Prep patio for outdoor living
Summer is right around the corner, and we are all itching to get outside and see some summer color and enjoy the fresh air. HouseLogic offers some small, creative — and budget-friendly — projects to upgrade your open-air spaces. You’ll want to stay outside all summer long!
Even though many homeowners have a list of projects they’d love to undertake during the ideal summer weather, the work can be overwhelming. Often, people want to spend their extra cash on a family vacation instead of pouring all that money into home improvements.
Perhaps the best option is to focus on smaller, less expensive projects that can be tackled over a weekend. The National Association of Realtors’ consumer-facing website,
www.HouseLogic.com, has outlined a few easy do-it-yourself projects that homeowners can start and finish over one summer weekend — and these projects won’t break your budgets or deter those vacation plans.
• Stop the pests that make your patio look untidy.
It’s hard to enjoy your patio if it’s covered in debris that’s been scattered by the wind or by critters with a penchant for digging and trampling. Instead of using regular mulch, stop critters with humble pine cones.
Those spiny cones will deter pests and mischievous pets, and chances are good your plants will love the pine cones because they acidify the soil. Showstopper plants, such as azaleas and rhododendrons, will burst with color.
Pine cones also decompose slowly, so you won’t be constantly re-upping your supply, saving you time and money. In most parts of the country, you can easily find pine cones for free.
• Pop some color on that concrete patio.
Rejuvenate that dilapidated patio with color in a can. Try painting the patio surface a bold, bright color or a fun pattern — maybe chevrons. You can also mimic the appearance of upscale stone patios with just a bit of paint and some stamps.
If you want to let your creative juices flow, try mimicking a carpet, or even a game board, such as Twister. At the very least, a new coat of concrete stain will give that tired concrete a fresh look.
• Ditch the rust but not the furniture.
Lounging on your patio, cocktail in hand, requires having something to lounge on — but if that secondhand outdoor chaise you bought post-college is covered in rust, you’re not going to be relaxing on it while wearing your summer whites anytime soon. But replacing your outdoor furniture is expensive, and a waste. Give the pieces a rust-busting makeover, instead.
There are several ways to remove rust. If the damage isn’t too extensive, the job can be as simple as scraping off the rust. Use a wire brush, sandpaper or steel wool — and a bit of elbow grease — to scour it away. For less effort, use a drill with a wire-brush attachment.
For more extensive rust issues, you can use an acidic agent such as vinegar to help with the removal. Or you can use a chemical rust converter (such as Rust-Oleum) that actually changes the rust into a different substance and protects against future rusting, adding years to your chairs’ lifespans.
Paint over the treated spot, and that chaise will be right back to its glory days and ready for you to relax in, even while wearing your white shorts. • Create outdoor storage space.
If a dumpy layer of clutter and scattered flower pots are making your patio look sad, consider adding storage space to keep all of your outdoor whatnots neat and tidy.
“Storage can be as important outdoors as it is indoors,” said Keith Sacks, a professional landscaper and vice president of Rubber Mulch, a landscaping company.
One of his favorite solutions is super easy and fun:
Paint wooden crates (they cost about $10 each) to match your patio — or try a bright, fun, contrasting color — and add a sealant to weatherproof the wood. Arrange the crates to create attractive, rustic storage units. Glue the crates together and attach wheels to the bottom if you want to be able to move them around as a unit.
• Build a fire pit — no tools needed.
Sometimes the best way to distract from a patio that needs some love is by drawing attention to a feature that does nothing but delight.
A mini fire pit can serve as an arresting visual focal point while adding more fun and function to your patio. Creating your own outdoor s’more-making oasis doesn’t have to take much time or money.
Check out the Young House Love do-ityourself blog (www.younghouselove.com) to find instructions for a super-cheap pintsized fire pit made from heat-resistant pavers that cost about $5 each.
Stack two layers of the pavers in a small circle, about six bricks in circumference, on top of a stone slab, and there you have it — a mini fire pit. Make sure your patio is constructed with fire-safe materials before attempting this project (sorry, wooden deck lovers!) and that you follow local fire codes.
“If a dumpy layer of clutter and scattered ower pots are making your patio look sad, consider adding storage space to keep all of your outdoor whatnots neat and tidy.”