Great Backyard Designs

by Maria Khalife

I feel a responsibility to my backyard. I want it to be taken care of and protected. ~ Annie Leibovitz

It’s nearly summertime and if you’d like to give your backyard an interesting facelift, here are some great backyard design ideas to make that happen and give a new twist to enjoyment during our hottest months.

Create an Outdoor Shower. That’s right! You can have one right in your backyard.  Just find the closest water source and a plumber will install one for you. It might be a standalone shower with a round shower curtain around it for privacy. It might be up against one of the walls on your house with a wooden lathe surround and floor.  There are books on Amazon.com about outdoor showers. Plumbing suppliers sell outdoor shower kits.

Imagine the joy of showering your kids outside during the hot summer nights; and imagine the joy of having them all be asleep while you luxuriate in your own outdoor, evening shower, maybe with their daddy in the warm summer air.

Build a Fire Pit.  Picture your family hunkered down around a fire pit roasting marshmallows this summer.  Is there a perfect spot in your back yard for a fire pit?  Be safe when you create your newest entertainment feature.  Do a little bit of research.  Your local hardware store can give you the highlights and they might know a contractor who can build it for you.  There are dozens of designs online. Be sure your city doesn’t have laws against fire pits before you start this project.  Your new fire pit can be the beginning of sleeping outdoors as a family; a regular gathering spot for dinners with friends, and certainly, a beautiful feature for your backyard. Be sure to keep water nearby to extinguish the fire at the end of the day.

Outdoor Kitchen.  How much of your kitchen can you move outside this summer?  Would a simple pass through from a convenient window do the trick and make eating outdoors easier? Would a new barbeque and some form of refrigeration for cold drinks do the trick? Perhaps you have room and the means to build a complete outdoor kitchen.  There are design professionals and construction professionals who can help you with this project. Look up “Outdoor Kitchen Designs” on the internet and see what seems best for you.  You’ll find so much enjoyment out there this summer.

How About a Gazebo? – Gazebos are defined by Wikipedia as gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. They date back to the 18th century and provide a shaded area where you can read, meditate, have a band concert, simply relax, have a shaded play area for your children, or have a cool drink in the evening.  A screened-in gazebo will keep the bugs out, and, they’re most affordable.  Close your eyes for a moment and imagine what a gazebo in your backyard can do to enhance your enjoyment this summer.

I hope you’ll act on one of these great backyard design ideas so that your summer is new, different, and enjoyable this year.

OM Times Magazine » syndicated