25 DIY Project Ideas for Upgrading Your Backyard This Summer
Whether you’re looking to add charm, comfort, or practicality, these 25 backyard project ideas for this summer will inspire you to transform your space into a relaxing and stylish retreat.
Build a Modern Pergola
Add structure and shade to your backyard with a modern pergola, great for defining an outdoor dining or lounging space.
DIY Macrame Hammock
Craft a personalized hammock with macrame techniques for a cozy, handmade touch in your backyard.
Picnic Table and Benches
Create a social hub by building a large picnic table with benches, perfect for gatherings and outdoor meals.
Pallet Coffee Table on Wheels
Repurpose pallets to build a mobile coffee table for your patio, offering style and functionality.
DIY Cube Lanterns
Add ambiance with cube lanterns made from dowel rods and pillar candles, customizable with paint.
Dining Table with Hidden Cooler Box
Impress guests with a dining table featuring a built-in cooler box to keep drinks chilled.
Natural Flagstone Pathway
Create a charming and organic walkway using flagstones to enhance your backyard’s aesthetic.
Garden Hose Hanger
Keep your hose organized and out of the way with a simple wooden post hanger, painted or stained to match your style.
Custom Grape Arbor
A grape arbor is another somewhat complex project that you can do out in the backyard or in your garden. It can be customized in a variety of different ways depending on the space available and also the style that you prefer.
Window Box Planters
Adding a window box planter (or several) can change the look of a house quite a bit. It can add curb appeal and make your house all pretty.
Large Pallet Planter Box
Similarly, you could make a large planter box out of pallet boards and have it displayed on your porch or patio. Using pallet wood will make it a very cheap project and you can similarly use any leftover supplies that you might have from previous projects.
Deck Maintenance or Build
Keep your deck looking fresh with maintenance or build a new one to expand your outdoor living area.
Small Pond with Waterfall
Something else that would really make your backyard stand out is a water feature. Making a pond with a tiny waterfall would actually be fairly easy. It doesn’t need to be big so you can find room for it in a corner or anywhere there’s space and you can customize it in lots of different and beautiful ways. Check out ohmy-creative for more details if you’re interested in the project.
Planter Box with Hidden Hose Storage
Hide your garden hose in a large planter box with a secret storage compartment. If you want to build something similar for your own backyard, check out diycandy for additional details.
Fire Pit with Framed Patio
A fire pit is another amazing feature for a backyard. It would be easy to just place a few chairs or logs around the pit and call it a day but if you want to make this space a bit more special and to give it more character then you can also build a small patio around it, to frame it and to make it stand out a bit more. There’s quite a bit of work involved in that so be sure to check out recapturedcharm to find out all the important info about this project.
Wine Barrel Planter and Umbrella Stand
Repurpose a wine barrel into a planter that also supports an outdoor umbrella for shade. This idea comes from spruceyournest.
Backyard Playhouse for Kids
If you want to encourage the kids to spend more time outside, it could be fun to build them a playhouse in the backyard. You could just buy one if you want to really simplify things but that can be quite expensive and not nearly as fun and as interesting as doing this yourself from scratch. Check out madewithhappy for some extra tips and details.
Pea Gravel Patio
Installing a pea gravel patio is yet another large-scale backyard project that you could tackle and also one that would have a big impact on the entire area surrounding it and would totally transform the backyard. You’ll need a pretty big area to start with so make sure you get everything out of the way and you take some measurements before you start digging and terraforming. Additional details and info can be found in cityfarmhouse.
Stone Fire Pit with Custom Benches
Construct a simple stone fire pit surrounded by custom benches for cozy evenings.
Backyard Pool with Outdoor Shower
If you have space in your backyard, it might be fun to add a small pool. You can surround it with some fences or create a sort of nook around it and add some extra features like an outdoor shower for example. Also, consider covering it up and either installing some sort of roof or using an outdoor umbrella. The idea comes from astrollthrulife.
Tree Swing
A large backyard tree is a real treasure. One of the ways in which you can take advantage of it is by making a tree swing. A wooden board and some rope is all you’re going to need for this little backyard project. Make sure everything is nice and secure and pick a sturdy branch to hang the swing from. In case you need more details, you can head over to themerrythought.
Mini Kids’ Picnic Table
If you have kids it would definitely be nice to build something in your backyard for them as well. For example, if you have a dining table outside, you could also add a small miniature version of it for the kids to be able to use. There’s a really nice tutorial for a modern kids’ picnic table on lovelyindeed that you can check out if you’re interested in this idea.
Raised Planter Bed
Another interesting project idea for the backyard can be to build a raised planter box. You can fill it with succulents, flowering plants, herbs or anything else you prefer and you can keep it outside during the warm months, moving it indoors once it gets cold or just moving all the plants into individual indoor pots.
Window Box Planters
As we mentioned before, window box planters make nice decorations, adding character and color to the house and increasing its curb appeal. Sure, they usually suit rustic and traditional homes the best but you can also make this work in a more modern setting as well. It’s all in the details.
Repurposed Drawer Planters
Speaking of planters and greenery and other such things, there’s also another really cool project idea that we want to share with you today and it comes from beyondthepicket-fence. This is a project which shows you how to repurpose drawers and to turn them into planters.