Want to make your home feel like new and help the environment? Instead of looking for interior renovations, you should also consider some outdoor remodeling projects. Residents of temperate areas enjoy great weather for much of the year, so there is very little excuse to forgo some exterior enhancements.
Here are some fun tips for not only renovating your backyard, but also providing positive benefits long after construction is complete.
Don’t just remodel, recycle
One of the greenest approaches to home renovations is recycling. Too often, homeowners think of recycling simply as the environmentally conscious way in which they classify the items they intend to throw away. For example, broken glass can be used to create a nice backyard mosaic.
When remodeling your backyard, make the eco-friendly and economical decision to upgrade to new outdoor furniture. A couple of sensible alternatives include going to yard / garage sales or visiting a thrift store. You can also repair and reuse old indoor furniture.
Tree houses: Not just for kids
As with coloring books, Tree houses they are no longer a “kid-only” hobby. Although if you have kids, building a tree house could be an amazing and memorable outdoor project. The cost of remodeling your yard to include a tree house can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of thousands of dollars.
Whatever your budget, We Are Wilderness suggests contacting a arborist to determine what type of tree is right for your project. Increase the green benefits of your tree house by using as many recycled materials, such as wood decking and driftwood, as possible.
Before planting, plan
Adding plant life to your backyard is an obvious and practical way to help the environment. Earth911 suggests choosing local plants over exotic options. If your home already has non-native plants, consider them “non-native grass with wildflowers or shrubs.” A well-placed tree can provide the right amount of shade to even reduce energy expenditure.
Before you just plant locally and leave, make sure your plants will help, rather than harm, the local ecosystem. You will be surprised to learn that some plants, while beautiful, have a very bad reputation. For example, loosestrife, once a very popular addition to gardens, is now banned in many states. The reason? Home and Gardens writes, Purple loosestrife “spreads too easily into wilderness areas, drowning out other plants.” It is best to contact a local expert to confirm that the plants you add are “not invasive or aggressive.”
Create a beautiful garden
Speaking of planting, why not turn a part of your backyard into a garden? A well-kept garden can reduce grocery bills while helping you and your family eat healthier. Make sure to release helpful insects like ladybugs in your backyard as they have been known to eat insects that damage crops like black fly.
By digging a shallow depression, you can create a rain garden. Rain gardens collect and absorb rainwater, which in turn removes pollutants and reduces erosion.
Build a separate room or study
Not enough space in the house? Instead of tearing down walls, opt for a separate bedroom or study. Create a special playroom for the children or a quiet place to work during this new construction in your home. Whatever purpose you choose, use eco-friendly materials like real linoleum, which comes from linseed oil, bamboo, cork, or reclaimed woods.
It’s amazing what some outdoor remodeling touches can do, not just for the look of your home, but for the environment as well. You don’t have to break the bank to do what’s right for the planet. But if a new construction project in your home is on the horizon, it wouldn’t hurt to think of ways to make your home a little greener, both inside and out.