How To DIY Your Outdoor Space On A Budget This Spring

Spring has sprung, and before you know it, summer will be here. Why’s it matter? Because we all live pretty busy lives, and whether you’re juggling jobs or simply have a lot on your plate, this is your reminder to start leveling up your backyard aesthetic.

Don’t have a backyard? Maybe you have a balcony or any outdoor space available that you can turn into a relaxing and serene environment to help you unplug, unwind, and recharge. Or, if that’s not your vibe, a place where you and your friends can hang out and vent your stresses. Or just laugh a little. Space outside is sacred and a little can go a long way.

Today, we’re breaking down five budget-friendly tips sourced from some of our favorite TikTokers on how to transform your outdoor space from a concrete wasteland into a mini-paradise. Our goal is to give you the cheapest oasis you can possibly score, just outside your door.

1. Garden Boxes Look Good (While Feeding You)

We’re not expecting you to live off the land, but garden boxes are a quick way to transform a green space into a produce paradise. Garden boxes look great because they add elevation to an otherwise flat space, so whether you have a big plot of grass to work with or a concrete slab, adding a box of soil with your favorite herbs or veggies is equal parts rewarding, and visually appealing.

2. Plant Flowers (or plants), Everywhere

Since the weather is ideal for it right now, if you haven’t planted flowers yet, get on that ASAP. Flowers are visually stimulating, aromatic, and are a quick way to transform a dead space to a living one. Flowers are also pretty low maintenance and don’t require much land, so even if you aren’t lucky enough to have a backyard, you can easily plant some flowers in a few vases, spread them around your space, and instantly transform your backyard into somewhere you’ll enjoy spending your leisure time.

A packet of flower seeds will cost you about $1.25, so find some of your favorites and get planting.

If you don’t have the patience for all of that and want a simple and quick solution, TikToker Olive Branch Cottage has you covered. Her advice is “grab a hanging basket from your local nursery, put a pot upside down into whatever planter you’re wanting to fill, then you just put your hanging basket in… cut off the hanging mechanism… and we’re done.”

If “set it and forget” is your modus operandi, we feel that. An easy way to achieve that in a green space is by planting perennial plants. For the uninitiated, a perennial is a plant that lives longer than two years and usually requires little maintenance. They’re cheap, long-lasting, and flower seasonally, allowing you to enjoy some of the magic of fresh flowers, without having to actually plant anything additional.

TikToker Brand Koruna has a great video about different perennial plants you can begin growing in your green space, including Hostas, Irises, Black Eyed Susan, and Coral Bells. All of these plants cover a robust area, flower yearly, and can be split annually to produce additional plants.

3. Get Creative With Vases

If you don’t have the space for big vases full of flowers, TikToker SimplyStyled.Inspo has a great hack for turning something you can pick up for a few dollars at your local thrift store, and turning it into a cute eye-catching vase.

There really is no trick here, in the video above, SimplyStyled picks up a toothbrush holder from a thrift store and turns it into a vase perfect for short-stem flowers by simply sticking flowers in it. Turns out toothbrush holders double as great vases with a small footprint, which makes them easy to stick anywhere you’ve got space.

4. Carve A DIY Path

A quick and attractive way to level up a patch of grass is to create a stone path, which is thankfully a bit easier than it sounds.

TikToker NextJeneration has a step-by-step guide that shows us that all it takes is the removal of about 5 inches of soil, adding a weed barrier along with two inches of gravel to keep your yard from encroaching on the path, plus a metal edge to keep your pathway carved out. On top of that, all you’ll need is about two inches of sand and the stone of your choice.

All of this stuff, including the stones, should be readily available at your local hardware store and all together should cost you under $100 unless you’re making a straight-up paved maze in your backyard.

5. (ADVANCED) Add a Privacy Screen

If you really want to disconnect and unwind, privacy is paramount. Especially if you have those weird neighbors that tend to stare. It can make having company over a weird experience when Sonny from next door keeps leering at you with that annoyed look on his face, even though you’ve never complained once about him blasting ‘80s power ballads while he grills for the fifth time in a single week. Sorry, just thinking about it makes me rant!

TikTok DIY expert The Flipped Piece shows us a quick and easy way to add a privacy screen to our back porch. Here is what you’ll need:

1. Pressure-treated wood planks from Home Depot (or any hardware store)
2. A Paint Sprayer
3. Some UV-resistant Mineral Paint
4. Patience

The Flipped Piece does a great job of walking you through the process, but in simple terms, all you’ll be doing is painting and nailing wood planks.