A home is where we relax after the hustle and bustle of our hectic lives, and we always want it to be lively, lovely, and relaxing. It may describe the interior of many homes but only do a little for the backyard.
Our backyard is a central part of our homes, as are our sitting rooms, kitchen, and others, but returning to a backyard covered by dirt can be a tad depressing. Hence the best thing to do is to seek ways to elevate your backyard’s scenery.
You can do several things to your backyard to make it look lively and less uninteresting, like building a playground in the dirt, using pavers stones, concrete slabs, artificial turf fresh sods to cover the dirt in your backyard.
What To Do With Dirt Backyard
You can do multiple things to turn your backyard from a drab to an exciting part of your home, and the good news is that most of these situations will not cost you so much. So if you are thinking of a frugal way of giving some ambiance to your backyard, we got you covered.
Here are some measures you can take to take care of the dirt in the backyard:
Lay Sod In Your Backyard
Laying sod in your backyard is an excellent option for taking care of the dirt in your backyard, and they are pretty straightforward and quick to fix, and you will have a lush lawn in your backyard.
But before you can lay these sods, you will have to prepare the soil, as this will allow the sods to take in nutrients. Preparation of the soil involves the following:
1. Till the soil to a minimum of 5 inches depth.
2. Don’t remove the dirt you tilled. Mix up the dirt so you can distribute the air and water evenly. That will create a good foundation that will ensure the side remains healthy.
3. Level the ground, ensuring there are no weak areas so you don’t have a bumpy yard.
4. Try to roll out the dirt, then spray it with a moderate amount of water.
5. Then you can apply your sod.
However, we will state here that laying sods is not precisely cheap because the cost of sod for 1000 square feet can be as high as $750 asides from the installation cost, but we dare say that it is worth it.
Lay Paver Stone Over Dirt Backyard
Pavers stones will look good in any backyard, especially if you choose the right shape and designs. The fact that you have a variety of designs and shapes of pavers to choose from means you can give your backyard the kind of floor that shows your personality.
The great thing about pavers stones is that they are affordable, with one brick going for about 50 cents and a square meter ranging between $5-30 per square foot.
If you think they are pretty cheap, wait for it, boom! You can buy used pavers at even more ridiculous prices. Is this great or what!
You can find people who want to change their paving stones and are ready to sell their old ones or even those who bought a lot and have so many remnants that they are ready to sell at a giveaway price. You can even search online for used pavers stones around you.
If you want to install the pavers stones yourself, then you will have to do the following:
1. Measure your backyard to know how many pavers stones you will need.
2. Measure your pavers and dig the whole area where you will lay your pavers stone. Dig the area to a depth so that when you lay the pavers, they will all be at the correct height without non-being too high or too low.
3. Then lay paver base sand on the dug-out area, and then compact the ground with a roller or compactor machine to have a smooth surface where you will rest the pavers.
4. Then lay the pavers sequentially, following the patterns you started with. Ensure you have the right tool for cutting pavers because you will need it.
5. To keep the pavers from moving out of their places when rain falls or under other atmospheric conditions, place paver sand on top of the laid pavers, spray some water over the pavers, and then compress them again.
6. Repeat the process in number 5 above to ensure the posters are firmly fixed to the ground.
Concrete Slab Works Too
A concrete slab in your backyard is much better than a dirt backyard because the slabs are hefty. You will have e to build where you want it to be fixed.
You can mix the concrete yourself, which is relatively cheaper, or you can buy already mixed concrete, but if you do, you will have to use it almost immediately so it doesn’t dry up.
If you mix your concrete, you will need sand, gravel, concrete, a hose, water, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow. The instruction on making the concrete mixture will be stated on the concrete mix, and you should strictly adhere.
To make the concrete slabs, you will have to determine beforehand if you will be doing the slab above ground, in which case you will need a wood box whose area will be 2 feet by 4 feet, where you will pour the mixture, or on the ground.
If you are fixing the slab on the ground, then dig the hole to the size you want, after which you case it with a wooden frame. You can reinforce it by adding rebar. Pour the concrete into the wooden frame and leave the mixture to dry.
You Can Cover The Dirt Backyard With Mulch
Laying mulch on a dirt backyard will make a lot of difference in the overall appearance of your backyard. Even though mulch does not entirely take care of the problem permanently, it can at least cover the whole dirt area. The fact that it is almost the cheapest option means it’s less money to spend.
Wood shavings and chips, hay, straw, chipped brush, cotton gin waste, rice hulls, and the like are good organic much that you can use to cover the dirt in your backyard, and they later decompose and thereby add to the nutrient of the soil.
The fact that mulching is straightforward, stylish, and can come in different colors and texture means you can give your backyard the look of your choice.
After spreading the mulch material of your choice on the dirt, you can accentuate the beauty by adding decorative elements like sculptures, tree stump planters, and other such elements to your backyard.
Go For Artificial Turf
If you don’t want to worry about any serious maintenance work on your backyard, you could go for artificial turf because you have very little to do once you install them. Artificial turf installation is, too, only that it is a little more expensive.
A square meter of artificial turf can go as high as $15, but once installed, you can enjoy it for as long as 20 years. You can lay this artificial turf yourself if you feel up to it. If you need help, you can get someone to do it for you for a fee. To lay artificial turf, you do the following:
1. The process starts by clearing the area you will be laying the turf on and then leveling it to how you want it to be.
2. Then, use a roller to roller to pack the dirt to be firm and flat.
3. Then build a wood frame shaping it into a shape of your choice.
4. The next thing you do is place the turf in the area you have already made for it, and then use a hammer to nail roofing nails on the edges of the box shape to keep the turf in place. Ensure the nails are appropriately nailed so they do not come out. Add your turf sand as needed. Turf sand keeps the grass pointing upward.
5. To keep the grass pointing forward, add some turf sand on the turf.
Hide The Dirt By Building A Small Deck
You can hide that dirt in the yard by building a small deck. Even though it is a little expensive to do this, you can reduce the cost if you are ready to get your hands dirty by doing most of the work yourself.
To build a deck, you need wood, screws, and a level ground that will make your work less stressful. The base of the deck should be constructed with a deck block because the wood will sit on it to remain immobile. Alternatively, you can dig into the ground, so the posts sit on concrete. This deck can provide a very relaxing outdoor spot if you place outdoor furniture around it.
Turn It Into Kid’s Playground
If you have younger children around the house, it is a great idea to turn the dirt backyard into a fun place for them. Since you can make the kid’s playground enjoyable in several creative ways, it is left to you to decide what kind of play equipment to install because there are many of them.
There are a few of them you can build yourself, like Teeter-tooter and sandboxes, which are relatively inexpensive and quite easy to build, but others, like swing sets, tree houses, Jungle Jim, and the likes, then you must get an expert to do the work.
Make A Zen Garden
You can turn your dirt yard into a beautiful Zen garden using rocks, sand, and water to create an exciting and relaxing backyard. It is a delightfully different kind of garden not built around lush grasses and flowers.
The beauty of this garden is that it is inexpensive, and if you are very creative, you can create a garden that will be a beauty. You, however, need a flat place where you can arrange different sizes of stones into exciting patterns.
Conclusion
If you find your dirt backyard dull and uninspiring, you can take up the challenge of transforming it into a relaxing and exciting place, and you don’t have to spend so much to accomplish this.
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Using paver stones, sods, and artificial turfs can turn that drab dirt backyard into a fun part of your home.
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