Creating your dream backyard doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars. With a few simple backyard ideas, you can make an area that is comfortable, looks great, and is great for having people over. Learn how to beautifully make over your backyard using these inexpensive backyard ideas.
Upgrading your outdoor space can seem daunting, especially if you’re on a tight budget. However, with some creativity and smart choices, you can design an amazing raised patio without breaking the bank. Here are 20 brilliant raised patio ideas to inspire you.
Choose Reclaimed Materials
Using reclaimed or recycled materials is an eco-friendly and affordable way to build your raised patio. Wooden pallets, old bricks, and even shipping crates can be reinvented into stylish decking or charming surfaces. You’ll get that rustic, vintage look while saving money and reducing waste.
Illuminate with Solar Lighting
Outdoor solar lighting is a budget-savvy way to make your patio shine after dark. Solar powered fairy lights or lanterns charge up free electricity during the day and bathe your space in a warm glow at night. Hang them from trees, railings, or place them around steps to brighten up your patio on a budget.
Install a DIY Pallet Coffee Table
Pallets aren’t just for decking! You can also use them to create handy furniture like coffee tables, benches, or even shelves. Sand and stain reclaimed pallets to match your decor then attach legs. Add a glass or wooden top and you have a charming patio coffee table for pennies.
Build Planter Boxes from Scrap Wood
Scrap wood is perfect for crafting raised garden beds or decorative planter boxes to edge your patio. Paint the wood in your favorite colors or leave unfinished for a natural look. Once built fill the planters with vibrant flowers or trailing vines to liven up your space.
Paint a Bold Geometric Design
Add an eye-catching flair with a hand-painted geometric design in bold colors. Use painter’s tape to create triangles, chevrons, or concentric squares. This easy patio paint project packs visual impact without costing much. Just be sure the paint is formulated for outdoor use.
Fashion a Pallet Sofa
Get creative with pallets by using them to construct comfortable patio seating on a dime. Arrange pallets tightly and attach legs to form a stylish L-shaped sofa. Add colorful cushions for an inviting hangout spot. This project is perfect for DIYers on a budget.
Display Vibrant Container Gardens
Brighten up your patio by filling pots and planters with lively flowers and foliage. Vivid petunias, cascading ivy, and cheerful sunflowers are budget-friendly options Mix pots of different sizes, shapes, and colors for visual variety Container gardens bring color and texture for minimal cost.
Hang Recycled Glass Lanterns
Add a colorful glow by transforming empty glass bottles into twinkling lanterns. Clean bottles thoroughly, place a tealight inside, and hang with wire or string The recycled bottles diffuse beautiful colored light across your patio come dusk
Lay an Affordable Stone Pathway
Define patio spaces by laying an easy stone pathway using inexpensive materials. Use irregular flagstones embedded in gravel, or pour a molded concrete path using inexpensive concrete mix. Top with pea gravel for a textured finish. Voila – an elegant walkway on a budget!
Display Yard Sale Finds
Treasure hunt yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets for charming patio accents at bargain prices. Mismatched dishes become mosaic mirror frames. Old window panes transform into unique candle holders. Repurposed items make affordable and original decor discoveries.
Craft Concrete Planters
Get creative pouring your own concrete planters – all you need is sand, gravel, cement mix, and molded forms like buckets or boxes. Embed seashells or marbles for texture before the concrete sets. Paint your finished planters in bold hues to spice up patio planting beds.
Set an Inviting Tablescape
Set an inviting tablestage by mixing and matching affordable platters, plates, cups and utensils from dollar stores, thrift shops, or yard sales. Add flowers, candles, and other decorative touches. This easy patio project creates an Instagram-worthy tabletop on a dime.
Install an Outdoor Chalkboard
Let your creative side shine by installing a fun chalkboard for doodling, leaving messages, or displaying menus. Use an old wooden door or piece of scrap plywood. Prime, paint with chalkboard paint, and embellish the frame. Hang on a patio wall or prop on an easel.
Upcycle Items into Planters
Give old items new life by repurposing them into cute planters. Galvanized pails, watering cans, even rubber boots can be planted up with flowers. Drill drainage holes if needed. Get creative with everyday cast-offs to make charming planters that won’t cost a cent.
Apply Peel-and-Stick Floor Tile
Upgrade your existing concrete or paved patio on the cheap with peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. These come in wood, stone, and geometric looks. Clean the surface, measure carefully, then apply the adhesive tiles. Cut to fit with utility knife – no grout or sealant needed!
