Outdoor spaces can add tremendous value to a property, with just a little bit of work. They’re incredibly flexible, serving as a space for work, rest and play – and thus it’s worth tailoring your garden to the function it’ll be serving in your life.
Here, we’ll run through a few common ways to bring your garden up to its full potential.
Growing Your Own
Food that you’ve grown yourself can be rewarding to eat. Moreover, it’ll allow you to be sure of exactly what you’re feeding yourself and your family. Getting started with vegetables is easy when you have the right equipment and know-how. Look at what’s seasonal, and start with something simple and easy like strawberries and tomatoes. Raised planters will save you the strain of having to hunch down on your hands and knees, or polytunnels are a more cost-effective and flexible alternative to greenhouses to allow your vegetables to thrive in all conditions.
Create a Wildlife-Friendly Garden
From an environmental standpoint, it’s worth allowing wildlife into your garden. After all, it’s only human beings that recognise concepts like property rights and boundaries. Wildlife you do let in won’t just provide you with interesting activity to look at from your deck chair; they’ll also help to control pests in your garden, and to fertilise your soil. Bird-feeders are a great place to start if you don’t want to change the aesthetic value of your garden too much. Of course, allowing wildlife into your garden might mean that it ends up looking a little rough around the edges, but that’s part of the appeal.
Build a Fort
An outdoor space can provide somewhere to retreat to when the pressures of domestic life begin to build. This might mean a shed at the bottom of the garden, where adults can retire to work on their personal projects, or it might mean a den or treehouse where kids can hang out. Before the days of ultra-accessible technology, the garden could be a source of great entertainment for kids and adults alike, so building a creative or magical space in the garden is a great way to get more use out of your garden and to create cherished memories.
Create an Outdoor Kitchen
If you’re the sort of person who likes to have guests over during summer, then an outdoor kitchen and dining area might be just what’s required. Put together a pizza oven or a fixed barbeque, and then arrange the patio or deck around it. You might even install a bar area for dispensing cocktails and a music system to create an incredible hosting space. A useful hosting space will certainly add value to your home if you choose to sell it on, so it may be a worthwhile investment.
Create an Outdoor Gym
Staying in shape needn’t mean spending money on a fancy gym membership. You might just install a few climbing structures outdoors. With their help, you’ll be able to do pull-ups, dips, and a range of other calisthenic exercises. Alternatively, you may want to invest in an outdoor building to home machines such as a treadmill and exercise bike. If you’re working from home, it’s a perfect way to spend a lunch-break – and you will save the cost of a gym membership every month.
Set up a New Home Office
If you have been stuck in the house whilst working from home, you may enjoy the use of a new home office in the garden. Purpose-built garden offices will provide you with more natural light and a better view than a traditional home office, which may positively impact your productivity and mood. Furthermore, separating your personal and professional life will be easier when you can separate the two physical spaces a little more.
