Outdoor Living: Getting the Most from your back yard

With summer nearly upon us many outdoorsy folks are looking forward to the long days and warm weather ahead. Undoubtedly most people have some vacations planned, maybe a relaxing trip to Hawaii, or a camping trip at your favorite lake. Regardless of the particular destination, the main motivation is to be outside enjoying the warm weather and all that mother nature has to offer in the summer months. So why not use this motivation to enhance your outdoor experience where most of your time is spent: Your own home! In the next few articles, I will give you some project ideas, some simple, others to be left to the professionals, that will transform your backyard into an outdoor destination.

The possibilities really do depend on how much space you have, how much time and money you have at your disposal, and what your interests are so it would be smart to understand what your restraints are with regard to these factors before settling on an outdoor project.

One of my favorite outdoor projects that I've done in my own back yard is to add a horse shoe pit and bocce ball court. Nothing brings people to the outdoors like some ood old fashioned competitive spirit amongst friends and family. And its cheap and easy to do! All you need is about a 20' x 4' rectangle of space in your backyard and you can get started. The first thing to do is make sure this area is level by using a rake tiller and shovel to loosen and move the dirt.

Once you have your area nice and level, put a mark 2' inward from each edge of your rectangular area. This will be the point where your Horse shoe stakes will go.

Go to your local hardware store and have them cut two pieces of steel re-bar at 24" lengths. Pound these into the ground at your marks using a hammer until 14 " of the stake remain out.

Next you will need to spread something over the ground. I prefer crushed granite because it is fairly cheap and has a very inviting color. Your local landscape supply store will have it on hand, tell them the area you need to cover and they will set you up with the right quantity. Spread it around evenly to create a level surface.

Now all you need is some horse shoes and bocce balls from your local sporting goods store, and you have yourself a wonderful outdoor activity and destination right in your backyard!

I love this outdoor project, it is simple, cheap, and any fairly handy person can throw it together.
Now that you have a bocce ball court and horseshoe pit, you might be ready for another project that will really enhance your outdoor living experience at home. Stay tuned for my next article on building an outdoor BBQ area with a built in BBQ and concrete countertop. If your friends and family aren't getting enough outdoor living with the bocce ball and horseshoes, creating an outdoor entertaining area will surely do the trick. Stay tuned and here's to enjoying more of the outdoors this summer. Cheers!