Toss Down Area Rugs
Define distinct spaces like dining and lounging areas by laying down inexpensive outdoor area rugs. They instantly add color, softness, and visual interest underfoot. Look for UV and moisture resistant rugs made of synthetic or recycled fibers for durability.
Display Succulents in Upcycled Containers
Succulents are perfect patio plants – low maintenance, resilient, and inexpensive. Plant them in creative upcycled containers like old watering cans, bowls, and colanders from the thrift store. Mix and match shapes and sizes for an eclectic succulent display on a dime.
Craft a Pallet Herb Garden
Plant herbs in a DIY vertical pallet garden right on your patio. Use reclaimed wood to build a frame, include planting pockets, then fill with potting mix and herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary and mint. You’ll have homegrown seasoning within easy reach!
Set up a Fun Birdbath Fountain
Entice beautiful birds to your patio on the cheap with a backyard birdbath fountain. Choose a shallow basin or repurposed bowl. Add rocks for landing pads and a small solar fountain for pleasant trickling water. This simple project invites feathered friends in.
With a bit of ingenuity and elbow grease, you can create a fabulous raised patio sanctuary without straining your wallet. Upcycle building materials, hunt for secondhand furnishings, and embrace do-it-yourself projects. Plant vibrant container gardens, add creative lighting and decor touches, and craft conversation-starting furniture from pallets or concrete. The possibilities are endless! Follow these budget-friendly ideas to design a patio that’s distinctly you. Soon you’ll have an outdoor oasis to enjoy sunsets, dinners, or lazy days relaxing with loved ones.
Add an Outdoor Area Rug
Adding an area rug is a quick, easy and inexpensive backyard update. Outdoor rugs make walking on your deck or patio more comfortable and hide cracks and stains that you don’t want people to see. Rugs made for outdoor use are water-resistant and fade-resistant. You can easily find the right look for your patio or deck because there are so many styles to choose from.
Build a DIY Deck or Patio
A deck or patio carves out a dedicated space for entertaining in your backyard. Plus, outdoor furniture sits more easily on a hard, level surface. Getting a deck or patio professionally installed can quickly eat up your budget. Building a DIY deck or patio can save you money, while still creating attractive results.
- Instead of a raised deck, build one that floats or stands alone. Raised decks are harder to build and usually cost more and take longer to complete because they need more advanced carpentry skills. There is no connection between a floating deck and your home, so it is easy to fix and doesn’t cost as much to build as other structures. Another thing is that you can put a floating deck anywhere in your yard you want.
- Build a concrete paver or brick patio. It’s easier than it sounds to lay pavers or bricks by yourself. Make your own patterns and shapes for a patio that are all your own work.
- Lay pavers in a grid with about an inch of space between each one to make a patio that you can walk on barefoot. Put moss or a soft, spreading perennial ground cover in the empty spots.
- Create a gravel patio. Use a cultivator to get rid of a patch of grass in your yard. Then, lay down landscaping fabric and fill the space with gravel. This is one of the cheapest ways to make a patio, which is great if you need cheap ideas for a big backyard.
If you already have a deck, put a new coat of paint or stain on it to make it look better quickly and easily.
Guide foot traffic in your yard with these path ideas. Paths are a cheap way to divide up big backyards, but they can also look great as accents in garden beds and smaller yards.
- Paths can have the same barefoot patio look if you want them to be simple, overgrown, and natural. Leave space between the pavers and fill in the gaps with grass or another ground cover from your yard.
- To make wooden plank paths, use pressure-treated and sealed wood boards.
- Create easy gravel paths. If your yard floods often, gravel paths can help because they collect runoff water and let it flow through them. Place landscaping fabric down before putting down the gravel to keep grass and weeds from growing up between the rocks.
Shade your outdoor seating or dining area with a pergola. You can build a pergola from raw materials or find an affordable pergola kit. Pergolas offer vertical space for you to grow climbing plants or for you to decorate with lights. Alternatively, choose from other shade structures that better suit your space, such as canopies and patio covers.
Putting down a new layer of mulch in your garden beds can be all it takes to make your backyard look better.
- Choose uncolored mulch. Colored mulch is pretty, but it can cost more than plain mulch, which has the natural wood tones of the wood.
- Shredded mulch breaks down faster than bark mulch, so you don’t have to replace it as often.
- If you only want mulch for how it looks and not because it’s good for the soil, rubber mulch might be a good choice. Sometimes it costs more at first, but it can last ten years or more. Shredded organic mulch, on the other hand, needs to be changed every year.
