be that people were open and friendly with their neighbors. Society is changing and we have seen more and more attention being placed on home security. But for the most part, security always starts with preventative measures.

This is why light is one of the oldest deterrents that will never fail for preventing burglary or theft in your home. No thief wants to be spotted in a well-lit area, since there might be a chance they’ll get caught. Adding lights in your backyard boosts the level of security even if these lights are used for mood lighting. This is why many homes also add motion detectors on top of this.

All-weather safe

Anything that you put outside is going to be exposed to the weather. This will include rainy weather, and that can be bad for certain types of lighting. This is why you need to use lights that are rated for wet weather. Even when it comes to snow and cold weather, filament-based lights can burn-out faster than the newer technologies. It’s often better to use LED lighting, as these lights are better at resisting water.

Many of the solar and battery-operated lights are already waterproof, so it really matters to find plug-in lights that are rated all-weather. It should be approved for rainy weather so you don’t have to worry if they get wet.

LED lighting benefits

Without a doubt, LED lighting is appealing to homeowners because they are great at using less electricity. But many other benefits go with LEDs that make them ideal for your backyard. The option to change colors is more common now and allows light to adjust to any color using smartphone apps or remote control. It’s also a well-known fact that LED lights last longer than other lights.

Choosing a quality backyard light

With more and more people shopping online, sites like eBay and Amazon are common hubs for finding a bargain. The problem with these sites is the level of quality since many of these items are often imports. This isn’t always a bad thing, but many items that come from China can also be fire hazards. Look for a quality brand that’s been certified with safety testing. You’ll often see this placed on products that are certified with UL are CE certifications.

The tell-tale sign that you should also look for is the client reviews that tell you how good the product is. This is especially helpful on Amazon where you can immediately see if that product is worth your money or not. Just don’t buy lighting products that seem to be a deal that doesn’t have good reviews.

Enhance your own safety

It should never be an issue that your backyard is a physical risk to you and your family. The design of some backyards can include stairs that are built on a terrace or slope. This means you have to watch your step if you’re moving around at night. What may look like decorative lighting is cleverly disguised as safety lighting. This is more common on pathways and areas that include steps and stairs.

Even when there are steps for raised decks, you can never have enough lighting around steps, curbs, or uneven surfaces. You can also prevent injuries by stepping or slamming your food into decorative rocks or planters in your garden getaway. It’s also helpful that plants and flowers that you could easily step on are properly illuminated. And yet once again, you can still get away with the visual appeal of how pretty accent lighting looks at night.

In closing

Outdoor lighting is also not going to cost you a lot of money. Unless you’re making an upgrade to include outdoor decks and walkways, lighting can be built-in to these features. This takes careful planning and can be costly if you aren’t looking for economical lighting solutions. But the personal touches you can give your own garden and backyard will all have that special touch.

You can get plenty of ideas from the internet and DIY video on Youtube. With sites like Pinterest and DIY Wiki websites, you can easily get plenty of cost-effective ideas that don’t cost much at all.

How to Make a DIY Realistic Waterfall

DIY

How many times did you ever say to yourself, wouldn’t it be nice to have a backyard waterfall that looks real? Except for people who have unlimited budgets to hire ex-Disney Imagineers to make a rock structure in their backyard, it is possible to make this on a budget? The answer is a definite yes that is surprisingly affordable, even on a budget!

Here’s how you can put together a waterfall that won’t break the bank!

Getting started

Making a backyard waterfall is not nearly as hard as you think, but to make it look realistic is taking on a whole new level. Perhaps it sounds impossible but that where we’ll give you expert tips on doing it right. The first thing you’ll need is a good design that fits your backyard. You’ll need to plot where the water is going and where it ends up. The water itself is essentially recycled from a little pond where it eventually collects.

Since water is going to fall by sheer gravity, you do need to think about how it’s going to flow down. There is also going to be a bit of splash, so every-so-often you’ll need to add more water to refill what has evaporated or splashed away. Start with a simple sketch of what you hope to achieve. You can use references from the internet that give you inspiration such as these natural waterfalls that are found commonly in nature.

You don’t have to have a very large waterfall, but keep in mind that your neighbors probably don’t want to see a recreation of Niagara Falls over the fence. Try to keep the scale under 7 feet tall, or roughly the height of your yard’s fence. Also, try to plot out where your water is flowing down to, so your return pump system can refill the reservoir at the top of the falls. Since the reservoir at the top is going to hold water, you’ll need to build a sturdy base first.

