The outdoor space of a home is an extension of the home itself, and as such, a reflection of the owner. So it makes sense that most homeowners choose to decorate and utilize their outdoor area in a number of different ways.

Now, with the weather beginning to warm up, a lot of homeowners are just starting to think about their backyards, pools, gardens, decks, and patios. If you’re looking to make some improvements to your outdoor living space this year, but don’t want to spend a fortune to do it, then you’re in luck!

We’ve got 5 improvements you can make to your outdoor space without breaking the bank!

1. Add a bar/seating area

Everyone loves spending summer nights with friends, enjoying their company, the weather, and a few cold beers. With summer fast approaching, adding a bar and seats would be a great and fairly inexpensive way to enjoy your outdoor space even more.

Enjoying a few drinks while catching up with your friends and family would be an amazing way to enjoy every little bit of the property, and adding an outdoor bar area with seating would absolutely allow you to do that.

It’s fun to get creative and decorate the area with a certain theme and add lighting. With the help of a Bluetooth speaker and a cell phone, you can even have music in the space with minimal money or effort.

2. Add Some New Lighting

Lighting might be easy to overlook, but it plays a pretty important role in an outdoor area for a few different reasons. Obviously, if it’s nighttime, there needs to be some form of lighting so that guests can continue to enjoy the space.

Even in areas like walkways, lighting can be used to guide people at night so that they can see as they walk.

However, various types of lights can actually serve a more decorative purpose and create ambiance within a given area. When used in the right way, these lights can really set the mood in an outdoor entertaining space, like in the photo below.

3. Add A Gazebo To Your Backyard or Deck

Enjoying the outdoors can be plenty of fun, but there are some challenges because of the weather. No matter if it’s scorchingly hot, pouring rain, or just really windy, sometimes being outside is difficult.

There are a few ways to allow yourself and your guests the ability to enjoy the outdoor space without being bothered by the weather. While some are not very cost-effective, one is.

Adding a pop-up gazebo structure will give you a covered area that’s sheltered from the elements and won’t be bothered by a little rain.

Another great way to use a pop-up gazebo is as a covered dining area. Setting up a few folding tables and chairs under the gazebo would be a great way to utilize the space, and can even be enhanced with various decor and lighting.

4. Add A Fire Pit Area With Seating

If you have some extra room in your backyard, consider adding a fire pit with seats surrounding it. Late summer nights can be enjoyed with friends or family, sitting around the fire, talking, eating, and making smores.

Even into fall, fire pits are a hub for social gatherings, and many great memories will be made around the fire. Having a dedicated area in your backyard would be a great way to utilize some space and create an area that can be enjoyed by your friends, your family, and yourself.

Adding a pit is easy, and can be done fairly quickly, and without spending more than $100. Many stores such as home depot and Walmart even sell metal fire pits which are raised off the ground and can be used without any special installation or tools.

Either way, adding a fire pit and seating area to your backyard is a great way to enjoy the space, and really make some lasting memories with friends and family.

5. Landscaping

You might be surprised what a few strategically placed trees, shrubs, and flowers can do for an outdoor space. Living decor such as flowers and shrubs can really change the overall look and feel of the outdoor space.

Placing hedges to give the area more privacy can completely change the feel of the space, and flowers can give outdoor areas a welcome pop of color. Many times, you can even do the planting yourself, which means that you can give your backyard or patio some love without spending a fortune.

Now, obviously, if you want to do something more complicated, then hiring a professional landscaping crew would be the right thing to do.

Hopefully, these ideas will get you excited about your own space and will help you think of other things that you may want to do to improve your outdoor living area.