- Pine needles are an inexpensive mulch choice. Keep in mind that pine needles are very flammable and shouldn’t be used in dry places.
- Choose young trees and saplings. The prices of trees vary a lot, but in general, smaller, younger trees cost less than bigger, older trees.
- Plant fruit trees. Most fruit trees are easy to care for and can be trimmed to fit your backyard. But you’ll need to be patient, because new trees may not bear fruit for at least a year.
- In the long run, trees, especially fruit trees, can make your home worth more.
- Plant perennials. Perennial plants last for more than one season. Every year you have to buy new annuals because they only live one season.
- Purchase young plants or start from seeds.
- Save money on groceries by starting an edible garden.
- Start a container garden on your back porch. Instead of adding garden beds, it’s easy to plant things in containers. Garden containers are cheap, and you can paint some of them to add bright splashes of color to your yard.
- Build DIY raised garden beds. You can buy a raised bed kit or use things like concrete blocks to make a simple one.
- Instead of paying someone to remove a stump in your yard, turn it into a small garden. A jigsaw and chisel can be used to cut a hole in the middle of the stump. Put soil in the hole and plant flowers and succulents in it.
- Plant vertical gardens. When you need cheap backyard ideas for a small space, vertical gardens are a great choice. You can hang small containers from fences, buy pre-made vertical planters, or make your own to put against a wall outside.
- Plant ornamental grasses. Even though they take up a lot of room in your backyard, ornamental grasses won’t need as much care as a garden. Blue oatgrass, feather reed grass, fountain grass, maiden grass, and zebra grass are all popular ornamental grasses.
Tip: When starting a budget garden in your backyard, space out your purchases and plant in phases.
- Building a small retaining wall will divide your backyard and draw attention to certain areas. You can make a retaining wall out of stacked pavers, masonry blocks, or wood that has been treated with pressure.
- Add garden bed edging. You can make your own custom edges out of stone or wood, or you can buy cheap ones made of plastic or rubber.
- Use stone from other projects to make garden bed edges, walls, stepping stones, and other hardscaping projects you can do yourself.
- For a soft, natural look, put ground covers and succulents around the hardscaping.
23 Best Backyard Deck Ideas On a Budget
FAQ
What is the cheapest type of patio to build?
What do you fill a raised patio with?
What is the cheapest way to lay a patio on a budget?
What are the options for raised patios?
What is a good patio design on a budget?
This Concrete Patio Idea on a Budget combines beautiful nature with a wooden floor, concrete tiles, and a swinging chair on a tree. 31. Circular Patio with Fireplace The life of any gathering, this circular patio design with a fireplace in the center is a brilliant patio design for both large and small backyards. 32. Dining and Fun Patio Idea
How do you make a concrete patio on a budget?
A great Concrete Patio Idea on a Budget is creating a concrete floor and lining it with tiles. 35. Concrete with Gravel Patio Design Create a white gravel boundary for the patio’s floor and adorn it with beautiful plants, and see the patio light up your home. 36. Concrete Backyard Patio Idea with Raised Beds for Veggies
What is a good backyard patio idea?
36. Concrete Backyard Patio Idea with Raised Beds for Veggies 1. Modern Patio with Counter A modern Concrete Patio Idea on a Budget with a gray-black theme that has a beautiful counter, flowering shrubs, a privacy fence, and modern sitting.
What are some concrete patio ideas on a budget?
Here are some Concrete Patio Ideas on a Budget so you can enjoy sitting with style without burning a hole in your pocket. These Concrete Patio Ideas on a Budget are what you need for the perfect outdoor sitting to unwind and have fun. 1. Modern Patio with Counter 2. Lanterns and Plants 3. Minimal Patio Idea 4. Luxury with Taste 5.
How many backyard patio ideas on a budget?
This list of backyard patio ideas on a budget includes 14 different projects. Some people just need a quick fix, while others are willing to dedicate days, weeks, or months to bring their vision to life. From spreading mulch to installing a paver patio, this list is intended for both the skilled and beginner DIYer (or, if needed, can be handed off to a professional).
What are some cheap backyard ideas?
A few cheap backyard ideas can turn basic green space into the ultimate outdoor retreat. Try these budget-friendly backyard ideas, including DIY outdoor furniture and affordable landscaping tips, to create a yard you’ll love (and never want to leave). Porch swings are the perfect backyard addition for anyone who loves to lounge in the sun.