If a worldwide pandemic taught us one thing, it is that our homes can be a haven. When they were stuck at home, many people took the opportunity to transform their yards into mini-resorts. Today, they are still reaping the benefits of having a home that they don’t even want to leave! If your backyard isn’t yet the oasis you deserve, a few simple changes can get it there.
Add Shade
Even as temperatures soar, your backyard can be an oasis with the right shade. When it comes to adding shade, you have a lot of options. If you are on a tight budget, oversized patio umbrellas are an excellent choice. You can also hang outdoor curtains, install pull-down shades, or attach a fabric canopy. You might even consider planting fast-growing shade trees on your property. The northern red oak, the paper birch, and the hackberry tree are all hardy trees that grow quickly. If you are looking for higher-end, permanent structures to provide more reliable shade, gazebos, pergolas, and built-in covered patios all offer excellent shade while adding to the overall aesthetics of your yard.
Hang Up Lights
Lighting up your backyard turns every night into a party, and extends the amount of time you can spend enjoying your yard with family and friends. Additionally, outdoor lights make your backyard more attractive and improve safety on your property. Hanging lights is one of the easiest, most inexpensive ways to spruce up your yard and give it that coveted resort feel. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about the toll it will take on the planet. Just about every type of electrical outdoor lighting has a solar-powered, LED equivalent.
Invest in Outdoor Furniture
With the right outdoor furniture, your backyard can become an extension of your home. In fact, your family might end up spending more time outside than in. Think of your deck or patio like you would a living room or den. What is comfortable inside will be comfortable outside. With outdoor sectionals, ottomans, comfy couches, and plush chairs, your backyard can be inviting and cozy. Add practicality with a sturdy coffee table. You can even take it up a notch by including some kind of fire feature, such as a fire pit or fire table.
Studies show that spending time outdoors is good for your physical and emotional health. But no one wants to go outside when it feels like a chore. Make your backyard a place where people want to be with these simple additions. All you need is a little shade, some accent lighting, and a few pieces of comfortable, all-weather furniture.
Check out this article on outdoor features that will impress guests !
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H&H Home Builders have constructed Energy Star Compliant homes since we burst onto the building landscape in 1995 as ‘North Liberty’s Premier Builder’. Since then, Energy Star Guidelines have evolved into what we consider today as the pinnacle of efficiency and we, as builders of ‘green’ homes, have kept pace with those guidelines and have adapted them into each home that we build. H&H Home Builders will build you what is known today as a ‘green’ home, but what has always been lesser known as a ‘sustainable’ home. Sustainable homes are quality built so that they last not just decades, but are built to maintain value, encouraging pride of ownership for generations to come. An H&H ‘green’ Home uses raw materials in a responsible way, using fewer resources, resulting in the use of less energy.