Your porch or balcony can play many roles: a place to have your morning coffee or tea, to watch your kids play, to have dinner on a beautiful summer’s night, to sit enjoy the sun, to read a book. But it is probably not the first place you think of when considering home repairs and upgrades.

There are several budget-friendly improvements to make your porch or balcony the place you want to be.

Update Small Details 

Do you notice wobbly railings or faded paint on columns and trim? For a cleaner, more stylish space, consider tightening screws, replacing old wood or giving the area a fresh coat of paint. You can also order outdoor decor, like throw rugs and placemats, to cosy up the space. If your front door’s seen better days, you might consider replacing it — or painting it a vibrant, happy colour.

Replace Old Lighting and Electrical Fixtures 

If your porch light is buzzing, humming, flickering and/or dimming, it’s likely time for a replacement. It’s a good idea to call an electrician to evaluate and handle the issue. If your fixtures are dated, replacing them is a simple project with instant results. Hanging string or fairy lights can also add a special, inviting touch to any outdoor space.

Bring Plants into the Picture 

Potted plants are the gold standard when it comes to sprucing up your porch for spring and summer —whether you’re keen to keep things monochromatic or go all-out with a vibrant mix. For a fail-safe design, consider hanging plants on the interior and placing potted plants at either side of the door and along the edge of the porch itself. You can also use potted plants and flowers to line your walkway — and add a few path lights to highlight them at night.

Clean and Maintain Hardscaping 

Porches, pathways, driveways and other hardscaping elements require regular maintenance to keep them looking their best. Springtime is a good time to do it yourself or have a professional pressure-wash concrete around your home’s exterior — as well as siding and other exterior surfaces. It’s also a good time to inspect for and take note of any cracks or damage. If you notice an issue, call a pro to take a look and get ahead of costly repairs.

Opt for Comfortable Furniture 

Soaking up the sun or settling in for a glass of wine is so much better when you can lean back and relax. Even the smallest porches can usually accommodate a chair or two. When it comes to seating, the sky’s the limit: choose a classic bench swing, a bistro set, rocking chairs, colourful Adirondacks or even trendy hanging basket chairs. When it comes to perking up your porch, it all comes down to what best fits your space, budget and taste.

Most of us dream of an beautiful yard, especially during this time. We want to be able to relax with family and friends. However, creating the perfect backyard can often end up feeling like a burden — and the result no one uses it. How you can turn your backyard into a space that everyone in your house will want to spend time in.

Prioritize your needs

Big, square backyards can be a challenge for homeowners. Landscaping is expensive — not only for the initial build, but for ongoing maintenance. Landscape areas often include grass, garden beds and trees that require continuous maintenance. Regardless of your budget or scope, the challenge is getting the best bang for your buck and prioritizing the landscaping features you want when looking at your budget.

Before you design your outdoor space consider how you want it to function and who it needs to work for. The best design is one that knows where it is going before the various elements are selected.

Use borrowed landscapes 

Your backyard does not need to be limited to what is within your fence line. Your neighbour may have large hedges or trees along their boundary, or you have a beautiful view. If so, you could incorporate these elements into your design to maximize the outcome.

Vary plant sizes 

Planting smaller hedges along fences will help your backyard feel more private.

Enhance your views

 You might align a group of trees to draw focus to a distant view to help extend the focus beyond your yard.

Create landscape rooms 

A large backyard provides the opportunity to break the space down into areas of different uses. This works particularly well when the backyard has a slope and retaining walls are needed. Different areas could include a seating area, a fire-pit area, a grass play area, a garden etcetera. These zones can be defined by different materials, with hedges or trees, decorative screens, gates or an archway — you can get as creative as you want.

Breaking down the space into differen areas also gives you the abiliy to landscape at different times. This can be helpful if you have a limited budget, which does not allow for the entire design to be done at once.

Keep materials and colors to a minimum 

For a successful design, it’s best not to go overboard. Landscapers recommend a maximum of two types of hardscaping like pavers, concrete or cobblestones, one type of timber finish and a planting palette that complements the style of garden you are looking for. The goal: to create a landscape that works harmoniously.

Choose plants that suit the environment 

Your plant selection will be based on your  location, sunlight and climate. Choose plants that have complimentary foliage, colors and flowers.

Layer plants

As a general rule, landscapers layer plants from low ground covers at the front to taller hedges along the edges or fences. This helps draw the eye upward and makes the yard feel bigger. When layering your planting, make sure the colors work well together.

Be budget-savvy 

If you have a large garden and a limited budget, try to include varieties of wide-spreading ground covers and bigger shrubs or hedges. Flowering ground covers are affordable, cover a lot of space, are relatively low-maintenance and come in an endless variety of foliage and flower colors.

Consider less mature and more affordable plants

These will take longer to grow to maturity but will create serious cost savings.

Frame the perimeter

Most boundary fences are fairly unattractive. Planting fast-growing, dense hedges that grow to at least the height of the fence is the most common approach for perimeter screening.

Screen the perimeter 

Another method for disguising a fence is to attach mesh panels or climber-plant wires to create a green wall.

Paint the fence 

A dark colour, such as charcoal, will provide an attractive backdrop to the green foliage of your hedges and create visual depth – without breaking the budget.

Use shade trees 

These can provide attractive spaces for relaxation and entertaining. When placing shade trees in a large backyard, consider the species (deciduous or evergreen) and the location.

Ask yourself questions about your existing yard

• How much are you willing to spend?
• What are the main strengths of the site and how best can it be designed to support or further strengthen them?
• Are there any issues with the garden you want to overcome or features you’d like to conceal?
• Where is the sun at different times throughout the day?

Add elements to enhance backyard interest

• Create an entertaining zone.
• Promote movement through the garden with informal access routes to different areas and zones.
• Play with shapes to create interest and blur straight boundary lines. This can be achieved with something as simple as a curved and flowing garden bed or deep borders.
• Choose fast-growing plants to fast-track your design.

Ask yourself about your design requirements

• Do you have privacy requirements (for example, do you wish to inhibit a neighbor’s view into your garden or a view from the street)?
• Do you want to add in seating or a dining area?
• Does the design need to cater to children or pets?
• Are there any easement restrictions on your garden?

Consider a Native Planting Scheme 

Native plants are great, as they require less water and maintenance. Growing taller plants around the perimeter will soften the fence and provide privacy.

Create a Formal Planting 

Creating spaces and experiences in a formal garden is typically done using straight lines, glossy green leaves and white flowers.

Try a Cottage Garden 

This design is all about creating meandering paths, mystery and intrigue to draw you into the next part of the garden. Use stepping stones rather than solid paths and add in lots of flowering plants and color.

Add a Striking Feature 

Create a focal point by adding in a beautiful water feature or a statement plant that provides a pop of bright color.