Creating a backyard oasis may not immediately seem like something that anyone can attempt with a strict budget. But that’s not entirely true. You will still need to spend a decent amount on the project for sure. However, with the following tips, it can be a lot more cost-effective than you think right now.
Buy Your Supplies at a Discount
Check out the House & Home deals on Upgraded Reviews. You should be able to find heavy discounts on supplies like lighting and furniture that you will need to turn the yard into a backyard oasis. In fact, don’t pay full price for any of the yard supplies you may need for the project before searching for a better deal first.
Choose a Small Space with Expandability
Keep the initial project small but plan it in a way to allow for expandability later. This will help you achieve two goals:
- Smaller areas require less money to renovate
- An expandable plan ensures that you can make a backyard oasis larger when you have the budget to do so
Consider Keeping Waterbodies Small and Manageable
Small water spas and mini-pools can be much less expensive to both install and maintain than their fully-fledged, bigger versions. Besides, smaller, artificial water bodies are much easier to maintain. So they do not usually turn into a pool of germs and insects. Be sure to keep the water moving, though. Having a stagnant body of artificial water is never a good idea.
Keep the Oasis Lighting Minimal and Aesthetically Functional
People often make the mistake of lighting up their backyard oasis at night like it’s Christmas every night! This is a bad strategy which will cost you more in electricity bills than even the cost of installing all those numerous light sources. Plants need darkness at night to thrive. Not to mention the fact that excessive lighting will attract millions of bugs to the yard.
Save money and your plants by installing just a few strategically placed ambient light sources. These should ideally provide an ethereal glow to the oasis. Also, on nights with enough moonlight, keep the lights off for truly experiencing nature in your own yard. In case you are worried about safety, install motion-sensing lights. These will switch on if an animal or an intruder decides to enter the lawn uninvited.
Learn How to Make Grass Work for You
There is no oasis without grass and yet, growing grass costs almost next to nothing. If you know how to use grass to your advantage, it can put even the most lavishly decorated backyard oasis to shame.
Make sure that you manage to do it right by first learning how to grow and maintain grass in the lawn. Next, you will have to learn how to use your lush green lawn to your project’s advantage. The exact strategy will vary, depending on the particulars of your overall plan, but the following are usually constant:
- Grass should cover most of your yard
- The length should vary from section to section
- Each section should have flowers/fruits/potted plants in contrasting colors
- At night, the lighting should illuminate grass in ambient lighting
If you cannot afford some of the stuff you want in the yard right away, do not let it stop you. In the wake of the pandemic and lockdowns, backyard oasis projects have become extremely popular across the planet. In fact, studies show that having a lush, green, well-maintained piece of the woods inside your own property can lead to significantly increased mental wellbeing.