Easy DIY Backyard Ideas

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find it hard to get started on outdoor projects around my house. I love having a beautiful backyard, but actually getting started on DIY projects out there? It’s a challenge! But, every spring I feel a real pull to improve our outdoor spaces a little, and this year is no different. I have a few things up my sleeve over the next few weeks to make our backyard a little more functional, and in the spirit of celebrating gorgeous outdoor spaces, I thought I’d share some DIY backyard ideas to inspire us all.

Because, despite the fact that I have a hard time getting excited about starting outdoor projects, I LOVE how they turn out. So, today let’s take a moment and chat about a few of my favorite DIY backyard projects. Some of them are big, some of them are small, but all of them are guaranteed to make you love your yard just a little bit more than you do now.

DIY Backyard Projects (On a Budget!)

Plants + Gardening

• Need a super simple and affordable way to display plants? I still love these little cinderblock shelves!
• Another really easy idea? Turn some tomato cages into a plant stand!
• Or, grab an old wooden ladder and transform it to display plants. This was one of my favorites!
• I also really love to use blank walls on the side of our house to display plants. This started with an empty wall on our first house, and we also did it here with a hanging plant display!
• Don’t want something permanent? This ladder-style leaning shelf is so cute and is perfect for herbs!
• Have some trees planted in your yard – here’s everything you need to know about the process!
• Here’s a list of the best plants to add to your outdoor hanging planters.
• Speaking of plants, I’ve also got a list of the best faux plants for your front porch. Because they don’t all have to be real!
• I needed something for a blank wall on the front of our house so I whipped up this little plant holder, and even I was surprised at how cute it turned out to be!
• And finally, if you want to start growing some veggies, this DIY raised garden bed is really pretty and perfect for a small yard!

Patio Ideas

• At our last house, I built a mini patio for the grill and it was so simple but so impactful!
• Have a super ugly old-school metal patio cover? You can give it a coat of paint and it’ll look way more modern!
• This DIY pea gravel + paver patio is probably the outdoor project I’m most proud of. I miss it deeply and every few months I wonder if I should do it here, too!
• Have a covered patio? Painting the ceiling a fun color is a really affordable way to upgrade it!
• I’m a firm believer in adding string lights everywhere in the backyard. Here’s a tutorial for how to hang them!

Furniture + Building Projects

• You can build a DIY concrete-coated outdoor coffee table. It’s simple, and so gorgeous!
• We also built a DIY outdoor couch for our last house – it was a huge project but it was so fun to be able to say we’d built it!
• I built a little bench with spots for planters in it, and it’s still one of my favorite things I’ve built!
• A few years back I tried a template for DIY Adirondack chairs, and they turned out so, so great!
• Adding a simple little sofa table behind our outdoor sofa added so much function for us, and it looks so cute!
• Did you know it’s so incredibly simple to build your own cornhole boards?!
• I built an incredibly easy DIY planter box to hold plants, and it turned out so cute!
• This DIY bench is something I built for our front porch a few years back and it still brings me a ton of joy! So pretty and so easy.

DIY Backyard Ideas For the Kids

• In two of our three houses, we’ve added a giant chalkboard to the back fence. It looks so great, and they have a blast with it!
• If you want to tackle something huge, I built a DIY play camper, and I sell the plans for it!
• Have your kids help you with this cute and (super) simple DIY bird feeder!

Other Backyard + Outdoor Ideas

• It’s a big project, but painting the exterior of your house makes the biggest difference!
• Make over a bar cart from the thrift store!
• Make some super quick big yard dice to play Yard Yahtzee with the family.
• Or, if Jenga is more your style, you can make some giant Jenga blocks!
• Have a huge tree in the backyard? You can build a super simple wooden swing!
• Staining your fence not only makes the whole backyard look better, it also protects it over time!
• Give those big, ugly toys a little makeover with some paint to freshen them up!
• No time for a big project? Just a simple pressure washing session will make a huge difference!

Whew. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pumped to get some stuff done in the backyard! I’ve got a few small-ish things planned this year, and am hoping to tackle a couple of larger things too, so stay tuned for all of the fun!