How to Turn Any Patio into an Oasis
So you've got a space behind your house or apartment that could hardly be called a "patio". "Concrete slab" is more like it. There is nothing back there but concrete and a bad view. Here's how to transform it into a place that you'll want to spend time in for $310 or less.
1) Get some privacy: $80-$200. Too often these kinds of spaces look out on to a street or some other view that is less than inviting (and that's the nice way to say it). Or they are looked down on by a dozen different apartments. So the first step to even wanting to be out on your patio is to give yourself some privacy.
Get yourself to a Lowes or a Home Depot or something like them and buy some 6 foot high reed "fencing". It will cost about $20 for a 12 foot segment. Even if you get five of them, that's $100, and its enough to screen off 60 feet of your patio's perimeter. If you are looking out on a street or have a view of something really ugly, double the reed fencing up so its two layers thick.
Privacy from above is next. This can get expensive... but if you've got the cash and your space allows, get one or more of the canvas sun shade canopies. They cost about $40 each for the size that's an 18.5 foot triangle.
If you have no way of securing the canopy, then it is OK to settle for a large outdoor umbrella with a sturdy stand. A cheap one will be $40, and a good one will be $100-$150. You can also buy 3-5 hollow concrete blocks to make a cheap but very solid stand.
2) Get a place to sit: $80-300. Get yourself to any of the large home stores (Target, Walmart, Lowes or Home Depot) and buy some seating. Even $20 plastic chairs are a good start. Get something that will work as a table (even the top of a cooler will do in a pinch). Gather the chairs together.
If you can afford a chaise lounge, lovely. Get a good one... the cheap ones collapse under you and are a pain. A good chaise will cost $60-$150. Yard sales and Ebay are the way to get a nice one for cheap.
You may not have the room for it, but having a hammock out on a patio is really lovely. Its instant vacation. You can get a simple hammock and hammock stand for $100. A nice set will cost $300.
3) Get some light for evenings: $30-60. Buy 3-6 strands of white Christmas lights for $10 or so each. This creates an almost magical feel at night, gives lovely background light, and will make your patio feel much more welcoming. You can also buy bistro lights and anything else that strikes your fancy -- even the red chili pepper strands are fun.
4) Get some green: $120-$250. Your space will seem much more restful with a little green. Large ornamental grasses are a great way to add a lush feel instantly. Boxwoods and evergreens can work too, but they really don't say "jungle" or "oasis" like a big 3 foot fountain of green grass.
The grasses will cost $20-$30 each. Get at least three. When you buy them, ask for a kind that can live where you are without supplemental water... you'll still need to do some watering, but at least not every day. You'll also need dirt (about 2 bags for each plant), and that will cost another $30 for all three plants.
Now, the planters. You can easily drop $100 for each planter, or you can get very cheap and buy medium sized garbage cans for $15 each. Take a screw driver and a hammer and open up about ten holes in the bottom of the trash cans for drainage. Paint the trash cans if you like, or leave them as is for a industrial look.
1) Get some privacy: $80-$200. Too often these kinds of spaces look out on to a street or some other view that is less than inviting (and that's the nice way to say it). Or they are looked down on by a dozen different apartments. So the first step to even wanting to be out on your patio is to give yourself some privacy.
Get yourself to a Lowes or a Home Depot or something like them and buy some 6 foot high reed "fencing". It will cost about $20 for a 12 foot segment. Even if you get five of them, that's $100, and its enough to screen off 60 feet of your patio's perimeter. If you are looking out on a street or have a view of something really ugly, double the reed fencing up so its two layers thick.
Privacy from above is next. This can get expensive... but if you've got the cash and your space allows, get one or more of the canvas sun shade canopies. They cost about $40 each for the size that's an 18.5 foot triangle.
If you have no way of securing the canopy, then it is OK to settle for a large outdoor umbrella with a sturdy stand. A cheap one will be $40, and a good one will be $100-$150. You can also buy 3-5 hollow concrete blocks to make a cheap but very solid stand.
2) Get a place to sit: $80-300. Get yourself to any of the large home stores (Target, Walmart, Lowes or Home Depot) and buy some seating. Even $20 plastic chairs are a good start. Get something that will work as a table (even the top of a cooler will do in a pinch). Gather the chairs together.
If you can afford a chaise lounge, lovely. Get a good one... the cheap ones collapse under you and are a pain. A good chaise will cost $60-$150. Yard sales and Ebay are the way to get a nice one for cheap.
You may not have the room for it, but having a hammock out on a patio is really lovely. Its instant vacation. You can get a simple hammock and hammock stand for $100. A nice set will cost $300.
3) Get some light for evenings: $30-60. Buy 3-6 strands of white Christmas lights for $10 or so each. This creates an almost magical feel at night, gives lovely background light, and will make your patio feel much more welcoming. You can also buy bistro lights and anything else that strikes your fancy -- even the red chili pepper strands are fun.
4) Get some green: $120-$250. Your space will seem much more restful with a little green. Large ornamental grasses are a great way to add a lush feel instantly. Boxwoods and evergreens can work too, but they really don't say "jungle" or "oasis" like a big 3 foot fountain of green grass.
The grasses will cost $20-$30 each. Get at least three. When you buy them, ask for a kind that can live where you are without supplemental water... you'll still need to do some watering, but at least not every day. You'll also need dirt (about 2 bags for each plant), and that will cost another $30 for all three plants.
Now, the planters. You can easily drop $100 for each planter, or you can get very cheap and buy medium sized garbage cans for $15 each. Take a screw driver and a hammer and open up about ten holes in the bottom of the trash cans for drainage. Paint the trash cans if you like, or leave them as is for a industrial look.
