Gardens and outdoor space are a fantastic asset for your property and for your life. Outdoor space can be used for a variety of purposes, adapted to suit your needs and preferences. Whatever stage in life you are, there will be something you can do to add value to your life, and to your home. Which of these takes your fancy?
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BBQ Area
A great idea for those who like to entertain, especially considering the good summers we have had over the last couple of years. You can make a patio area, and build a brick BBQ, or buy a ready-made one. With the addition of some tables and chairs, and some decorative plants, you have a fantastic entertaining area. Fingers crossed for no rain!
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Create a new room
If you want more indoor space but there isn’t an obvious area to extend into, or a big budget available, you can use your outdoor space to site a log cabin or lodge. You can use this extra space for a studio, office, or even a home gym. Log cabins are good for creating a play room for the children, or for yourself as a peaceful haven away from an active house.
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Dig a pond
A garden pond is a lovely addition, both in looks and sounds. A garden pond will attract all sorts of visitors to your garden. They are fairly easy to install and you can design one to fit in the exact space you want. A waterfall creates calming trickling sounds. Just remember to take care with your youngsters.
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Build a ‘granny flat’
With people living longer, more and more older people are choosing to live with their families for greater peace of mind. If you have the space, you can build an annexe especially for your older relative so they can live close to you, just in case. An annexe for an older relative or a teenager can really add value to your home.
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Grow your own vegetables
Growing your own vegetables is a great use of outdoor space. With rising food prices, growing your own is economical, and is fantastic exercise. Test your soil to see what will grow the best, and get digging!
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Put in some lights
Lights can transform a space, either indoors or out. Solar charged lighting is relatively cheap and does not require any wiring. Lighting means you can use the outdoor space for longer on warm, summer nights, and reduces the gloom of winter evenings.
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Create a play space
A play space is a great addition for those with children or grand-children. A soft play surface can be created using rubber tiles, and play houses can be bought from most large toy shops. A large storage box is a good idea for storing outdoor toys when they’re not in use.
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Make a wildlife area
If you have a corner that seems to always look a bit unkempt, then embrace it by turning it into a wildlife area. Buy some houses for animals such as hedgehogs, bees, and butterflies, and hang up some bird feeders. You’ll have regular garden visitors, and maybe some residents, in no time at all.
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Create a peaceful corner
With some flowers, a soothing water feature, and a bench or deckchair, you can create a peaceful corner for reading, or just getting away from the stresses of daily life. Decorate with white pebbles for that English seaside feel.
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Make your own compost
For dark, quiet areas of the garden, you can make your own compost for your vegetable patch. All you need is a patch of earth, and some wooden pallets. Or you can buy a ready-made composter from a DIY store. Great for disposing of food and garden waste, and for a ready supply of organic compost.
Author
I run my own company supplying eco-friendly garden buildings which we’ve seen used for all sorts of different purposes from home offices to granny flats, gyms to art studios.