This base also will hide and store all water pumps, filters, and electrical cords. Part of this design would help if you build an access door that has a portable light inside so you can see inside. This wooden base will help support the weight of the materials you put around it. It will also help support the weight of the water when it fills with water at the top of the reservoir. You can steal some ideas from what this guy did here:

Materials you’ll need

You’ll need basic supplies that don’t cost much but keep in mind it’s a matter of detail that makes up the final look. You can’t go wrong with sticking to a low-budget plan. Here’s what you’ll need:

Plastic pool liner material
2x2s and 2x4s cut to size
Wood screws 1-inch and 1.5-inch
Chicken wire
Spray insulation foam
Super 77 glue spray
Water spray bottle
Tin snip scissors (or sheet metal scissors)
Industrial aluminum foil (Restaurant grade)
Quikrete ready mix concrete
Quikrete cement colors
Plastic mixing tub
Hand trowel and garden hoe

Once you have your design laid-out, you’ll need to plot where your waterfall is going. The plastic pool liner needs to be laid down from the path where your water is going. It doesn’t need to be under your waterfall but it doesn’t hurt to line the area underneath. It also needs to be one entire piece so you’ll need to have enough length and width when you start. Use the videos and website info for more detail.

Construction

Frame

After you build up a wooden structure, make sure it’s secure enough using a sturdy frame. Use the wood screws to hold it together. If you have an electric screw gun, this makes the work go faster. as long as you have access to the inside, you can attach your water tubes as you go. Keep in mind that you’re building everything to recycle water that comes down back up to the reservoir at the top of the falls.

Wrapping in Mesh Wire

The next thing you’ll do is take your chicken wire and start making the rocky shape that disguises your wooden structure. Chicken wire can scratch you if you’re not careful, so use work gloves and a shirt with thick fabric sleeves. Use a pair of tin snips to cut the chicken wire, so it cuts faster. Use screws in the wood frame as an anchor and twist the chicken wire around each screw head using pliers.

The chicken wire will be flexible enough to shape by pushing, twisting, and forming the mesh. After this, you can take a can of spray foam insulation and spray this in sections over the mesh. Now you can take your aluminum foil and apply large sheets that are crumbling onto the chicken wire. Do this so that it comes in contact with the spray foam. It’ll stick the foil to the chicken wire. You can also wrap the edges of each piece onto open-wire sections.

It doesn’t matter which side you put the foil on, it’s going to be covered with concrete anyway. Once this is done, you can further shape your rock formation. Add more detail using the aluminum foil shaped into more defined shapes you like. At this point, you’ll need to get the concrete to stick to your foil easier. This is where you use the Spray 77 all over the aluminum foil and let it tack-up.

Add Concrete Shell to Waterfall Frame

Take some cheap paper towels and a chip brush and put each towel onto a section using the chip brush to poke it into place. You could ideally spray a section at a time to conserve your glue and overlap paper towel sections evenly by one-half inch. When this is done you can then start adding Quikrete cement mix that is slightly runny and apply it with a paintbrush. It only takes a couple layers to get a nice hard shell.

After your initial layers dry, you can start with the real detailing process. This is done by mixing small batches of Quikcrete from the ground working upward to the top. To get very detailed rock you can take silicone stamps and press them into the wet putty-like concrete. You can further add cracks using a trowel, long sticks, and a stiff straw hand whiskbroom. Use a wet paintbrush and water to smooth out certain areas.

As the left-over concrete is drying, you can take the crumbles and add these towards the base where gravel and debris look more fitting. Don’t let anything go to waste.

Pumps and filters

pump throwing water from waterfall fountain

At your local hardware store, you can find plenty of fountain water pumps. These are usually all-in-one kits but the tubing you need to buy separately. Where ever your basin is filling at the bottom, you need to return that water to the top. Place your tubes in a spot that will be easy to clean and isn’t seen so easily. The pump itself should go inside the structure and should be meant for pumping a lot of water steadily.

If you’re in doubt, ask one of the workers in the garden center how much water per hour it can circulate. If you design the top reservoir correctly, this will have a continual waterfall that is entertaining to watch and hear. You might want to install waterproof pool lights in spots to get nighttime lighting effects. These can be rigged to work using a handheld remote.

Once you’ve finished your pump and return tubing, make sure everything is working before you start installing this into your waterfall. This should be done when you get the first 2 coats over your entire waterfall structure.

Realistic colors

Thankfully, Quikcrete has several concrete colors that can be mixed into the concrete when you first mix it. It can also be applied after you’re done using a spray bottle with the color mixed with a bit of water. It soaks into the curing concrete and colors the cement intrinsically. Using several spray bottles, you can get various coloring effects and layer colors to get a realistic rocky look.