As the weather gets warmer and Spring turns to Summer, it’s time to spruce up your outdoor living space. You don’t need to break the bank to make your outdoor space comfortable and inviting for your family and friends. The following looks at some of the cheapest ways to upgrade your outdoor area.

Existing, used or salvaged materials

• Reuse existing materials – If your outdoor living space is going to have a theme, try incorporating existing ornaments into the design. You can repaint or revitalise your ugly garden gnome, or you can spray old and worn-looking objects with silver or gold paint, but ensure that they match your vision of your outdoor space.

• Look for used materials – You can find a used outdoor fireplace on sites like Craigslist for just $100. Also search for used fire bowls, patio furniture and big planters.
• Create furniture with salvaged pallets – Make an outdoor bench, loveseat or daybed with stacked wooden pallets. You can buy salvaged pallets from Craigslist or local stores. You can paint them and then top them up with cushions and pillows.

Porch, deck and patio

• Use bold exterior paint – Your exterior paint should be dramatic and colourful to really spruce up your porch, deck or patio.
• Choose a unique design – A circular or winding patio is pleasing to the eye and you won’t need to add furniture or décor. You can also have a focal point for your patio, such as a tree or water fountain. To save more money, you can install the patio yourself with bricks or pavers.

Plants and flowers

• Flowers – Consider planting flowers around your porch or patio to spruce it up. For a ‘secret garden’ affect, plant roses, daylilies, hydrangeas, hebe, clematis, fleabane, rose campion or hardy geraniums. If you want a really lush flowerbed, plant them all.
• Potted plants – Update your patio with hanging plant towers, window planters or tall potted plants. Vary the heights of your potted plants using tables or use a ladder to display your plants to make them more visually appealing.
• Shadow box your plants – Cut boards of weathered wood scraps before nailing them together and then hang them on a wall or fence. Framing small plants can make a huge impact.
• Think outside the box – If you have an old pair of boots, try drilling some drainage holes in them and then plant some flowers or shrubs, or use an old piece of drainpipe as a planter box for wild flowers. You can also make small herb gardens with old glass jars.

Seating area

• Create a seating area – You can turn your deck or patio railings into a seating area with repurposed crates or an old bench. You can also build your own bench with scrap wood or two-by-fours and then add a burlap bedskirt and cushions.
• Use a coffee table and poufs for your outdoor hangout – Poufs that are on sale are cheaper than dining chairs. Coffee tables and poufs are less formal and create a more convivial atmosphere that can encourage your family and friends to chat, eat and drink outdoors.
• Have white wicker furniture and topiaries – For a fresh, summer feel, spray paint old wicker pieces white and add topiaries to the surrounding area.

Tables

• Build a sawhorse table – Buy a pair of sawhorses from your local hardware store and then place a door slab on top to turn it into a dining table. You can paint the sawhorses and door slab or just cover them with a large tablecloth.
• Create a table from tree stumps – Trim four solid tree stumps to the same height and put an old wooden door or scrap-wood slab on top to create a sturdy table. There’s no nailing required.

Rugs and pillows

• Use bold rugs and pillows – Liven up your porch or patio with a bold rug and colourful throw pillows. These will also add drama to your outdoor space. Or you can repaint an old rug to save more money.
• Cover your imperfect patio with a rug – You can get cheap and colourful plastic outdoor rugs to cover up not-so-perfect brickwork or cracked cement on your patio.

Lights

• Hang lights – Hanging outdoor café lights that have large bulbs and exposed filaments can bring your outdoor seating area to life. If you don’t have access to outlets, however, you can consider hanging solar-powered string lights.
• Hang a chandelier – Hang a pot rack chandelier above your outdoor table. This will make your outdoor space cosy and create a glowing ambience.
• Make Mason jar lanterns – Mason jar lanterns have a rustic charm to them. Add crystals or beads to the jars and group them together for the best visual effect.

Shading

• Install overhead shading – You can spend more time outdoors and make your outdoor living space look more visually appealing by installing an overhead shade, such as an umbrella, trellis or shade sail. If you choose a pergola or trellis, you can surround yourself with flowers like clematis or add more shade with climbing vines. You can also make your own shade with a used sailboat’s sail.
• Hang outdoor curtains – Create your own outdoor curtains using drop cloths, shower curtains or tablecloths. But if you don’t like sewing, consider buying a grommet-making kit and popping in grommets along the top side of the fabric, and then hang it from a curtain rod.

Water features

• Install a water fountain – Add a water fountain to your patio as a focal point. You can turn an urn into a fountain or buy a small tabletop fountain (e.g. a cairn river rock fountain) if you have a small outdoor space.
• Create a container pond – You can also create a container pond in your garden. You can build this yourself, saving you more money, by using an upcycled pot, barrel or old canoe.

Other tips

• Landscape on the cheap – You can get free trees, mulch and compost from your local council, as well as cheap or free labour and/or cuttings from friends or local gardening groups. You can also get free bricks, stones and other landscaping materials from demolition sites, but make sure to obtain permission first.
• Pick the right time to purchase materials – Many garden centres and hardware stores get rid of their old stock at the end of specific seasons, so know when these are and you should be able to get trees, plants and other materials for cheap. Also consider buying younger/smaller trees or plants, since the older/bigger ones are more expensive.
• Be thrifty – You can get great bargains from local car boot/garage sales, flea markets, second-hand stores and charity shops. You can also find bargains from newspaper ads or online where people sell their items for a cheaper price or even for free.